This week proved to be a struggle. Not to compile background information. I had quite a bit of info to create a workable post. It was the title that created problems for me. You see, I wanted to provide some clever words incorporating his most recent album release I Am > I Was (I am greater than I was). However, the research into the events surrounding the life of rapper 21 Savage gave me more ideas. The story seemed much larger than any title. Therefore, I settled upon the title you see above. Yes, the life story of 21 Savage is quite interesting, and compelling at least.
Although his life growing up in the Atlanta area was filled with intrigue, his story became more fascinating in February of this year. He was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after a traffic stop. 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. All of a sudden his life story became even more compelling.
Before we get into the ICE custody event, it might be good to start at the beginning. It seems that his entire upbringing provides a backdrop for his music. As I learned more about the life of 21 Savage, it opened my eyes into his lyrics. Hopefully, after reading this post most of you unfamiliar with 21 Savage music will understand why he creates what he does. That’s all Weekly Music Commentary strives to do.
21 Savage was born as ShĂ©yaa Bin Abraham on October 22, 1992, at Newham Hospital in Plaistow, London, England, to British-born parents Heather Carmillia Joseph and Kevin Cornelius Emmons, who are of Dominican and Haitian descent. 21 Savage’s parents separated early in his life, and he moved with his mother to Atlanta, Georgia, at the age of 7. In June 2005, at the age of 12, he went to the United Kingdom for the funeral of an uncle, stayed for a month and then returned to the United States on July 22, 2005, on an H-4 visa, which allegedly expired a year later. 21 Savage’s mother then began a relationship with Dr. Amsu Anpu, an endocrinologist and British expatriate, with whom she had more children.
By the time of his return to the US, 21 Savage was surrounded and engulfed by the violence in his community. Much of his problems seemed to stem from his middle and short high school experience. In the seventh grade, 21 Savage was banned permanently from every school in DeKalb County School District for gun possession. This led him to begin attending schools around the Atlanta metropolitan area before being sent to a youth detention center. After being released from the youth detention center, he completed eighth grade through an alternative program before finishing a semester of high school; he dropped out in his freshman year following multiple exclusions that he said “exhausted” him.
I can remember during my own childhood there were several students who also dropped out during early high school. The life and activities of school just did not appeal to them, and it seems 21 Savage had similar feelings. At that stage in life, there are very few alternatives to school. In fact, the only thing left is to survive – any way you can. After dropping out, 21 Savage joined a local street gang affiliated with the wider Bloods street 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 21 Savage was 19, he lost his “right hand” man, Larry, in a shootout. In 2013, during an attempted robbery on his 21st birthday, 21 Savage was shot six times by rival gang members and his best friend Johnny was killed.
When I learned of how much 21 Savage experienced by his 21st birthday, I was amazed. He really lived a hard life as a youth. “I been shot, stabbed, lied to, cheated on, hated on, betrayed, held back, left out, counted out, locked up, broke, rich, homeless, and everything else you can think,” he wrote on Instagram earlier this week. “Keep da money, cars, fame and jewelry, and just give me all the happiness, I’ll be good forever.”
Looking at his list is interesting. I am more than twice 21 Savage’s age and have experienced only a fraction of the things he has in his brief existence. At the same time his hard life has given him a perspective many of us fail to ever achieve.
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. 21 Savage explained that it was a lot of drug money that financed his studio time. I must admit I have heard that a few times here in South Florida. However, that start was very important. On November 12, 2014, 21 Savage’s debut single, “Picky”, produced by DJ Plugg, was released. It was later included on 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”.
21 Savage developed a style of writing that many fans wanted to hear. 21 Savage’s music is described as heavily autobiographic with an emphasis on violent and criminal aspects of his past, including murder and drug dealing. This would not be the first time fans would gravitate toward violence in music. Hip hop is filled with successful artists who freely rap about their violent pasts. I feel 21 Savage did experience a very hard youth, but he does not appear to deliver violent lyrics gratuitously. He is just rapping about his life and experiences. His music explicitly describes who he is.
When I listened to I Am > I Was, I learned a little more about 21 Savage through the lyrics. I also developed a better respect for his writing skills than I had previously. Catchy, good hooks and powerful lyrics, the album is a special presentation of a good rap album.
Eric Diep of HipHopDX said, “At 15 songs and 51 minutes long, it’s an enjoyable listen with good pacing, filled with the right amount of vulnerability, heartache, menace, and savagery.” Paul A. Thompson from Pitchfork stated, “i am > i was shatters the notion of 21 Savage as a specialist with a narrow purview and audience, and recasts him as a star in waiting, all without forcing him into unflattering contortions. It also cements him as a far more original stylist than other hopefuls from Atlanta.”
For all of his savage lyrics, hard life and legal problems, 21 Savage also is interested in helping those less fortunate in the Atlanta community. In early August of 2016, 2017, and 2018, 21 Savage hosted the “Issa Back to School Drive” (named after his album Issa Album) in his home neighborhood in Atlanta, Georgia. The drive gave free haircuts, hairstyles, supplies, and school uniforms. In July 2018, 21 Savage donated $10,000 to Atlanta’s Continental Colony Elementary School to fund an anti-bullying campaign.
There is so much more to 21 Savage than what people might think. Savage is soft-spoken and deeply spiritual, practicing the West African Ifá religion passed down from his Haitian and Dominican family. He also has a deadpan sense of humor and a well documented big heart.
Even though he has experienced a lot, 21 Savage is still growing as a person at 26 years old. He listens to other people and looks to learn about other cultures. That’s excellent! It’s going to be great to watch and listen to him throughout the next years of his life.