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21 Savage Albums Ranked: Solo and Collaborations (2026)

21 Savage has released four solo studio albums and three full-length collaborative albums, and this page ranks all seven: Issa Album (2017), I Am > I Was (2018), American Dream (2024) and What Happened to the Streets? (2025), plus Without Warning with Offset and Metro Boomin (2017), Savage Mode II with Metro Boomin (2020) and Her Loss with Drake (2022). The 2016 EP Savage Mode, his mixtapes and the Spiral soundtrack EP are not ranked.

21 Savage7 albums8 min readUpdated October 2026Trap

Quick Take

Consensus PeakI Am > I WasGrammy-nominated, an 81 on MetacriticBest CollaborationSavage Mode IIA full album with Metro BoominCommercial PeakHer Loss404,000 units in its first week

Why it ranks here

His second solo album is the one that changed how he was heard. Pitchfork wrote that it "shatters the notion of 21 Savage as a specialist with a narrow purview and audience, and recasts him as a star in waiting", and it holds an 81 on Metacritic. HipHopDX praised its pacing and its mix of vulnerability and menace, and Variety found the album at its best on the songs he carries alone.

Context

Released December 21, 2018 through Slaughter Gang and Epic, with guests including J. Cole, Childish Gambino, Post Malone, Offset, Gunna, Lil Baby, Schoolboy Q and Young Nudy. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 131,000 album-equivalent units, his first chart-topping album, and stayed there for a second week. It was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2020 Grammy Awards.

Highlights

  • A Lot
  • Monster
  • Ball w/o You
  • Gun Smoke
  • Out for the Night

Weak Spots

  • Consequence heard monotony in how some of the heavier subjects are handled
  • A lyric on "ASMR" drew criticism on release

Production

Metro Boomin · Kid Hazel · DJ Dahi · Southside · Wheezy · Cardo

Influence

Certified platinum by the RIAA in January 2020. "A Lot" became a top-20 single on the Billboard Hot 100.

Replay Value

High. The solo songs hold up best.

Why it ranks here

The full-length follow-up to the 2016 EP Savage Mode pairs him with Metro Boomin across a whole album, and reviews matched those for I Am > I Was: an 81 on Metacritic from ten reviews. Slant wrote that it is Metro "who elevates 21's stories to something approaching greatness", and Clash praised both the "crisp and future-facing" production and the rapping.

Context

Released October 2, 2020 through Slaughter Gang, Boominati Worldwide, Epic and Republic, and previewed with a trailer narrated by Morgan Freeman. Guests are Drake, Young Thug and Young Nudy. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 171,000 album-equivalent units.

Highlights

  • Runnin
  • Mr. Right Now
  • My Dawg

Weak Spots

  • Leans on its producer for much of its character
  • Covers familiar ground for a sequel

Production

Metro Boomin · Southside · Zaytoven · Honorable C.N.O.T.E. · Kid Hazel

Influence

Certified double platinum by the RIAA in October 2025. "Runnin" and "Mr. Right Now" both reached the top ten of the Hot 100.

Replay Value

High throughout.

Why it ranks here

A surprise collaboration with Offset and Metro Boomin, released on October 31 with a horror-film mood to match the date. Pitchfork called it "short and cohesive, an enjoyable and uncomplicated 33 minutes of sheer exhilaration" and praised the chemistry between the two rappers. It holds a 78 on Metacritic.

Context

Released October 31, 2017, with guest appearances from Travis Scott and Quavo. It debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 with 53,000 album-equivalent units, and six of its songs charted on the Hot 100.

Highlights

  • Ghostface Killers
  • Rap Saved Me
  • Ric Flair Drip

Weak Spots

  • He shares every song, so it shows less of him than the solo albums
  • Slight by design

Production

Metro Boomin · Southside · Cubeatz · Bijan Amir · Dre Moon

Influence

Its biggest hit, "Ric Flair Drip", is an Offset and Metro Boomin song without 21 Savage; it peaked at No. 13 on the Hot 100.

Replay Value

High. Its length is a strength.

Why it ranks here

The debut studio album followed the Savage Mode EP and kept much of its approach. The New York Times wrote that it "contains some of 21 Savage's best and most fully realized songs to date", naming "Bank Account" and "Bad Business", while RapReviews found "a certain bland uniformity" in how closely it sticks to the trap template. Pitchfork felt its more introspective moments were too few to sustain the album.

Context

Released July 7, 2017 through Slaughter Gang and Epic, with 21 Savage among its producers. It debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 77,000 album-equivalent units and holds a 70 on Metacritic.

Highlights

  • Bank Account
  • Bad Business
  • Close My Eyes

Weak Spots

  • Critics found it monotonous over a full album
  • The experiments outside his usual style had mixed results, per HipHopDX

Production

Metro Boomin · Southside · Pi'erre Bourne · Zaytoven · Wheezy · DJ Mustard

Read our full Issa Album review →

Influence

Certified platinum by the RIAA in November 2020. "Bank Account" became a top-20 single on the Billboard Hot 100.

