After a weekend of highly anticipated releases from artists including Takeoff, Vince Staples and Jay Critch, “retired” Metro Boomin’s “NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES” takes the crown.  I would say something cliché like “this album fortified his position at the top of the producer game,” but his debut album merely affirmed what he secured back in 2015 with his role in “What a Time To Be Alive.” Since then he has been an iconic member of the hip-hop community with his tagline hyping up millions of listeners worldwide.

The album doesn’t display one cohesive theme like many other projects, but this makes sense since, as a producer, Metro uses this opportunity to showcase a plethora of production styles. However, his use of echoing bass and unsettling ad-libs allow him to maintain an ominous tone throughout the album to match the spooky Halloween time his release fell under.

To elaborate on his production styles, Metro jumps from a relaxed and mellow vibe with tracks such as “Dreamcatcher” and “Borrowed Love,” to the hard-hitting hype factor he’s known for with “Don’t Come Out the House” and “10 Freaky Girls,” to even a funky, Latin beat, something that’s unusual for him, in “Only You.”

After two months of lackluster and overhyped projects from other artists, I didn’t go into this album with high hopes, but Metro truly shines on this album and makes the hip-hop community view him from a different side. Metro’s known for his ability to create a hyped track but now he’s gained respect for his R&B abilities as those tracks from the album are dominating the charts right now.

In addition to showing his own ability, Metro uses this project to bring out the full potential of the artists he features. In the R&B tracks, he makes excellent use of Swae Lee melodic and relaxing voice that has garnered him so much fame, while on the more hype tracks he brings out 21 Savage’s aggressive and energizing flow, along with Gunna’s Atlanta vibe. To be honest, 21’s recent features on albums such as “QUAVO HUNCHO” haven’t been anything special but, paired with Metro’s expert production, he has earned back his spot amongst my leading hype rappers.

With Metro’s variety of styles and clever usage of featured artists, he saves the hip-hop community from a drought of good albums.