Over the last couple of years, the narrative around Trap music is that it is starting to die down. In particular, Atlanta Trap music. A lot of the artists who helped push and progress the genre over the last decade or so have either started to fade away or drifted away from the genre. With Migos breaking up, the fall-off of Lil Baby and Young Thug, and Future shifting to a more modern Melodic R&B Trap sound lately, it seems like the Atlanta Trap music I grew up loving has started to disappear. There is one artist who has been prevalent in the genre for a while that has stayed consistent and has been doing his best to keep the movement going over the last few years, though, and that is 21 Savage. For some of the pitfalls of some of his peers, 21 Savage has been thriving. 21 Savage’s current run of dominance came when he collaborated with Drake on the album Her Loss. This record not only showed off his prowess and maturity as a rapper in his own right, but also showed his Pop Tendencies and his ability to collaborate. This album was followed up with his highly acclaimed 2024 record American Dream. I felt this record showed the most growth he has shown to date as an artist. For one, he shows the most amount of maturity as a lyricist on this record, opening up about himself more than ever. This was also his most sonically diverse album, using a variety of cool samples to drive some really cool-sounding songs. Trap music’s savior has now returned with a new surprise album to end 2025, What Happened To The Streets. The public opinion on this album has been polarizing; some people think 21 Savage is still on his game, while others worry he’s falling into the ways of some of his aforementioned peers. Below, I wanted to talk about some of my favorite tracks from What Happened To The Streets, and then give some overall thoughts on the record to close things out. Please let me know your thoughts on 21 Savage’s What Happened To The Streets in the comments below!

STEPBROTHERS (FEAT. YOUNG NUDY)

It would not be a new 21 Savage album if there were not at least one collaboration with Young Nudy. 21 Savage and his cousin have been making great music together for years, and every new project from either of them always contains the other. The instrumental for ‘Stepbrothers’ is very enticing. The melody is driven by a very interesting sample, which is ‘My Hero Is A Gun’ by Michael Masser(this track is also sampled by DMX’s ‘Stop Being Greedy,’ which is immediately what I thought of.’ This melody has a daunting feeling to it. Although it has a light and classical sound, something about it feels ominous. 21 Savage and Young Nudy body this instrumental, bringing out the best in each other. Their chemistry is palpable, and the way they rap on this one matches the energy of the instrumental well. If you are a fan of any of the many tracks these two have done together in the past, I am sure ‘Stepbrothers’ is a song for you.

MR. RECOUP (FEAT. DRAKE)

If there is one moment from this album that everyone is talking about right now, it is 21 Savage’s new track with Drake. ‘Mr. Recoup’ is the latest track from the duo that no one expected and that people pretend to hate. As expected, when this duo drops, the opinions on this track are wide-ranging. Some people seem to absolutely love it, while others act like it is terrible. This is the Drake effect, though, and the actual caliber of the song is probably somewhere in between. This song does have a pretty different tone to it than most of the rest of their songs together. The melody that drives this one is very simple, but impactful. I really like it when the distortion comes in, because it makes the song feel so huge. 21 Savage and Drake rap with the same sort of sing-songy flow that the instrumental has. Their rap performances are not very emphatic, but their cadence makes this song such an earworm. ‘Mr. Recoup’ is not the biggest track these two have had, but there is something about it that feels so addicting. 

GANG OVER EVERYTHING (WITH METRO BOOMIN)

I would say the first two-thirds of the album and the last third have a very different tone. There is a point in the album where the harshness seems to fade away. ‘Gang Over Everything’ is(and maybe ‘Code of Honor before it, a bit) where the album stops feeling so cold and harsh. I really enjoy the melody that drives this one. The melody for ‘Gang Over Everything’ is driven by a warm, old-school-sounding R&B piano riff. This melody is complemented by some somber, pitched-up vocals, which really add to the emotion this song carries. Speaking of emotion, 21 Savage reflects on his life on ‘Gang Over Everything.’ He raps about a lot of the problems he and his crew have gone through, and asserts that he will always be there for the people who have always been there for him. ‘Gang Over Everything’ is a reflective track where 21 Savage asserts he is still the same person he has always been. 

