21 Savage

Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, known professionally as 21 Savage, is a British rapper based in Atlanta, Georgia. Born on October 22, 1992, in London to parents of Caribbean descent, he moved with his mother to Atlanta at age seven. During his youth, he attended local schools, spent time in juvenile detention, and was eventually expelled. After dropping out of high school, he engaged in street activity and drug dealing. Following a shooting on his 21st birthday in 2013 in which his best friend was killed, he began his recording career with financial support for studio time from his friend's uncle.

21 Savage released his debut single, "I Can't Get Enough," in March 2013, followed by his debut mixtape, The Slaughter Tape, in May 2015. Later that year, he released the collaborative extended play (EP) Free Guwop with producer Sonny Digital, as well as his second mixtape, Slaughter King.

21 Savage achieved broader recognition in 2016 after being named to the XXL Freshman Class and releasing the collaborative EP Savage Mode with producer Metro Boomin. The EP peaked at number 23 on the Billboard 200, spawned the platinum single "X" featuring Future, and led to a recording contract with Epic Records in January 2017. His debut studio album, Issa Album (2017), reached number two on the Billboard 200 and produced the single "Bank Account." Later that year, he featured on Post Malone's number-one single "Rockstar," which received two Grammy nominations, and released the collaborative album Without Warning with Metro Boomin and Offset.

In December 2018, 21 Savage released his second studio album, I Am > I Was, which debuted atop the Billboard 200. Its lead single, "A Lot" featuring J. Cole, won Best Rap Song at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. He followed this success in 2020 by teaming again with Metro Boomin for Savage Mode II, another Billboard 200 chart-topper that generated top-ten Hot 100 singles such as "Runnin" and "Mr. Right Now" featuring Drake.

In 2021, 21 Savage released the EP Spiral, serving as the official soundtrack for the film Spiral: From the Book of Saw. The following year, he earned a Billboard Hot 100 number-one song with his guest appearance on Drake's "Jimmy Cooks." The duo subsequently released a joint studio album, Her Loss (2022), which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. In 2024, 21 Savage released his third solo album, American Dream, which became his fourth consecutive chart-topping project on the Billboard 200 and yielded the top-ten singles "Redrum" and "Née-Nah."

In February 2019, 21 Savage was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Officials reported that he was a British citizen who had overstayed an H-4 visa that expired in 2006. He was released on bond pending deportation proceedings, which were later postponed indefinitely. In 2023, he became a lawful permanent resident of the United States after receiving a green card.