14 Best 21 Savage Songs
21 Savage burst on the music scene in 2016 with the smash single X featuring Future and has been a hip hop A-lister ever since. With his unique, monotone voice, clever wordplay, penchant for catchy hooks, and violent lyrics, Savage developed a massive fan base and flourishing young career. Here are the best 21 Savage Songs.
21 Savage & Metro Boomin – X featuring Future
Song year: 2016
X is the song that started at all. Metro Boomin produced the song for 21 Savage, which features a guest verse from fellow superstar rapper Future. In this 2016 anthem from his album Savage Mode, 21 Savage brags about stunting on his previous girlfriend – X is the abbreviated version of ex-partner – of having relations with multiple new women, buying homes and jewelry, and consuming illegal narcotics.
X introduced 21 Savage to a worldwide audience and opened the door to future collaborations with hip hop heavyweights and a spot atop the rap industry. The Recording Industry of America certified the song as double platinum in 2017.
21 Savage & Metro Boomin – No Heart
Song year: 2016
No Heart is the second single from the Savage Mode album, following X. The track’s title is a reference to 21 Savage’s difficult upbringing, meaning he had no heart growing up and didn’t care about anything or anyone. The success of No Heart proved that 21 Savage was not a one-hit-wonder.
The song hits all of the classic notes of a gangster anthem, with Savage bragging about selling drugs, getting rich, wearing designer brands, owning a house with a 12-car garage, and firing guns at his enemies. The YouTube video recreates the classic store scene from the 1993 classic film Menace II Society. The RIAA certified the song as platinum in 2016.
Post Malone ft 21 Savage – Rockstar
Song year: 2017
21 Savage dropped a guest verse on Rockstar, the 2017 banger with Post Malone. This song quickly became the most successful song to date for both artists at the time. It was the most popular song in the United States in late October of 2017, reaching number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the top spot in several other countries.
The Recording Academy nominated the song for Record of the Year and Best Rap/Sung Performance at the 2019 Grammy Awards.
While Post Malone steals the show by singing the chorus and the first verse, Savage’s verse is also exceptional. He starts by giving his unique take on the chorus, calling himself a pop star instead of a rock star. He then goes on to boast about sleeping with groupies and, once again, his infamous 12-car garage.
Drake ft. 21 Savage – Sneakin’
Song Year: 2016
In 2016, 21 Savage appeared on the Sneakin’ track with Drake. This was the beginning of a very successful partnership, as they would go on to record several other successful songs together – and they continue to collaborate today. The famous producer London on da Track produced Sneakin’, and he also contributed to the composition.
Sneakin’ is a more animated version of 21 Savage than we are used to. While the message remains unchanged – he’s making money, has acres of land, shooting guns at his enemies, and is getting sexual favors from women. The classic video shows the rappers partying at a grotto similar to the Playboy Mansion and Savage posting up in front of a red Ferrari.
21 Savage – Bank Account
Song year: 2017
Bank Account was the 2017 lead single off of Savage’s debut studio album, Issa Album. He produced, wrote, and did vocals for the track.
Bank Account became a hip-hop anthem because of its catchy chorus, with Savage in early peak form. He brags about having several million dollars in his bank account, while also having a squad of goons who will shoot you if you offend him, tweet about him, or become his enemy.
Comedian Mike Epps stars in the music video, which is like a short movie. 21 Savage appears to be coordinating the robbery of the office building staff at gunpoint. After the video, we find out that 21 Savage was recording a music video about robbing people at gunpoint (a music video within a music video).
21 Savage ft. J. Cole – A Lot
Song year: 2018
If critical acclaim is the best measure of success, A Lot is the most successful song of 21 Savage’s young career. The song won Best Rap Song at the 2020 Grammys, the first Grammy of his career. On the track, Savage collaborates with fellow A-List rap superstar J.Cole.
The chorus is 21 Savage repeatedly asking – and then answering – his own questions, ranging from how much money he has, how many lawyers he has, how many people he has shot, how many times he has been shot, and how many people around him have died. The answer to each question, of course, is a lot.
21 Savage also gets political on this song, indirectly criticizing the Trump Administration's policy of separating children from their parents at the Mexican border. Despite all his boasting of money, drugs, and violence, he gives us a glimpse of his humanity.
21 Savage and Metro Boomin – Runnin’
Song year: 2020
Fresh off his Grammy Award for Best Rap Song in 2020, Savage was now firmly in the upper echelon of the rap game and he was ready to boast. He released his third album, Savage Mode II, with the hot single Runnin’. The video depicts Savage going back to Atlanta with his Grammy trophy in check.
The braggadocious anthem finds Savage explaining that he keeps all his luxury cars running, his enemies run away from him, but he never has any reason to run. In classic Savage storytelling, he talks about doing a driveby shooting on one of his enemies. However, Savage let his younger affiliate do the shooting because he wanted to earn respect and credibility.
21 Savage & Metro Boomin – Mr. Right Now ft. Drake
Song year: 2020
Along with Runnin, Mr. Right Now was a lead single off the Savage Mode II album. 21 Savage linked up with his partner in crime, Drake, marking their fourth song together. The song has a light, breezy, and happy feel to it, differentiating it from some of Savage’s darker, more violent tracks. With its R&B vibe and singsongy chorus, it has a cross-spectrum appeal to a larger audience.
