21 Savage

Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph (born October 22, 1992), known professionally as 21 Savage, is a British-born rapper based in Atlanta, Georgia. Born in London and raised in the US, he began his recording career in 2013 and released three independent mixtapes to regional acclaim. His breakout project—the collaborative extended play (EP) with record producer Metro Boomin titled Savage Mode (2016)—peaked at number 23 on the Billboard 200. Its lead singles, "X" (featuring Future) and "No Heart" both peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. Later that year, he saw further recognition for his guest appearance on Drake's single "Sneakin'". He then signed a recording contract with Epic Records in January 2017.

21 Savage's debut studio album, Issa Album (2017), peaked at number two on the Billboard 200, while its lead single, "Bank Account" peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. That same year, he released the collaborative album Without Warning (2017) with Metro Boomin and fellow Georgia-based rapper Offset, and guest appeared on Post Malone's 2017 single "Rockstar", which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 and received two nominations—Record of the Year and Best Rap/Sung Performance—at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. His second album, I Am > I Was (2018), became his first to debut atop the Billboard 200 and spawned the single "A Lot" (featuring J. Cole), which won Best Rap Song at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. The following year, he and Metro Boomin released a sequel to their breakout EP with Savage Mode II (2020), which also debuted atop the Billboard 200 and spawned the top ten-singles "Runnin" and "Mr. Right Now" (featuring Drake). He guest appeared on Drake's 2022 single "Jimmy Cooks", which marked his first song to debut atop the Hot 100 and second to do so overall. Later that year, he and Drake released the collaborative album Her Loss (2022), which saw continued success as his third project to peak the Billboard 200. His third album, American Dream (2024), became his fourth consecutive chart-topping project, and spawned the Billboard Hot 100 top-ten songs "Redrum" and "Née-Nah".

21 Savage was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on February 3, 2019. Officials revealed his status as a British citizen who entered the U.S. in July 2005 and unlawfully overstayed an H-4 visa that expired in 2006. He was granted bond on February 12 and released the next day, pending the outcome of an expedited deportation hearing, which was initially scheduled for April 9, but was later postponed indefinitely, with 21 Savage's lawyers stating he was legally residing in the U.S. for several years prior to the 2005 H-4 visa. In 2023, 21 Savage became a lawful permanent resident of the United States and received his green card.

Early life

Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph was born on October 22, 1992 at Newham University Hospital in Plaistow, London, to British parents Heather Carmillia Joseph and Kevin Cornelius Emmons. His family is of Caribbean descent; his mother's family is from Dominica, and his father's is from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, while his paternal grandfather was Haitian. Abraham-Joseph considers himself African-American. His father and twin sisters, dance choreographers Kyra and Jayda Davis, continue to live in London, where his father works for Westminster City Council.

Abraham-Joseph's parents separated early in his life, and he moved at age seven with his mother to Atlanta, Georgia. In June 2005, at age 12, he returned to the United Kingdom for his uncle's funeral, stayed for a month, and then went back to Atlanta on an H-4 visa on July 22, 2005, which allegedly expired a year later. He had a brother, Quantivayus ("Tay-Man"), who died in a shooting after an attempted drug deal.

In seventh grade at Stone Mountain Middle School, Abraham-Joseph was placed on probation for gun possession. Following a probation violation in eighth grade, he was expelled from the DeKalb County School District. This led him to begin attending schools around the Atlanta metropolitan area before being sent to a juvenile detention center. After being released from the juvenile detention center, he completed eighth grade through an alternative program before finishing a semester of high school, but dropped out in his freshman year following multiple exclusions that he said "exhausted" him. After dropping out, he joined a local street gang affiliated with the wider Bloods gang and became a full-time drug dealer, mainly selling cannabis. He also regularly took part in other criminal activities, including robbery and car theft, although he was only arrested once after contraband was found in a car he was driving. In 2011, when he was 19, his "right-hand man" Larry, was killed in a shootout. In 2013, during an attempted robbery on his 21st birthday, Abraham-Joseph was shot six times by rival gang members, and his best friend Johnny was killed.

Career

2013–2015: Early releases, The Slaughter Tape, and Slaughter King

Following the death of his friend in a shootout on his 21st birthday, 21 Savage began rapping. His music career was originally subsidized by his deceased friend's uncle, who gave him money for studio time in 2013. On March 1, 2013, 21 Savage's debut single, "I Can't Get Enough" was released. His debut mixtape, The Slaughter Tape, which was released on May 25, 2015. The release made him what Interview Magazine called an "underground hero in Atlanta".

On July 2, 2015, 21 Savage released a collaborative EP, Free Guwop, with Sonny Digital. It is a tribute EP to fellow rapper and influence Gucci Mane. On December 1, 2015, 21 Savage released his second mixtape, Slaughter King.

2016–2017: Savage Mode, Issa Album, and Without Warning

In June 2016, 21 Savage was named as one of the "Freshman Class" of 2016 by XXL. On July 15, 2016, 21 Savage released his joint EP Savage Mode with Atlanta-based record producer Metro Boomin. The EP gained international success and peaked at number 23 on the Billboard 200, which became their highest charting EP to date. In November 2016, he was on the cover of The Fader. The Savage Mode single "X" featuring Future was confirmed by Billboard as going platinum in the US, being 21 Savage's first platinum record. On January 18, 2017, 21 Savage announced that he had signed to Epic Records.

In 2017, his debut studio album, Issa Album, debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200. Its lead single, "Bank Account", peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. Later that year, he was featured on Post Malone's single "Rockstar", which peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and broke numerous records. It became 21 Savage's first number-one song and was later certified Diamond by the RIAA.

On October 31, 2017, a collaborative studio album by 21 Savage, Offset, and Metro Boomin titled Without Warning was released. Without Warning debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 and received generally positive reviews from critics. Its lead single, "Ric Flair Drip" peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100.

2018–2019: I Am > I Was

In April 2018, 21 Savage had a guest appearance on Young Thug's extended play Hear No Evil along with fellow rappers Nicki Minaj and Lil Uzi Vert. Later that month, he also appeared on the single "Outstanding" by SahBabii. On March 21, 2018, he was featured on the single "Rover 2.0", which is part of BlocBoy JB's Simi mixtape. In the following month, he was featured on Ty Dolla Sign's "Clout", which was part of the deluxe edition of his album Beach House 3.

On October 31, 2018, 21 Savage posted on his Instagram a picture of a man in silhouette jumping in the air in the direction away from a large blaze. In the bottom right corner of the picture there was a "Parental Advisory" notice, as there oftentimes is on the cover of rap releases. 21 Savage also tagged Metro Boomin in the post. For these reasons, some speculated it to be a sequel to 2017's Without Warning album. However, it turned out to be the cover for Metro's debut solo album, Not All Heroes Wear Capes.