Not All Heroes Wear Capes

Not All Heroes Wear Capes (stylized in all caps) is the debut solo studio album by American record producer Metro Boomin. It was first announced on October 31, 2018[3] and released on November 2, 2018, by Boominati Worldwide and Republic Records. It features multiple guest appearances from Travis Scott, 21 Savage, Swae Lee, Gunna, Young Thug, Wizkid and Offset, as well as appearances from Gucci Mane, J Balvin, Kodak Black, and Drake.[4] The album is supported by the singles, "No Complaints" and "Space Cadet."

Not All Heroes Wear Capes
Studio album by Metro Boomin
Released	November 2, 2018
Recorded	2015–2018[1]
Genre	Hip hop trap
Length	43:50 (standard edition) 87:20 (deluxe edition)
Label	Boominati Republic
Producer	Metro Boomin (also exec.) Allen Ritter Chopsquad DJ Dre Moon Milan Beker Prince 85 Southside Tay Keith Wheezy
Metro Boomin chronology
Double or Nothing (2017) Not All Heroes Wear Capes (2018)
Singles from Not All Heroes Wear Capes
"No Complaints" Released: June 23, 2017 "Space Cadet" Released: January 29, 2019[2]

Release and promotion

On June 23, 2017, Metro Boomin released the single "No Complaints" featuring Offset and Drake, which entered the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number 71.

In April 2018, Metro Boomin appeared to announce his retirement from music on his Instagram page, changing his bio to "Retired record producer/DJ."[5] However, he has since garnered production credits on Nicki Minaj’s album Queen, as well as Minaj’s labelmate Lil Wayne on Tha Carter V, which both debuted in the top 5 of the Billboard 200.

On October 26, 2018, multiple billboards appeared in Atlanta and New York depicting Metro Boomin as a "missing person".[6] It was later revealed to be a teaser for the new full-length project Not All Heroes Wear Capes, cryptically teased as a solo album.[7] The cover and track list were unveiled by 21 Savage on his Instagram page.

It is the second straight year Metro has released a surprise album around Halloween, following his collaborative Without Warning project with 21 Savage and Offset, released on October 31, 2017.[8]

A deluxe edition of the album was released on November 6, 2018, featuring instrumentals of each track.

"Space Cadet," featuring Gunna, was released to rhythmic contemporary radio on January 29, 2019, as the album's second single.[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	78/100[9]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[10]
Highsnobiety	4.0/5[11]
HipHopDX	4.0/5[12]
HotNewHipHop	80%[13]
Pitchfork	7.7/10[14]

Not All Heroes Wear Capes received positive reviews from music critics. Alphonse Pierre of Pitchfork described Not All Heroes Wear Capes as "a high-profile guest-filled album that builds on and creates a bigger version of the dark, hard-hitting production that has turned Metro into rap’s definitive producer of the last five years." Pierre praised the production and performances of the featured artists, concluding that the album "doesn’t feel like the typical producer album, filled with mixtape leftovers and owed favors. This is Metro Boomin laying the groundwork for his next phase, which at times feels like it could be film scores. When you’ve done it all at 25 years old, some may lose the motivation, but Metro seems ready to keep going, continuing to define the new sound of hip-hop."[14] Marcus Blackwell of HipHopDX complimented the cohesiveness of the album, adding that there is "a cinematic feel throughout that places the artists in their appropriate pockets."[12] Online hip hop publication HotNewHipHop concluded: "With the power to transcend his post-trap aesthetic in full-display, Metro Boomin is gearing up for the most arduous creative phase of his career. NAHWC is a memorable showcase if you wade through the more tenable parts and create your own setlist. For Metro Boomin the distance between the 1st rung he currently occupies, and the rest of the ladder is so cavernous, he surely has all the time in the World to find his autonomy."[13] Thomas Hobbs from Highsnobiety describes Metro Boomin's work in Not All Heroes Wear Capes as a feeling "both minimalist and maximalist at the same time, with Metro creating vast compositions out of what feels like fairly traditional rap production techniques", with praises to the album as "consistently engaging".[11]

Commercial performance

Not All Heroes Wear Capes debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 99,000 album-equivalent units, making it Metro Boomin's first US number-one album.[15] The album dropped to the number eight in its second week, earning an additional 52,000 album-equivalent units.[16] The album debuted at 16 on the UK Album Charts.[17]

Following the release of Not All Heroes Wear Capes, seven songs from the album debuted on the Billboard Hot 100, including the 21 Savage-assisted track "Don't Come Out the House", which charted at number 8, becoming the highest-charting song from the album.[18]

