How Metro Boomin's "HEROES & VILLAINS" Does Things Different

            Happy December everyone! Today’s post is going to be about Metro Boomin’s new album “HEROES & VILLAINS” Before we get started, I feel like it’s necessary to touch upon the significance of Metro Boomin’s work in today’s modern rap culture. This producer has single-handedly changed the way we’ve envisioned rap and its many subgenres such as trap music. Having his mark be seen in 2011 and on, this man has produced amazing songs that transformed the discography of star artists we see today such as Post Malone, Travis Scott, 21 Savage, Migos, etc. If you know about rap today, there’s a time when you’ve heard his classic taglines that send shivers down your spine when it appears at the beginning of an anticipated song. But this project shows that he’s not just a producer that’s known only for his magic with production. With “HEROES & VILLAINS”, we see a visionary that’s able to grab some of the industry’s greatest artists and compose a project that gives thrills throughout its duration. However, it’s not just the music that accomplishes this achievement.  When it comes to Metro Boomin’s album, I won’t be talking about necessarily the songs as much as the tools he used to create excitement for his project that I find very interesting. With all that being said, let’s just get into it.

The Trailer

 

            Three days before the album was released, Metro Boomin released a short film on YouTube that served as a trailer for the project. In this video, we see a light passing over a symbol, and some words as a familiar voice starts narrating what’s seen on the screen. It only takes a second to realize that this voice is the famous Morgan Freeman, and this gave me the impression right away that this was something big. He quotes “A storm is brewing in Metropolis…” and over the next couple of phrases, we get a picture of a setting Metro is painting. There are comic-style animations that show life behind the story being portrayed, a hero (Metro Boomin) that’s saving his city from falling into chaos. However, the story shares that Metro was gone for a while, leaving in his absence a moment when villains took over the city with crime and ruin. 

 

            We then hear music playing as the video transitions from these comic-style images to actual footage of the city clearly being demolished by a villain… in a fire truck that spits out flames. Now, for me being the nerd I am, this was blowing me away. I was already so amazed at how much production value was seen in the first minute alone for this project, but lore? This is something I’ve always appreciated in albums that use storytelling to create immersive experiences, but this took it to a whole new level. We start hearing snippets of songs that are to be expected in the project, and they’re placed perfectly. Whenever there’s something crazy occurring on the screen, there’s an energetic beat to match that scene. In between, we start seeing cameos of artists that are going to appear on the album such as Gunna, Young Thug, and references for 21 Savage. Later on, we see more scenes that detail the character of the villain, having him sharing his lines and frustrations that address “heroism”, and how it’s more of a facade than a real concept. 

 

            After all of this is seen, we get our first look at Metro Boomin overlooking the city falling into peril. Morgan Freeman walks behind him and there’s a dialogue that centers on whether or not Metro should do something. He can either be a legend or a hero, and it’s only up to Metro to decide that. Finally, we see Metro making his choice as he gets ready to clean the streets of Metropolis. A beacon starts shining in the sky and we see it send fear to the villain in this story. Metro gets in his mobile as Morgan Freeman says his signature tagline, and we hear another snippet of a song as he takes off to fight crime.

 

            Okay, I know I went into detail about what we saw in this trailer, but there’s a reason for all of this. Personally, I think this is the most creative way that I’ve seen a producer claim the title of being the best. He didn’t have to say it himself, he created a story with him being the main character to showcase that fact instead. He didn’t need to wear the most expensive clothing or jewelry to express his success, he had actors and production do it for him. This is something that I’ve been talking about ever since I started the blog: the ability to immerse your audience in your world. Music is no longer just an auditory experience. With today’s technology and the ability to share creativity, there are many ways to push the themes that can also be repeated through your music. For Metro Boomin, he decides to create this short film that creates a story for his album, shares his thoughts on how he’s viewed in the rap world, and hints at some spirited tracks to expect in the project. Finally, he allows his audience to have excitement for something that promises on delivering.

 

The Composition and Transition

 

            When we get to the actual album, what really kept me paying attention wasn’t just the quality of the songs that are presented, but how it seamlessly transitions from one song to the next to further the narrative. In the beginning song, “On Time”, we hear ASAP Rocky introducing Metro Boomin over the vocal chords of some amazing singers. He says, “Every story needs a superhero and a villain… now… introducing… METRO MUTHAFUCKIN BOOMIN!” and the song begins with John Legend’s beautiful voice. Okay, that’s a great start. We sense the energy that was captivated in the trailer as the song tells the audience that ‘he made it on time, sorry for the wait’. After the song, we hear Morgan Freeman delivering the famous tagline once again, and a familiar sound starts playing… the one Metro used in the final parts of the trailer. ASAP Rocky hypes the crowd up some more and we hear a sample from the great show “The Boys” with antihero Homelander delivering a speech about how he’s needed to save others and shouldn’t be persecuted for his strength. After all of this, the track blends into the anticipated song “Superhero (Heroes & Villains)” and just carries the torch of creating an exhilarating experience. When I heard this, I couldn’t help but smile and chuckle at how cool all of this sounded for the first time. I actually felt like a superhero listening to my anthem as the transitions kept building and building this energy until Future finally starts the song.

 

            This isn’t the only time in the album we hear these tools being used. Another smooth transition is heard between “Too Many Nights” and “Raindrops (Insane)” to create emphasis on the introduction of another artist on the project: Travis Scott. In track 7 “Around Me”, we hear Morgan Freeman again talking about heroes acquiring inspiration to follow their fate on serving those that need their help. This serves as a great device to remind Metro’s listeners that they’re still on a journey of greatness, and they should keep paying attention. The transition from “Metro Spider” and “I Can’t Save You (Interlude)” does a great job of revitalizing the energy that was expressed at the beginning of the album. In track 11, we hear Morgan Freeman again talking about villains this time and how they’re very similar to heroes but only differ in their endings. This does a good job of introducing a much more aggressive song on the project “Walk Em Down” that centers on 21 Savage’s classic trap sound. 

 

Conclusion

 

            Through the composition of the tracklist mixed with the transitions scattered between certain songs, we get a defined narrative of Metro Boomin wanting to share a story about heroes, villains, and where he fits between the two. Instead of vocalizing his claims of being a hero of the rap world, he chooses to let his creativity speak for him. Rather than bragging to his audience about how great and fundamental he is in the rap game today, he chooses to let his talents as a producer create that statement instead. This to me is an amazing way of seeing how producers have the ability to be someone more than the person making the beats. Producers have the unique opportunity to be the directors of their own work, using artists as actors to create the image they want to share with the world. For Metro, he also seems to enjoy using actors to act in his work as well, which is awesome. I hope to see more of this creativity through other works in the future because this different style of storytelling could be a definitive way of exploring the options rap has to offer as a genre. Thanks for reading, and I hope you guys have a great day!