Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph (born October 22, 1992), known professionally as 21 Savage, is an American and British rapper based in Atlanta, Georgia.

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.

[9][10] 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),[11] which won Best Rap Song at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.

[12][13] 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[14] and spawned the top ten-singles "Runnin" and "Mr.

[17] 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".

[19] He was granted bond on February 12 and released the next day, pending the outcome of an expedited deportation hearing,[20] which was initially scheduled for April 9, but was later postponed indefinitely,[21] with 21 Savage's lawyers stating he was legally residing in the U.S. for several years prior to the 2005 H-4 visa.

[23][24] Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph[25][26][27][28] was born on October 22, 1992 at Newham University Hospital in Plaistow, London, to British parents Heather Carmillia Joseph and Kevin Cornelius Emmons.

[32][33][34] In June 2005, at the age of 12, he returned to the United Kingdom for his uncle's funeral,[35] stayed for a month, and then went back to Atlanta on an H-4 visa on July 22, 2005,[36] which allegedly expired a year later.

[44] 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.

[45] 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.

[60][61] 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.

[67][68] 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.

[73] 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.

[78][79] 21 Savage released his second studio album I Am > I Was on December 21, 2018, with features from Travis Scott, Post Malone, Childish Gambino, Offset, J. Cole, Gunna, Lil Baby, Project Pat, Yung Miami, and Schoolboy Q.

On November 16, 2021, Savage appeared as a feature on Drake's "Knife Talk" alongside Project Pat from his September 2021, Certified Lover Boy.

[99] Just a week later, on June 17, 2022, 21 Savage appeared as a feature on "Jimmy Cooks", the outro track of Drake's seventh studio album, Honestly, Nevermind.

[104] On December 2, 2022, 21 Savage appeared on four tracks from Metro Boomin's sophomore album, Heroes & Villains: "Umbrella" with Young Nudy, "Creepin'" with The Weeknd, "Niagara Falls (Foot or 2)" with Travis Scott, and "Walk Em Down (Don't Kill Civilians)" featuring Mustafa.

[113] On June 2, 2023, Savage appeared as a feature on two tracks from Metro Boomin's soundtrack album, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse: "Nonviolent Communication" with James Blake and ASAP Rocky, and "Givin' Up (Not the One)" with Don Toliver and 2 Chainz.

[118] Just weeks later, Savage appeared as a feature on two tracks from Travis Scott's fourth studio album, Utopia: "Topia Twins" with Rob49 and "Til Further Notice" with James Blake.

[119] Months later, on September 15, 2023, Savage appeared as a feature on "Turks & Caicos" from Rod Wave's fifth studio album, Nostalgia.

On January 12, 2024 the album was released and featured guest appearances from Travis Scott, Young Thug, Doja Cat, Brent Faiyaz, Lil Durk, Summer Walker, Mariah the Scientist, Burna Boy and Metro Boomin.

[127] Burna Boy's single "Sittin' On Top of the World", which features Savage, received a nomination for Best Melodic Rap Performance at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards.

[135] On July 1, 2020, 21 Savage announced he was launching a free online financial literacy education program for kids and teenagers stuck at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying, "I feel like it's important more than ever to give our next generation the tools to succeed in life."

The lyrics came under fire for perpetuating negative Jewish stereotypes when LeBron James shared an Instagram story quoting the track.

[151] On April 6, while reportedly taking an Uber in 21 Savage's neighborhood in an attempt to find where he lived, Chop stated that an unknown gunman fired at his car, but he was not injured.

[155] On February 15, 2019, 21 Savage turned himself in to authorities and was booked into a south Georgia jail in response to a warrant for his arrest for felony theft by deception.

[156][157] On February 3, 2019, just two days after releasing the music video for his single "A Lot", 21 Savage was taken into custody by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after a vehicle was pulled over that contained him and his cousin, Young Nudy, and two other men.

Young Nudy and the two other men had been targeted in an operation involving charges of aggravated assault and violation of the Georgia Gang Act.

[32] After his arrest, ICE revealed that 21 Savage is a British national who has been in the United States unlawfully since his non-immigrant visa expired in July 2006.

"[162] A birth certificate then surfaced showing that 21 Savage was born in Newham, London on October 22, 1992, which indicates that he had been 12 years old in July 2005 – not "a teen.