HEROES & VILLAINS / Metro Boomin / December 2, 2022
- Joshua Yoo
- Dec 11, 2022
- 2 min read
Anyone who follows Metro Boomin’s releases knows that he has a keen flair for the dramatic, each album more deeply entrenched in its theme, imaging, and holistic musical experience than its predecessor. ‘HEROES & VILLAINS’ is no exception to this, and arrives as not only his most cinematic project to date, but also his most consistent and engaging collection of tracks yet.
The batch of high-profile rappers Metro enlists for the album shouldn’t come as a surprise at this point, but what is unusual is how proficiently he melds his ensemble cast together, far more cohesive than most albums with a similar number of guests. 21 Savage’s signature flows and cold demeanor hit twice as hard as a compliment to Young Nudy’s slick and strained delivery on the hard-hitting “Umbrella”. A$AP Rocky and Takeoff also build an undeniable chemistry on the victory-lap “Feel the Fiyaaaah”, trading verses with uplifting energy and equally creative lyricism.
These moments and many others on ‘HEROES & VILLAINS’ are ultimately contingent on Metro’s proven ability to provide his rappers with consistent and creative rhythmic pockets. It’s what makes the delivery on “Superhero (Heroes & Villains)” such a gripping performance from Future, or what accounts for Don Toliver’s variety of vocal runs that all float effortlessly on the beat of “Too Many Nights”. His guests are consistently able to find their footing on the flow of the instrumental, and under the darker thematic focus the production maintains, they make quite the impact emotionally.
It’s a simple formula that Metro Boomin maximizes, and in the process makes it appear much easier to helm a producer-led album than it actually is. In this sense, the level of focus and execution that ‘HEROES & VILLAINS’ operates on is certainly a gift.
Highlight(s): Walk Em Down (Don’t Know Civilians), Umbrella, Niagara Falls (Foot or 2), Superhero (Heroes & Villains), Trance, I Can’t Save You (Interlude), Feel the Fiyaaaah, Creepin’
Lowlight(s): Around Me, Lock On Me
SCORE: 8/10
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