If you look up “getting in your producer bag” in the dictionary, a picture of Metro Boomin will pop up and his latest project Heroes & Villains will start playing. This collab album was one of the highlights of Rap/Hip-Hop in 2022 and features a variety of epic artists, such as: John Legend, Chris Brown, The Weeknd, Future, Don Toliver, Travis Scott, 21 Savage, A$AP Rocky, Young Thug, Gunna, Young Nudy, Mustafa the Poet and posthumously the late great Takeoff.
Heroes & Villains is an inspiring blend of R&B vocal riffs and hardbody, gutter rap verses, that are of course highlighted by Metro’s extraordinary beats, exemplifying and solidifying Boomin’s position as one of the truest producers in the game. Not only do you get the sense of his personal vibe on every track but the superhero themed quotes from movies and other media make the project feel entirely cohesive and like an actual album. This is something I personally yearn for in this era of singles and streaming and as a comic book fan it was especially well received.
I always give one brash critique, and in the case of H&V, the visualizers all had the “Eye of God / Illuminati” thing going on, which feels a little dated, but that has absolutely nothing to do with the music. My favourite tracks were “Creepin’” featuring The Weeknd and 21 Savage, which is a combo I never though would work but totally does, and “Niagara Falls” with Travis Scott that is the best song on the whole album in my opinion. Other notable songs are “Umbrella,” “Around Me” and “Lock On Me,” however, this project is truly enjoyable when bumped front to back, as any great album should be.
