A psychedelictrap album, ASAP Rocky and Morgan Freeman serve as its narrators.[1] The album serves as the sequel to Metro's previous album, Not All Heroes Wear Capes (2018), and serves as the second project for a trilogy. The album's cover resembles that of English rock band Pink Floyd's 1975 album Wish You Were Here. An instrumental version of the album, titled the "Heroes Version", was released on December 5, 2022. A chopped not slopped remix edition of the album by OG Ron C and DJ Candlestick, titled the "Villains Version", was released on February 17, 2023. Heroes & Villains debuted at the top of the US Billboard 200, with 185,000 album-equivalent units sold in its first week of release, making it Metro's third number one album.
Release and promotion
On November 17, 2021, Metro revealed the title of the album through a letter written with DJ Holiday for the three-year-anniversary of Not All Heroes Wear Capes, which was fifteen days before.[3] On September 16, 2022, his 29th birthday, he took to social media to announce the album along with a trailer video, sharing that the album was dedicated to his late mother.[4] At the time, the album was originally scheduled to be released on November 4.[5] However, on October 26, Metro announced it would be pushed back by four weeks due to sample clearance issues.[6] Fan speculation initially arose that it was due to the fact that his previous collaborators, Drake and 21 Savage, released their collaborative studio album, Her Loss, the same day that Metro originally was supposed to release the album, in which the reason was later proven untrue.[7] On November 22, Metro shared the album's cover art and stated that it would have two sides: the "Hero" side and the "Villain" side.[8] The cover art is inspired by Pink Floyd's ninth studio album, Wish You Were Here (1975).[9] Exactly a week later, Metro shared a short film for the album that was directed by Gibson Hazard and stars himself alongside Young Thug, Gunna, Morgan Freeman, and Lakeith Stanfield.[10] Eight days later, he shared songs from the tracklist one by one on his official website, in which fans would go to the website and tweet the name tracks they found on it and the names of the other artists on it.[11] The next day, which was the day before its release, Metro used a comic book theme, in which he revealed the guest artists one by one and teased some of the lyrics that they said in the songs that they contributed to and shared the full tracklist to reveal the answers to the website.[12] The lead single of the album, "Creepin'", a collaboration with Canadian singer the Weeknd and 21 Savage, was sent to Italian contemporary hit radio on January 27, 2023.[13]
According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Heroes & Villains received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 73 out of 100 from five critic scores.[14]
Robin Murray of Clash wrote, "Indeed, one faultline on the record is that there is simply too much going on. 'HEROES & VILLAINS' bursts with ideas, not all of which land. A record that revels in contradictions, it grasps towards the light while framing itself in darkness." He also summarized, "A bold artist statement from Metro Boomin, 'HEROES & VILLAINS' progresses his arena-level sonic tapestry, while also leaving space to grow. A statement of intent, he utilises one of the finest contact books in American hip-hop to build his rogue's gallery."[15] Writing for Mic Cheque, Hamza R. felt that "it means one must treat Heroes & Villains like a holistic experience, driven by its tight theme, and Metro's muted but irresistible sound that keeps the album's engine running" and "he remains a conductor, waving his wand to summon a trap album that may not be his personal best but is robust enough to upstage most albums of its kind this year".[16] Brady Brickner-Wood of Pitchfork described the album as "an ambitious, detail-rich record that splits the difference between streaming fodder and world-building", adding that "proves that Metro aspires to more than hits".[1] Charles Lyons-Burt of Slant Magazine summarized that the album is "not very ambitious as far as subject matter goes, but the majority of the guests, whose appearances never feel obligatory, at least cursorily touch on the central theme".[17]
Commercial performance
In the United States, Heroes & Villains debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 185,000 album-equivalent units, which included 5,000 pure album sales in its first week, making it his third number-one album in the country.[18] In its second week, the album remained in the top ten and fell to number three, earning 102,000 album-equivalent units.[19][20] On June 5, 2023, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over a million units in the United States.[21] As of December 27, 2023, Heroes & Villains was the ninth best-selling album of the year according to Hits, moved a total 1,472,000 album-equivalent units, including 51,000 pure album sales, 77,000 song sales, 1.893 billion audio-on-demand streams, and 56 million video-on-demand streams.[22]
^"Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 49.Týden 2022 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
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