BIG STEPPER

‘Big Stepper’ has a sound and style that is pretty unlike everything else on the record. I would say this one is by far the most unlike the others, and it really stands out. I honestly don’t even know if I would consider ‘Big Stepper’ a Trap song. The tempo for the beat does not really have a Trap feeling to it at all. I really like the bass that drives the beat for this track, as it adds so much energy to the track. The melody for ‘Big Stepper’ is pretty unique as well. This melody consists of an off-kilter piano riff with a Southern R&B tint to it. This riff is complemented by super soulful vocals that come in and out and give the track so much depth. In my opinion, this is easily one of(if not the best) 21 Savage’s top performances on the record. He raps with many flows on this song that kind of go against the grain of the beat, which really makes his performance hit hard. He also raps with a higher tone, which gives the track so much emphasis. ‘Big Stepper’ is a moment where 21 Savage steps out of his comfort zone, and it pays off. 

ATLANTA TEARS (FEAT. LIL BABY)

Now, I know that I referred to Lil Baby as someone who is on the downturn in the introduction, but I would be lying if I said the song he is featured on is not one of the best on this record. ‘Atlanta Tears’ does not have a sound that I would have expected to hear from these two. I honestly would have seen Lil Baby featuring on one of the first several instrumentals. I think that is what makes this song pop so much, though. ‘Alanta Tears’ is driven by an old school Soul sample coming from the song ‘Pardon Me.’ This instrumental has a very pleasant sound to it, but also feels a bit melancholy. The allegations that Lil Baby is washed definitely go away on ‘Atlanta Tears.’ I would say that his performance is what makes this song great. 21 Savage’s rap performance is good as well, and his vocals and flow contrast the brighter and eccentric energy of Lil Baby nicely. ‘Atlanta Tears’ feels like it could be a sleeper hit, and I would not be surprised if it ends up being one of the top songs from the record in the coming months. 

I WISH (FEAT JAWAN HARRIS)

Now, of course, ‘Mr. Recoup’ is the song from this record that is currently getting the most hype. There is another song, however, that is starting to do numbers, and that’s ‘I Wish.’ This is the closing song of the record, and I feel like 21 Savage may have saved the best for last. ‘I Wish’ has a very sweet and welcoming feeling. It is probably the most Poppy-sounding song on the album, making it very palatable. The melody has a classic funky R&B tint to it, which gives the song a bit of nostalgia. The chorus, which is sung by Jawan Harris, really feeds into that 1990s R&B feeling that this song has. As nice as ‘I Wish’ sounds, however, the actual reason this song is hitting is because of the rap performance from 21 Savage. On ‘I Wish,’ 21 Savage shows love to so many people who have passed away recently. Some of these shout-outs are to his own friends, but most of them are to artists who have passed away in the industry. Among many others, he talks about Juice Wrld, Lil Keed, Takeoff, and King Von, and how they left the world way too early. ‘I Wish’ is a great send-off for this record, as it finishes things on such a touching note.  

I am not going to lie, when I first started listening to this record, it was not grabbing me the way I wanted it to. Because so much of Atlanta Trap music has been feeling a bit stale, I was really looking forward to 21 Savage reviving things and getting things rolling again for Atlanta Trap. I will just be honest, I am not in love with a lot of the first half of What Happened To The Streets. I mean, I will always show gratitude to a 21 Savage and Young Nudy song, so of course I am into ‘Stepbrothers.’ But, apart from that track and from ‘Mr. Recoup,’ the first half of the album did not grab me(which was kind of surprising to me, considering I am a pretty big fan of Glorilla and Latto). I will say, though, that there is a point in the album where the energy majorly switches, and that is with the song ‘Code of Honor’ with G Herbo, which I almost picked for this list. From that song on, the album has a very different theme sonically and lyrically. I have always been a big fan of when 21 Savage takes older Soul and R&B instrumentals and flips them into modern Trap. The second half of the album exclusively contains these kinds of songs. The more vibrant and smoother styles of melodies really contrast with 21 Savage’s vocal style, making these songs really pop. As cool as the instrumentals are in the second half of the record, though, I think the best part is how open and honest 21 Savage gets. On these tracks, he really lets the listeners into his minde, and and lets the listeners into his mind in a manner that we normally do not get to see. Even though some of the experiences he has are not relatable for everyone, the sentiment behind what he is saying does resonate with anyone who has been through the mud(in their own way) and has made it out the other side. Overall, I do not feel like What Happened To The Streets saves or revives Atlanta Trap music in the way some people(and even myself) would have necessarily wanted it to. I do not even think this album is among the best that 21 Savage has put out. But there is a lot to like here, and I think with time it will get more palatable and enjoyable overall. The second half of the album grabs me a lot more than the first half, for the most part. What Happened To The Streets is one of the Trap albums of 2025, nothing more and nothing less.