Released: 2018 • Features: 21 Savage
Dig this. “10 Freaky Girls” is Metro Boomin’s dark and brash lyrical tour de force featuring 21 Savage. It’s a braggadocious portrayal of the opulent, erratic, and often perilous lives led by these figures, crisscrossing between their dangerous, fearsome pasts and their wealth-laden present. Let’s unpack the hustle, shall we?
From the jump, Metro Boomin and 21 Savage assert their dominance with lines like “In peace (in peace), may you rest (may you rest) / Never ever shoot below the neck.” This is straight-up power talk, y’all. They’re signifying raw respect for life, but also showing they ain’t hesitant to get heavy if necessary. As they claim, they’re veterans in this game, not rookies, situating themselves at the top of the rap food chain.
Lines like, “I flooded out my Patek with baguettes,” take us deep into the bling-bling culture that’s ingrained in hip-hop. A Patek is one of the most luxurious watches you can sport, and baguettes? Nah, not the French bread, we’re talkin’ about those elongated diamond cuts. Shimmering on his wrist to stunt his wealth, that’s what’s up.
Moving down the lines, 21 Savage spits “In Bikini Bottom, I’m with Sandy / Moesha keep on drinkin’ all the brandy / Keisha eat the molly like it’s candy.” Now, this ain’t just TV show references for kicks. Bikini Bottom is a nod to the show SpongeBob Squarepants (yeah, that’s right), and Sandy’s that squirrel from Texas. Moesha, is a tip to Brandy’s character in her eponymous ’90s sitcom, and Keisha, well, that’s the girl in the neighborhood. With these lines, 21 Savage paints a picture of his surroundings, wrapping it in pop culture – a cocktail of humor, hedonism, and melancholy.
Then we got “Hangin’ off my earlobes is a rock” and “Hangin’ off my waistline is a Glock” that drift between seemingly glamorous showcases of wealth and the harsh realities that exist parallelly. He’s got diamonds (rocks) on his ears and a gun (Glock) on his waist, driving home the juxtaposition of wealth and violence that defines his world.
Bars like “All these chains, rest in peace to Harriet Tubman” are a commentary on the contradictions of black wealth and the historical struggle for freedom. Tubman was an abolitionist who led many enslaved people to freedom, and ironically, here we have Savage manifesting his freedom and power through chains of a different kind – gold chains, signifying wealth.
Finally, the closing lines, “You know, I was racin’ down the highway earlier today / Ridin’ down 20 / I happened to see a nigga I robbed back in the day / You know what? He was happy to see me.” That’s Savage confessing his past, a stark reminder of the life he once lived. Life’s done flipped for him, and while he’s prospered, he’s never forgetting his roots.
So, there it is. “10 Freaky Girls” is an unflinching narrative about those who’ve managed to cross over from the street life to the glitzy world of rap stardom, all while carrying their past with them. Its a tale of respect, power, wealth, fame, accompanied by a healthy dose of pop culture references sprinkled in for good measure. Simply put, it’s a Metro-21 special.