The track is about 21 Savage explaining to an unknown woman that he is the man for the moment, even though he’s not perfect. In typical Savage fashion, he brags about driving a Lamborghini truck, wearing a Richard Mille watch (these cost hundreds of thousands of dollars), drinking Don Julio 1942 tequila, and having millions of dollars.
In a reference to the Covid-19 pandemic, he also discusses being in quarantine with a pretty woman.
Drake – Knife Talk ft. 21 Savage & Project Pat
Song year: 2021
While Knife Talk is officially a Drake song, appearing on his 2021 Certified Lover Boy album, 21 Savage commandeers the track and makes it his own. He takes over chorus duties, the first verse, and trades rhymes with Drake throughout the song. The Metro Boomin-produced song was originally supposed to appear on 21 Savage’s Savage Mode II album.
With an eerie, gangster vibe, Savage’s mission is to convince you that he is indeed a gangster and will kill you if you wrong him. In a gruesome depiction, 21 Savage discusses shooting an enemy in the head, making his brains drip out, while his mother wails in agony and the church pastor sings at the wake.
The video takes inspiration from a horror movie, with Savage making his first appearance at the 36-second mark as he stands ominously outside a woman’s door.
J. Cole – My Life ft. 21 Savage & Morray
Song year: 2021
After J. Cole assisted 21 Savage on the Grammy-winning 2018 smash hit A Lot, Savage returned the favor with a guest verse in 2021 on My Life. The melancholy song is a tribute to adversity, as both Cole and Savage had to overcome tragedy to achieve greatness.
Cole and Savage elected not to make a music video for this song, which topped the Billboard Hip Hop and R&B Chart in May of 2021.
21 Savage reflects on losing friends to violence when he was growing up, but also reminds listeners that he will orchestrate the homicide of his enemies if need be (while sending teddy bears to the victim’s families). In his style, he follows up the violent threats with a kind-hearted stanza, as he gives a shout-out to his mother for raising him and keeping him safe during his childhood.
Drake – Jimmy Cooks ft 21 Savage
Song year: 2022
When Drake and 21 Savage collaborate on a track together it’s always magic. Drake released Honestly, Never Mind in 2022 and 21 Savage is the only featured artist. The song marks a 6-year journey for the duo, who first collaborated on Sneakin’ back in 2016.
Jimmy Cooks was an immediate success – it debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. This marks Savage’s second number one hit after Rockstar with Post Malone.
The beat of the song switches from a mild, chill vibe for Drake’s verse to a dark, eerie one for Savage’s. A noticeably energized 21 Savage practically sprints to his verse on this song, eager to discuss his gun collection, performing armed robberies, shooting an enemy twenty times, and how he didn’t hide the corpse of his last murder because of the foul odor.
21 Savage – Red Opps
Song year: 2016
Red Opps was a single from 21 Savage’s 2015 album Free Guwop. Savage looks like a young boy in this music video, but the content is certainly not kid-friendly. It introduces listeners to the Savage sound and lyrical content, from his slow, low-pitched, and monotone voice to his glorification of violence and drugs.
Notable lines from the song include Savage threatening to shoot up his enemy’s mom’s house and giving his enemy’s girlfriend drugs. Throughout
Nardo Wick – Who Want Smoke? Ft 21 Savage, Lil’ Durk, & G Herbo
Song year: 2021
It wouldn’t be true hip hop if a bunch of established artists and a fledgling newcomer didn’t jump on a track together. That’s just what happened with Nardo Wick’s 2021 smash hit “Who Want Smoke??” featuring 21 Savage, Lil’ Durk, & G Herbo. Nardo Wick is a rookie in the rap game but was able to attract some heavyweights to his debut single.
“Who Want Smoke??” is, of course, a tribute to smoking marijuana. Nardo offers up weed to whoever is listening, but warns that the quantity and potency of his drugs will destroy your lungs.
21 Savage has his share of drug-praising lyrics, but he uses his verse here for more violent threats against his enemies, including stomping one on the ground and using his hollow tip bullets to shoot them. The lesson, as always: don’t mess with 21 Savage!
DJ Khaled – Wish Wish ft. Cardi B and 21 Savage
Song year: 2019
You know you’ve made it in hip hop when DJ Khaled recruits you for one of his songs. Another one! For the Wish Wish track, Khaled tapped two of the hottest names in the game, Cardi B and 21 Savage. The two rappers had previously worked together on Bartier Cardi in 2017, and their chemistry shines through the song.
21 Savage brings his A-game for this one, referring to himself as the best rapper to come from The South. He once again mentions his Richard Mille watch, which he reminds listeners often costs the same price as a house. As he so often does, Savage mentions that he is now a multimillionaire even though he was once so poor and broke that he slept on pallets.
Top 21 Savage Songs, Final Thoughts
Those were the best 21 Savage songs ever. 21 Savage quickly established himself as an A-list rapper after the breakout success of X in 2016. From his collaborations with Drake to his solo tracks, he has topped the Billboards, won a Grammy Award, and racked up millions of listens and views on streaming sites.
With his hardcore gangster rap style and penchant for creating catchy, melodious choruses, Savage will continue to be a hot commodity in the hip hop game for the foreseeable future.
