About 21 Savage
Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph , known professionally as 21 Savage, is a British-born rapper currently based in the United States. Born in London and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, he began his recording career in 2013 and released three independent mixtapes to regional acclaim. His breakout project—the collaborative extended play with record producer Metro Boomin titled Savage Mode —peaked at number 23 on the Billboard 200. Its lead singles, "X" 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 peaked at number two on the Billboard 200, while its lead single, "Bank Account" reached number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. That same year, he released the collaborative album Without Warning with Metro Boomin and fellow Georgia rapper Offset, and guest featured 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 became his first to debut atop the Billboard 200. It spawned the single "A Lot" , which won the 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 , which also debuted atop the Billboard 200 and spawned the top ten singles "Runnin" and "Mr. Right Now" . He guest featured 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 , which saw continued success as his third project to peak the Billboard 200. His third album, American Dream became his fourth consecutive chart-topping project and did so for multiple weeks.
21 Savage was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on February 3, 2019. Officials revealed his status as a British citizen who entered the U.S. in July 2005 and unlawfully overstayed a 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; he is eligible for citizenship in 2028.
Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph was born on October 22, 1992, at Newham University Hospital in the Plaistow area of London, the son of Heather Carmillia Joseph and Kevin Cornelius Emmons. His parents are both British nationals with Caribbean origins; his mother's family is from Dominica, and his father's is from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, while his paternal grandfather was Haitian. 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 the age of 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. Abraham-Joseph's mother then began a relationship with Dr. Amsu Anpu, an endocrinologist and British expatriate, with whom she had more children. He had a brother Quantivayus who died in a shooting after an attempted drug deal.
In seventh grade, Abraham-Joseph was placed on probation for gun possession. Following a probation violation in the eighth grade, he was banned permanently from every school in 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.
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