Track listing

Credits adapted from Tidal.[19]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"10AM / Save the World" (featuring Gucci Mane)	Leland Wayne Radric Davis Andre Proctor Joseph Froese Gladys Givens	Metro Boomin Dre Moon Prince 85	3:46
2.	"Overdue" (with Travis Scott)	Wayne Jacques Webster Hannah Robinson Annie Strand Richard Phillips	Metro Boomin Milan Beker^[a]	2:46
3.	"Don't Come Out the House" (featuring 21 Savage)	Wayne Shayaa Abraham-Joseph Brytavious Chambers	Metro Boomin Tay Keith	2:48
4.	"Dreamcatcher" (featuring Swae Lee and Travis Scott)	Wayne Khalif Brown Webster Allen Ritter	Metro Boomin Ritter	3:31
5.	"Space Cadet" (featuring Gunna)	Wayne Sergio Kitchens Wesley Glass Ritter	Metro Boomin Wheezy Ritter^[a]	3:23
6.	"10 Freaky Girls" (featuring 21 Savage)	Wayne Abraham-Joseph Michael Jones	Metro Boomin	3:28
7.	"Up to Something" (featuring Travis Scott and Young Thug)	Wayne Webster Jeffery Williams Ritter Joshua Luellen	Metro Boomin Ritter Southside	3:04
8.	"Only 1 (Interlude)" (with Travis Scott)	Wayne Webster	Metro Boomin	1:20
9.	"Lesbian" (featuring Gunna and Young Thug)	Wayne Kitchens Williams Luellen	Metro Boomin Southside	3:26
10.	"Borrowed Love" (featuring Swae Lee and Wizkid)	Wayne Brown Ayodeji Balogun Mary Cross Johnnie Frierson	Metro Boomin	3:50
11.	"Only You" (with J Balvin, featuring Wizkid and Offset)	Wayne José Balvin Balogun Kiari Cephus Ritter	Metro Boomin Ritter	3:38
12.	"No More" (featuring Travis Scott, Kodak Black and 21 Savage)	Wayne Webster Bill Kapri Abraham-Joseph Dale Warren	Metro Boomin	4:25
13.	"No Complaints" (featuring Offset and Drake) (bonus track)	Wayne Cephus Aubrey Graham	Metro Boomin	4:25
Total length:				43:50

Deluxe bonus disc[20]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"10AM / Save the World" (instrumental)	3:46
2.	"Overdue" (instrumental)	2:46
3.	"Don't Come Out the House" (instrumental)	2:48
4.	"Dreamcatcher" (instrumental)	3:31
5.	"Space Cadet" (instrumental)	3:23
6.	"10 Freaky Girls" (instrumental)	3:28
7.	"Up to Something" (instrumental)	3:04
8.	"Only 1" (interlude; instrumental)	1:20
9.	"Lesbian" (instrumental)	3:26
10.	"Borrowed Love" (instrumental)	3:50
11.	"Only You" (instrumental)	3:38
12.	"No More" (instrumental)	4:05
13.	"No Complaints" (instrumental) (bonus track)	4:25
Total length:		43:30

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies an additional producer.
• "10AM / Save the World" features additional vocals by Kevin Lemons and Higher Calling.
• "Overdue" features additional vocals by 21 Savage.
• "Space Cadet" features additional vocals by Travis Scott.
• "Only You" features background vocals by Allen Ritter.
• "Overdue" transitions into "Don't Come Out The House".
• "Only 1 (Interlude)" transitions into "Lesbian".

Sample credits

• "10AM / Save the World" contains a sample from "Save the World", written by Gladys Givens and performed by The Loving Sisters.
• "Overdue" contains a sample from "Anthonio (Berlin Breakdown Version)", written by Annie Strand, Hannah Robinson, and Richard Phillips, and performed by Annie.
• "10 Freaky Girls" contains a sample from "Are You the Woman", written by Michael Jones and performed by Kashif and Whitney Houston.
• "Borrowed Love" contains a sample from "After Laughter (Comes Tears)", written by Mary Cross and Johnnie Frierson, and performed by Wendy Rene.
• "No More" contains a sample from "Synopsis One: In the Ghetto / God Save the World", written by Dale Warren and performed by 24-Carat Black.