Replay Value

Moderate. Strongest in its singles.

Why it ranks here

His third solo album arrived more than five years after the second. HipHopDX called it "21 Savage at his most deeply intimate", and Clash noted that its first half leans on rapping while the second "indulges his softer, R&B inclinations". Pitchfork praised the cohesion of the production and found "enough sterling moments to show that he's still a star worthy of fanfare". It holds a 73 on Metacritic.

Context

Released January 12, 2024 through Slaughter Gang and Epic, with guests including Doja Cat, Young Thug, Lil Durk, Travis Scott, Summer Walker, Brent Faiyaz and Burna Boy. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 133,000 album-equivalent units and held the top spot for a second week.

Highlights

  • Redrum
  • Née-Nah
  • N.H.I.E.
  • Prove It

Weak Spots

  • The two halves pull in different directions
  • A long guest list for a personal album

Production

Metro Boomin · London on da Track · Scribz Riley · OG Parker · Cardo · Honorable C.N.O.T.E.

Influence

"Redrum" and "Née-Nah" debuted in the top ten of the Hot 100, and the album's chart entries made him the sixteenth artist to place at least 100 songs on the chart.

Replay Value

Good, mostly for the first half.

Why it ranks here

The collaborative album with Drake was the biggest commercial moment of his career and the most divided critically, with a 62 on Metacritic. Variety heard Drake "doing what inspires him rather than pandering", while Pitchfork wrote that "in its middle, the record becomes inert". RapReviews put the problem for this list plainly: it is a better Drake album than Honestly, Nevermind, but not a better 21 Savage album than I Am > I Was or Issa Album.

Context

Released November 4, 2022 through OVO and Republic, with Travis Scott as the only guest. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 404,000 album-equivalent units; all 16 tracks entered the Hot 100, eight of them in the top ten. It was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 66th Grammy Awards.

Highlights

  • Rich Flex
  • Spin Bout U
  • Circo Loco

Weak Spots

  • Several lyrics drew criticism
  • He is the junior partner on most songs
  • Sags in the middle, per Pitchfork

Production

Boi-1da · Metro Boomin · Tay Keith · Vinylz · Wheezy · Lil Yachty

Influence

Certified double platinum by the RIAA in October 2023.

Replay Value

Good for the singles, weaker as a full album.

Why it ranks here

The fourth solo album is the most recent and so far the least well received. Clash wrote that it "never quite lands, opting for atmosphere over definition" and that it "provides more questions than answers". Few other reviews are documented, so this placement is provisional.

Context

Released December 12, 2025 through Slaughter Gang and Epic, with guests including Young Nudy, Latto, Drake, GloRilla, G Herbo and Lil Baby. It debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 with 73,000 album-equivalent units.

Highlights

  • Mr. Recoup
  • Code of Honor
  • Ha

Weak Spots

  • Clash criticized the sample used on the closing track
  • Little critical coverage so far

Production

Metro Boomin · Wheezy · Southside · Zaytoven · FnZ · Oz

Influence

Too recent to judge.

Replay Value

Moderate.

Scores come from each album’s scorecard review. A score marked ~ is an editorial estimate for an album we have not reviewed in full yet. Albums are ranked by score; ties keep our editorial order.

Essay

The Complete Picture

I Am > I Was and Savage Mode II are the two records that define 21 Savage, the first for showing how much range sits under the deadpan delivery and the second for the sharpest version of his partnership with Metro Boomin. Without Warning is the short, focused one, and Issa Album is the debut where the formula was still narrow.

Start with I Am > I Was, then Savage Mode II. Her Loss is best heard as a Drake album with 21 Savage as a foil, and What Happened to the Streets? is the least essential of the seven.

Read next
Full artist profile →More discographies →Latest reviews →

21 Savage Albums in Order

  1. 2017Issa AlbumRanked #4
  2. 2017Without WarningRanked #3
  3. 2018I Am > I WasRanked #1
  4. 2020Savage Mode IIRanked #2
  5. 2022Her LossRanked #6
  6. 2024American DreamRanked #5
  7. 2025What Happened to the Streets?Ranked #7

21 Savage Albums: Common Questions

What is the best 21 Savage album?
We rank I Am > I Was (2018) as the best 21 Savage album, with an estimated score of 7.4/10: The album that showed how much range he had.
How many 21 Savage albums are ranked here?
This ranking covers 7 21 Savage projects, released between 2017 and 2025.
What is the earliest 21 Savage album in this ranking?
Issa Album (2017) is the earliest release in this list. We rank it #4.
What is the most recent 21 Savage album in this ranking?
What Happened to the Streets? (2025) is the most recent release in this list. We rank it #7.
Which 21 Savage album is ranked lowest?
What Happened to the Streets? (2025) sits at #7 with an estimated score of 5.5/10.