You either die a hero or live long enough to become a villain, as Metro has made a Boomin return as rap’s revered superhero.
Known for his villainous sound — strengthened by longtime collaborator 21 Savage — the GRAMMY-nominated composer-producer has finally shared his sophomore album, HEROES & VILLAINS, with a slew of heroic stars behind him. Holding 15 tracks and features from Future, Travis Scott, 21 Savage and Young Nudy, the rest of the tracklist is littered with guest spots, in which A$AP Rocky, The Weeknd, Young Thug, Don Toliver, the late Takeoff and more fill up.
Postponing the album until Friday (Dec. 2) due to sample clearance issues, Metro’s new effort is arguably his most special yet — considering the tragic passing of his mother in June. Dedicating the record to the late Ms. Leslie, HEROES & VILLAINS — which is the second album in a “trilogy” according to Metro — has a naturally triumphant aura surrounding it. Despite a personally tumultuous year for Metro, he still delivered perhaps his best full-length work to date, as H&V is on pace to sell 150,000 first-week units — making it the third highest debut for a hip-hop album in 2022.
Coinciding a companion film starring Gunna, Young Thug, Morgan Freeman and Lakeith Steinfeld, the short flick is a masterclass mash-up of iconic superhero flicks like The Dark Knight and Superman. With Thug and Gunna acting as “Metropolis” P News anchormen, Lakeith Steinfeld as the fiery villain and Morgan Freeman portraying the “Alfred” to Metro’s “Batman,” the Gibson Hazard-directed film is in all parts an immersion into Boomin’s starkly hard-hitting soundscape. It’s evident that H&V will stand as another classic record from Metro — finishing out 2022’s releases with a bang by dropping long-awaited tracks in “Niagara Falls,” “Superhero,” “Raindrops” and others.
The rollout has been equally as cinematic. Alongside the short film, Metro has taken part in hologram performances, snippets and even created comic book covers for each artist involved. He truly is embracing the superhero energy — going all out to give the fans everything they could’ve wanted. In other words, THIS is how you rollout a record.
Prior to H&V, Metro’s debut album, NOT ALL HEREOS WEAR CAPES, received praise from fans and critics alike, as the 2018 record debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 99,000 first-week units. Not only a super producer, Metro is also a top dot connector in the industry — working with Travis Scott, 21, Gunna, Offset, Drake, Young Thug and many more of hip-hop’s undisputed heroes.
Prior to his second solo LP, Metro lended his production chops to Big Sean’s Double Or Nothing, the sequel to Savage Mode, NAV’s Perfect Timing and his legendary Halloween project with 21 and Offset, Without Warning.
Know that HEROES & VILLAINS will be one of the best projects of 2022 because “If young Metro don’t trust you, motherf***r you better run.”
Listen to ‘Heroes & Villains’ below!