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[19]

Performance Metro Boomin – primary artist Travis Scott – artist (tracks 2 and 8), featured artist (tracks 4, 7, and 12), vocals (track 5) 21 Savage – artist (track 3 and 6), featured artist (track 12), vocals (track 2) Gucci Mane – featured artist (track 1) Swae Lee – featured artist (tracks 4 and 10) Gunna – featured artist (tracks 5 and 9) Young Thug – featured artist (tracks 7 and 9) Wizkid – featured artist (tracks 10 and 11) Offset – featured artist (tracks 11 and 13) J Balvin – featured artist (track 11) Kodak Black – featured artist (track 12) Drake – featured artist (track 13) Kevin Lemons and Higher Calling – vocals (track 1) Allen Ritter – background vocals (track 11) Instrumentation Jeff Basko – guitar (track 1) Peter Lee Johnson – strings (tracks 1, 8, and 9), keyboards (track 8) Milan Beker – keyboards (track 2) Allen Ritter – keyboards (track 5) Siraaj Rhett – horn (tracks 6 and 11) Jeff Babko – keyboards (track 9) Hudson Buckley – bass guitar (tracks 10 and 11) Mike McTaggart – guitar (tracks 10 and 11) Timothy Loo – conductor (track 10), strings conductor (track 10) Sean O'Neil – guitar (track 12)

Production Metro Boomin – executive production, production (all tracks) Dre Moon – production (track 1) Prince 85 – production (track 1) Tay Keith – production (track 3) Allen Ritter – production (tracks 4, 7, and 11), additional production (track 5) Wheezy – production (track 5) Milan Beker – additional production (track 2) Southside – production (tracks 7 and 9) Technical Metro Boomin – programming (tracks 1, 3-12) Dre Moon – programming (track 1) Prince 85 – programming (track 1) Metro Boominati – programming (track 2) Tay Keith – programming (track 3) Allen Ritter – programming (tracks 4, 7, and 11) Wheezy – programming (track 5) Southside – programming (tracks 7 and 9) Ethan Stevens – mixing (all tracks), recording engineering (tracks 1-5, 7-12) Turnmeup Josh – recording engineering (track 6) Mac Attison – recording engineering (track 12)

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2018) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[21] 18 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[22] 30 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[23] 22 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[24] 57 Canadian Albums (Billboard)[25] 2 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[26] 5 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[27] 8 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[28] 16 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[29] 59 Irish Albums (IRMA)[30] 11 Italian Albums (FIMI)[31] 26 Latvian Albums (LAIPA)[32] 3 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[33] 9 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[34] 3 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[35] 11 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[36] 26 UK Albums (OCC)[37] 16 US Billboard 200[15] 1 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[38] 1

Year-end charts Chart (2018) Position US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[39] 99 Chart (2019) Position Canadian Albums (Billboard)[40] 46 US Billboard 200[41] 47 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[42] 36

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[43]	Gold	500,000
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

References

1. "Metro Boomin's 'Up To Something' With Young Thug & Travis Scott Has Existed Since 2015". Genius. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
2. "Top 40 Rhythmic Future Releases - R&B Song and Hip-Hop Music Release Dates". All Access. January 29, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
3. Saponara, Michael. "Metro Boomin' Announces 'Not All Heroes Wear Capes' Project, Shares Cover Art". Billboard. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
4. Maicki, Salvatore. "Metro Boomin drops Not All Heroes Wear Capes". The FADER. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
5. "Metro Boomin Want More? Producer claims to have 'Retired from rap'". The Independent. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
6. "What is up with these weird Metro Boomin "missing person" billboards?". The Fader. October 26, 2018. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
7. Minsker, Evan. "Metro Boomin Drops New Album With Drake, Travis Scott, Young Thug, More: Listen". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
8. "Metro Boomin 'Not All Heroes Wear Capes' Stream". Spin. 2018-11-02. Retrieved 2018-11-02.
9. "Not All Heroes Wear Capes by Metro Boomin Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
10. Yeung, Neil Z. "Not All Heroes Wear Capes – Metro Boomin". AllMusic. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
11. Hobbs, Thomas (November 14, 2018). "Metro Boomin's 'Not All Heroes Wears Capes' Soars with 21 Savage". Highsnobiety. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
12. Blackwell, Marcus (November 7, 2018). "Review: Metro Boomin Makes Triumphant Return With "Not All Heroes Wear Capes"". HipHopDX. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
13. Ch, Devin (November 8, 2018). "Metro Boomin "Not All Heroes Wear Capes" Review". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
14. Pierre, Alphonse (November 6, 2018). "Metro Boomin: Not All Heroes Wear Capes". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
15. Caulfield, Keith (November 12, 2018). "Metro Boomin's 'Not All Heroes Wear Capes' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
16. Caulfield, Keith (November 18, 2018). "Kane Brown Earns First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Experiment'". Billboard. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
17. Copsey, Rob (9 November 2018). "The Prodigy score seventh UK Number 1 album". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
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32. "45.nedēļa - tuvojas Decembris un tuvojas arēna" (in Latvian). LAIPA. November 12, 2018. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
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34. "Norwegiancharts.com – Metro Boomin – Not All Heroes Wear Capes". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
35. "Swedishcharts.com – Metro Boomin – Not All Heroes Wear Capes". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
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