While features from Drake, Young Nudy, and Young Thug were more to be expected, Morgan Freemanâs narration on 21 Savage and Metro Boominâs Savage Mode II was quite the surprise.
However, Freeman thought working with the two artists was the perfect fit. In a new interview with GQ, the actor explained that he seized the opportunity because he wanted to work on a project that didnât present him as the ânice guyâ that he usually portrays.
âWhat happens is you sort of get locked into a position,â Freeman explained. âHenry Fonda was in it, Spencer Tracy was in it, James Stewart was in it, even though he played a couple of bad guys. You don't really don't want to be cast into a mold, but after a few years, it's bound to happen. Every [offer] thatâs outside of what you consider [your] mold is fun to do. I got to jump at it.â
Savage Mode IIâs theme wasn't that much outside of Freemanâs purview, sans the interludes about the differences between being a snitch and rat.Â
âI read the copy and was like, âWow, thereâs some wisdom in here,ââ Freeman told the publication. Upon reading the script, he simplified the monologues to their central themes and values. âI think this is the way I think. Itâs basically saying donât suffer fools and when you want something go for that,â he said, adding âIf [Savageâs music] is a young people thing, then this is stuff they need to be aware of. So itâs a good thing to do.â
When asked what young peopleâs access point is to his work, Freeman said that itâs likely his film Shawshank Redemption: âItâs Shawshank,â he said. âOr itâs just, a lot of people call [my voice] the âvoice of God.â Freeman recorded his monologues at home, on his iPhone, and with no improvisations.
Savage Mode IIâs album cover was inspired by iconic Houston-based design company Pen & Pixel, whose graphics, for a time, were identified with southern rap, working with rappers and groups like Juvenile, the Hot Boys, No Limit, Cash Money, and more.
21âs photographer and creative director, John Canon brought the rapperâs ideas to life. â[Most details] were inspired by the Pen & Pixel style, but [I added] the engraving on the dagger, the six bullet holes represent the six times that he was shot. I felt like that was something powerful, and I felt like the engravings were things that really mean something to him,â he explained.
âWhen [Savage] first said that he wanted to do the cover like that, I knew people werenât gonna understand. But, at the same time, I wasnât afraid to still do it. At some point somebody is gonna pull together an article of all these covers and make it make sense,â he continued.
21 Savage and Metro Boomin also recently graced the cover of The Source, with 21 discussing how he changed musically between his 2018 effort I Am > I Was and Savage Mode II.
âI just care more about my craft. I donât like just throwing music out, I never have, but especially now, I want my music to stick. A lot of artists just throwing music out and the fans forget about it a week later, so focusing on making quality is something that I focus hard on.â