Issa Album

 ( 2017 Debut Albums ) 

In XXL, Scott Glaysher opined that the artist "manages to craft a fairly concise project with Issa Album about all the things that make him such a compelling rapper in today's hip-hop landscape". Exclaim!s M.T. Richards wrote that "Savage's strength of feeling against certain people cannot be overstated". Corrigan B of Tiny Mix Tapes noted, "Despite expectations, it's an utter joy to listen to—a simple display of what 21 Savage sounds like when he's having fun rapping". Jon Caramanica of The New York Times wrote positively, " Issa Album contains some of 21 Savage's best and most fully realized songs to date—especially "Bank Account" and "Bad Business". Justin Ivey of HipHopDX stated, "The budding star easily could have played it safe and stuck to a winning formula, which remains a strong suit (i.e. Issas "Bank Account" and "Close My Eyes"). Instead, he challenged himself to be more musically ambitious. While his experiments didn't produce dynamic results, the positives overshadow the negatives".

Steve "Flash" Juon of RapReviews said, "For better or worse the album also achieves a certain bland uniformity at times by staying so true to the trap aesthetic and having Metro Boomin produce so much of the music. It's not ill-conceived, it's just that it all winds up becoming a bit monotonous if you don't randomize it and/or mix in some songs by other artists". Sheldon Pearce of Pitchfork states, "He is so compelling when he digs deeper into his psyche this way, providing more than superficiality, but there aren't enough of these moments to sustain Issa Album, which is as basic as its title". In a mixed review, AllMusic's Neil Z. Yeung stated: "Overall, Issa is a competent statement that demonstrates promise from the young rapper." Brian Josephs of Spin said, " Issa Album needn't be The Infamous, but it could've benefitted from a clearer and tighter direction". Wren Graves of Consequence criticized the "repetitive odes to getting high, getting laid, and getting lots of money".