Metro Boomin calls on the heavy hitters for the biggest soundtrack of the year.
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TOP 5
5. Self Love (Ft. Metro Boomin & Coi Leray)
For all of my Coi Leray haters, will you change your tune on her when you realize that she’s the only female on this album with her own song? If Young Metro trusts her, why can’t you?
“Self Love” boasts a very catchy hook, intoxicating/numb vocals, and a beat that has a great bop to it. The song also features lyrics that will strike a chord with anyone who’s made a major move in their lives for someone they love. For the Gwen Stacy fans of the world, Coi has you covered.
4. Annihilate (Ft. Metro Boomin, Swae Lee, Lil Wayne & Offset)
How much do you want to bet that the Spider-Verse movie will end with this song?
In “Annihilate,” you get high-pitched vocals out of Swae Lee that pairs perfectly with both the action-packed beat that powers the song and his lyrics about coming into his own. You also get aggressive verses from Lil Wayne and Offset. While the former spends most of his verse trying to say cool s**t about spiders and Spider-Man, the latter spends most of his verse speaking on his smart moves and competitive nature. When it’s all said and done, I think “Annihlate” is perfect 2023 ass-kicking music.
3. Calling (Ft. Metro Boomin, Swae Lee, NAV & A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie)
“Calling” just feels like the epitome of a Spider-Verse song.
“Calling” is as gentle as it gets. In the song, you get this soft beat that encourages Swae Lee to hit us with an angelic hook, NAV to hit us with a nurturing verse that has him sounding like an answering machine with a heart, and A Boogie to hit us with a dynamic verse in which he switches between sounding sly, moody, and dramatic as hell. All in all, “Calling” just feels like the perfect first single for this soundtrack.
2. Home (Ft. Metro Boomin, Don Toliver & Lil Uzi Vert)
More than anything, it’s what this song symbolizes that allows it to make my top 5 list.
From what I’ve seen so far, a major theme for these Spider-Verse movies is the importance of knowing where you came from. It’s oh-so fitting that a song called “Home” is one of the best on this soundtrack. In it, we get a striking Don Toliver verse that has him begging to go home more than a teenager at school that forgot to put deodorant on. His part combined with the dramatic production makes for a great listen.
I don’t love Lil Uzi Vert’s verse on “Home.” Matter of fact, it’s kind of forgettable. In it, he sounds like a watered-down NAV that is, ironically, trying to figure out his purpose in life. I still think adding him to this song was necessary to balance out everything else.
1. Nonviolent Communication (Ft. Metro Boomin, James Blake, A$AP Rocky & 21 Savage)
“Nonviolent Communication” grabbed my soul, spun it around, chewed it up, and then left it on the ground. That’s how powerful I think the vibes attached to the song are.
I know we will label this as a rap song, but my GOD, how good is James Blake on it? His hauntingly beautiful vocals will strike a major chord with you. Matter of fact, his voice is so pleasant, it forces the usually cocky A$AP Rocky and the usually violent 21 Savage to sound gentle as f**k in their respective verses. S**t, I’ve never heard them hit us with such nurturing and romantic lyrics in my life.
SONG BY SONG BREAKDOWN
1. Annihilate (Ft. Metro Boomin, Swae Lee, Lil Wayne & Offset) (4.5/5)
2. Am I Dreaming (Ft. Metro Boomin, A$AP Rocky & Roisee) (4/5)
3. All The Way Live (Ft. Metro Boomin, Future & Lil Uzi Vert) (3.5/5)
4. Danger (Ft. Metro Boomin, Offset & JID) (4/5)
5. Hummingbird (Ft. Metro Boomin & James Blake) (4.5/5)
6. Calling (Ft. Metro Boomin, Swae Lee, NAV & A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie) (4.5/5)
7. Silk & Cologne (Spider-Verse Remix) (Ft. EI8HT & Offset) (4/5)
8. Link Up (Spider-Verse Remix) (Ft. Metro Boomin, Don Toliver, Wizkid, BEAM & Tolan) (4/5)
9. Self Love (Ft. Metro Boomin & Coi Leray) (4/5)
10. Home (Ft. Metro Boomin, Don Toliver & Lil Uzi Vert) (4.5/5)
11. Nonviolent Communication (Ft. Metro Boomin, James Blake, A$AP Rocky & 21 Savage) (4.5/5)
12. Givin’ Up (Not The One) (Ft. Metro Boomin, Don Toliver, 21 Savage & 2 Chainz) (4/5)
13. Nas Morales (Ft. Metro Boomin & Nas) (4/5)
RGM RATING
(B)
When was the last time you heard a full-blown rap album with absolutely no cursing? Will Smith’s album from ’97?
Movie executives believe (And have always believed) that hip-hop music is superhero music. So, for all of the people in the world that s**t on the genre, know that there isn’t a single one that is more heroic-sounding than this one.
OK, let me do my deep dive now.
On my Ill-Advised Wise Guys podcast, I said that Metro Boomin is the best hip-hop producer I’ve ever heard. I caught a little flack from my partner on the show for saying that because, well, there are producers like The Neptunes, Timbaland, Dr. Dre, and Kanye West that have all walked this earth. At the end of the day, what I want you to take away from my statement is that Metro Boomin is a really f**king good producer. His beats are cinematic, multi-faceted, invigorating, and effectively trap-inspired. Typically, when artists hop on his beats, their best qualities are brought out. With that being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this soundtrack. In it, without using curse words, we get everything from inspirational to lyrical to vulnerable bangers. We also get soul-clenching vocals (Courtesy of artists such as Swae Lee, Don Toliver, and James Blake), very dynamic raps (Courtesy of artists such as Offset and JID), trendy raps (Courtesy of Future, Lil Uzi Vert, and Coi Leray), and the perfect splash of commercial contributions courtesy of everyone. Overall, this soundtrack takes the cheesy/watered-down approach that artists usually have to take when creating songs for PG-rated soundtracks and turns that s**t into some Parmigiano-Reggiano (The fanciest of cheeses out there).
Quincy is the creator of Ratings Game Music. He loves writing about music, taking long walks on beaches, and spaghetti that fights him back.
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