21 Savage: All We Know about the Atlanta-Based Rapper

21 Savage is a famous rapper based in Atlanta, Georgia. He was born Shayaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, and the successful musician has already earned himself two Grammy nominations.

21 Savage is a well-known rapper in the music industry. The talented musician has already made his mark in the industry following his Grammy nominations, one of them being for Record of the Year for the track "Rockstar."

The rapper may have fame and fortune now, but his life was not easy while growing up. Besides being widely recognized as a rapper, 21 Savage was also known for his arrest by the ICE in 2019. Here's all we know about the rapper.

Who Is 21 Savage?

21 Savage was born Shayaa Bin Abraham-Joseph on October 22, 1992. The now-successful musician didn't have an easy upbringing and came from a background filled with violence, crime, and poverty. It was this unpleasant and painful upbringing that has inspired most of his work as a rapper.

He moved to Atlanta with his mom when he was seven and grew up with his ten siblings. 21 Savage nearly lost his life on his 21st birthday when he was shot six times. This shooting caused him to turn his life around and get off the streets. His name, 21 Savage, comes from the shooting incident where he was shot six times in 2013.

He started his career with his debut mixtape titled "The Slaughter Tape" in 2015, and his other release that same year, "Slaughter King," put him on the map and got him recognition as an artist. In 2016 he released the "Savage Mode" EP, which ended up being a chart-topping track that received over 11k in sales in its first week and remained on the number 4 spot on all of Apple Music.

He has also worked alongside top musicians such as Drake on Drake's single "Sneakin" and featured Cardi B and Future on his debut album "Issa" in 2017. The rapper's guest verse on Post Malone's single "Rockstar" gained him more prominence and earned him a Grammy nomination.

In 2018 he released the album "I Am > I Was" and also launched the 21 Savage Bank Account Campaign as part of his philanthropic work. The artist is also actively involved in various programs that help underprivileged youth in Atlanta.

Where Is 21 Savage From?

Despite the common misconception, 21 Savage is not from Atlanta and has confirmed that he's a British citizen. Immigration officials arrested him in February 2019 for reportedly being in the U.S. illegally after his visa expired years ago.

21 Savage received support from top artists such as Cardi B, Nicki Minaj, Migos, and the public. His fans protested over his arrest, and other movements rallied behind the cause to Free 21 Savage.

About 450k Color of Change petition signatures was sent to ICE for his release. The artist was eventually released, and TMZ reported in 2022 that the case over his immigration status wasn't moving forward, and 21 Savage is still in limbo.

21 Savage was born in the UK and moved to Atlanta in 1999 when he was seven years old. He has said he was not hiding his origin but was also not vocal about it as he feared being deported. The rapper said he lived in Atlanta for decades, which was all he knew.

What Has 21 Savage Been up to Recently?

21 Savage is a philanthropist and has been described as a role model by many, especially in the Atlanta community. The artist has been involved in several projects, including developing a financial literacy program for students during the lockdown in 2020. He cited the importance of giving "our generation the tools to succeed in life" in a statement in early 2020.

The Grammy-nominee has also done a project with top musicians like Lil Baby, Meek Mill, and Lil Durk to launch a music platform, which would donate a percentage to their supporters as artists and "maximize Black wealth."

In June 2022, 21 Savage's manager took to Twitter to let fans in on the exciting news that the artist's new album would be coming out soon. The last album that 21 Savage released was back in October 2020.