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One of the most anticipated releases of the year over-delivered thanks to an unexpected guest. Fans now have a more holistic view of how Savage Mode II came together, thanks to Morgan Freeman.
As the Hip-Hop community continues to enjoy 21 Savage and Metro Boomin’s joint effort , the staff at GQ dug a little bit deeper to get the story behind the magic.
While there are several nuggets in the feature, one thing is clear that the “A Lot” rapper contributed far more than the lyrics. According to his team, it was his idea for the creative direction. ”
Savage had the idea for the Pen & Pixel-style cover,” said his photographer, John Canon. “He listens to old Hot Boys and stuff like that.”
Canon would go on to give further insight into the unique cover. “[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”.
The narration from Hollywood legend Morgan Freeman was also something the Big 4 L curated as the Shawshank Redemption actor was provided scripts with no room for improvisation.
“I read the copy and was like wow, there’s some wisdom in here,” Freeman recalled. “I think this is the way I think. It’s basically saying don’t suffer fools and when you want something go for that,” the veteran thespian said, adding , “If [Savage’s music] is a young people thing, then this is stuff they need to be aware of. So it’s a good thing to do.”
Video for “Running” below in case you missed it.
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Photo: Getty
