Metro Boomin’s “Not All Heroes Wear Capes” lacks musical diversity

Metro Boomin, one of the hottest producers in the rap game right now, dropped “Not All Heroes Wear Capes” Nov. 2. The album is filled with features from hip-hop stars, including Travis Scott, 21 Savage and Gucci Mane, among others. The album also highlights Metro’s production skills; it’s beats like these that have turned Metro into one of rap’s biggest producers.

In “10 Freaky Girls,” Metro shows off his beat sampling skills with an 80s-style R&B song featuring laid-back lyrics from 21 Savage. Metro and 21 have become close throughout their musical careers; the East Atlanta rapper is on three of the album’s tracks. In the first, “Don’t Come Out the House,” Savage uses a half-whisper flow to replicate the energy of the piano and drum in the song. While quiet, the track feels like a pump of adrenaline. But Savage is careful not to overuse the whisper effect and returns to his standard creaky-voice later in the song.

Most of the album’s songs have a similar mainstream rap sound; while fun to listen too individually, songs like “Overdue” and Up to Something” begin to feel repetitive after a while. Fortunately, Metro does switch things up a bit with “Borrowed Love.” The song has dancehall vibes, and the calming vocals of Swae Lee show why he’s become the must-know name in Afrobeats. Swae Lee’s star status also helps to attract listeners. Metro can take his music to the next level in future albums by including a wider variety of artists and sounds.

Not All Heroes Wear Capes is an album with very high production quality but lacks the musical diversity to make it a truly standout project.

3.5/5