"Redrum" is a song by British rapper 21 Savage from his third studio album, American Dream (2024). The record was produced and co-written by London on da Track and samples vocals from Brazilian singer, Elza Laranjeira's "Serenata do Adeus". The song title is also a reference to the Stanley Kubrick film The Shining, which is based on the novel by Stephen King of the same name. American singer-songwriter Usher is credited for additional vocals in the outro of the song where he recites the taunt from The Three Little Pigs followed by the iconic "Here's Johnny!" line from the aforementioned film.
Composition Matthew Ritchie for Pitchfork described the track to have "drawn-out distribution of his murderous wordplay" that "makes it feel as though he’s almost veering off the tracks". Rolling Stones Mosi Reeves described the song as "murderous", noting that it "leans on" Elza Laranjeira's "Serenata Do Adeus".
Critical reception Robin Murray for Clash noted that the song "spotlight[s] his effortless trap-leaning flows". The song is described as having "slightly terrifying vibes, violent lyrics, a catchy hook, and a bunch of fun flows".
Music video The Danny Seth-directed music video was recorded in 21 Savage's city of birth, London. Beginning the video by showing stereotypical locations in London like the Big Ben, the London Eye, and the iconic Red telephone boxes before switching the setting to Brixton, a working-class district in South London, to show viewers who criticized him for being British-born the 'real' London.
Personnel Musicians Shéyaa Abraham-Joseph – lead artist, production, vocals, songwriter, composer London Holmes – production, songwriter, composer AyoPeeb (mateen kyle niknam) – production, songwriter, composer Usher – additional vocals
Technical Isaiah Brown – recording Mike Bozzi – mastering Miles Walker – mixing Shawn Pedan – assistant engineer
Charts
Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for "Redrum" Chart (2024) Peakposition Australia (ARIA) 16 Australia Hip Hop/R&B (ARIA) 4 France (SNEP) 88 Greece International (IFPI) 1 Israel (Mako Hitlist) 55 Italy (FIMI) 66 Latvia Streaming (LaIPA) 1 Lithuania (AGATA) 2 Luxembourg (Billboard) 13 MENA (IFPI) 12 Netherlands (Tipparade) 6 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) 11 Norway (VG-lista) 24 Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100) 23 Romania (Billboard) 15 Singapore (RIAS) 27 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) 47 UAE (IFPI) 3
Year-end charts + Year-end chart performance for "Redrum" Chart (2024) Position Australia Hip Hop/R&B (ARIA) 19 Canada (Canadian Hot 100) 46 Global 200 (Billboard) 102 US Billboard Hot 100 42 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard) 11 US Rhythmic (Billboard) 18
Certifications
Release history + Release history for "Redrum" Region Date Format Label Italy January 17, 2024 Contemporary hit radio Sony
References