If young Metro don’t trust you… Metro Boomin is doing the unconventional in promotion of his latest album, Heroes & Villains. The mega-producer from the ATL has teamed up with music streamer Spotify to display holograms of him creating beats in Miami and Los Angeles, along with superhero styled Bat-Signals of himself in international markets, such as Toronto and Paris.
In addition to the pop-up promo extravaganzas, Metro Boomin released an astonishing short film in the style of a classic comic-book tale. Set in the city of Metropolis, a place that houses the “Boominati” headquarters, named after Metro’s label banner Boominati Worldwide, Young Metro is faced with an excruciating decision to either take his rightful place as a hero of the town or succumb to the allure of being a reckless villain.
The short film brings to remembrance all of the adversity that Atlanta hip hop artists have been enduring as of late. YSL businessmen Young Thug and Gunna, who are still fighting trumped charges as they await their trial dates in jail, are featured in a playful news segment in the short. Although not mentioned in the six-minute film, there’s the context of Metro Boomin dealing with the massive blow of losing his mother, Leslie Joanne Wayne, in June 2022 to domestic violence committed by his stepfather.
Metro Boomin, 29, bravely appears in the short film, despite posting recently that he feels like he’s “dying slow” and “not living, just existing until the day God calls…” This, along with the incarceration of YSL’s leading artists, and a series of deaths that include Lil Keed and Migos rapper Takeoff, has taken a toll on Southern hip hop specifically hailing from the Greater Atlanta area. Metro worked with the Migos on several songs, including their chart-topping single, “Bad and Boujee.” It’s clear that Metro Boomin is sending a message through his art.
Watch The Short Film Below:
In addition to Young Thug and Gunna, the Heroes & Villains short film stars the man known for having “the Voice of God,” Morgan Freeman, and the coolest actor around, Lakeith Stanfield. Gibson Hazard, who has worked with Lil Nas X and NBA YoungBoy, directs, while also contributing to writing alongside Van Courtney. Liam Akiva and Jamil Davis are executive producers on the film, with Nic Neary aboard as producer.
Heroes & Villains, the second album installment of a trilogy that started with his 2018 project Not All Heroes Wear Capes, features narration from Morgan Freeman, and collaborations with Future, 21 Savage, Travis Scott, A$AP Rocky, Gunna, Young Thug, Don Toliver, The Weeknd, John Legend, and Chris Brown. The album contains 15 tracks, with the Future and Chris Brown assisted “Superhero” and “Creepin,’” featuring The Weeknd, trending in popularity.
The last track before a bonus track features the late Takeoff. He appears on “Feel The Fiyaaaah,” alongside A$AP Rocky, where he raps, “Momma told me go and get it / I was trying to get a ticket / Commas, commas and some digits / Been thinkin’ about it for a minute / You looking at a lieutenant.”
RIP Takeoff
Watch The Music Video For “Superhero”
Following a copacetic theme that revels in balancing the light with darkness, the full-length album brims with next-level production and replay worthy lyrical challenges from Metro’s exclusive collection of collaborators.
Heroes & Villains is available now on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, and major music streaming platforms.
