Metro Boomin has had his hand in a considerable number of milestones for trap as a subgenre of rap and hip-hop. The producer is based in Atlanta, a state that is a systematic producer of modern and historical rap talent from Outkast to Future. Crossing into the mainstream of hip-hop as a producer, rather than a rapper, is an incredibly difficult task because of the covert nature of the job; the glory often goes to the vocals, not the instrumentation. Besides the actual talent of Metro’s production capabilities, he ensured his name would forever be associated with his work by pioneering and implementing lyrics that reference him in the form of a producer tag. These callouts are ever-present and occur on some of the more popular trap cuts of the 2010s, such as Drake and Future’s “Jumpman,” but his range is also subversively apparent on more melodic tracks like The Weeknd’s “Heartless.” Metro’s

NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES

(2018) showcased that he was not simply a complementary asset to an established artist, but an artist himself that could curate a list of features and thematic selections that are cohesive, if not consistent in quality. Metro’s newest effort,

HEROES & VILLAINS

(2022), exemplifies his polished ability to create a persistent vibe, but its best moments do not seem to reach the individual qualitative peaks that his 2018 album met.

Although both of Metro’s aforementioned albums take the form of a compilation that is directed by the producer in similar formats, it is clear that

HEROES & VILLAINS

exhibits Metro’s desire to diversify his catalog into an amalgamation of rap and R&B. 21 Savage, a trap connoisseur, is arguably Metro’s most frequent collaborator, and while his presence is definitely felt on this new LP, his usually aggressive demeanor takes a back seat to production and styles that fit Metro’s newcomers like The Weeknd and especially Don Toliver. The latter is omnipotent in his creative influence over various cuts. “Too Many Nights,” which features Toliver and Future, is a bass-boosted croon-fest that wields considerably more substance than the monotonous “Around Me,” which only features Toliver. A few solo exhibitions fall short of providing anything more than a throwaway track that could be placed on each respective features’ individual albums; this applies to “Raindrops (Insane),” featuring Travis Scott, and “All The Money,” featuring Gunna. The beginning of “Metro Spider,” with Young Thug, initially suggests the same deficiencies, but the currently-incarcerated rapper pulls it together after a shaky start with disjointed flows.

Travis Scott and 21 Savage were forces to be reckoned with on

NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES

, but their sonic appeal occasionally saturates Metro’s production to the point where their contributions feel irrelevant at times. “Lock On Me,” featuring Travis Scott and Future, is an incredibly woozy cut that evokes little emotion from both of the artists’ as their auto-tune-soaked vocals sound absolutely clocked in. “Umbrella,” featuring Savage and Young Nudy, sounds like a leftover from 21 Savage’s prior collaboration with Drake,

Her Loss

(2022). Nudy’s verse is effective and hard-hitting, but its short duration establishes it as simply an intermission from Savage’s extensive verse. Travis Scott and Young Thug reach parity in the caliber of their performances on “Trance,” a song of which Metro employs fitting instrumentation for the two artists to lyrically glide on. The Weeknd also hits every note on “Creepin,” but the addition of 21 Savage serves as an awkward combination. These mismatches persisted as a common theme for Metro’s feature selection on

HEROES & VILLAINS

; it sometimes felt as though the composition of certain tracks seemed better on paper than in execution.

Metro’s teammates step it up a notch with “I Can’t Save You (Interlude),” featuring Future and Toliver, but it’s too short to be truly sweet. Toliver comes through dripping with swagger and Future sounds like he’s still in the zone of his latest album,

I NEVER LIKED YOU

(2022). “Feel The Fiyaaaah”’s soul chops coat the slithery wordplay of its features, A$AP Rocky and Takeoff (R.I.P.). Rocky fits the theme of the production with his clever references to biblical stories, while Takeoff choreographs his verse with the utmost attention to detail.

Metro’s guest stars reach their creative potential too scarcely for how many appearances some of them have. The Atlanta producer seems comfortable with the artistic relationships he already has, even while he is still trying to push the limits of his own talent. This results in

HEROES & VILLAINS

being extremely asymmetrical in what should be its defining qualities.