21 Savage’s name is rooted in tragedy. Born in London, England, the rapper who was born as Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph had a complicated upbringing. At the age of seven, he moved with his mother to Atlanta, Georgia, where he was exposed to violence and criminal activity. But he managed to turn his life around, becoming one of the most well-known modern rappers with hits like “A Lot,” “Mr. Right Now” and “My Life.”
Meaning Behind the Name
Before he entered high school, Joseph was sent to a juvenile detention center and later released before he started eighth grade. He eventually dropped out of high school and turned to life on the street, joining a local street gang known as the 2100 at the age of 13. He soon became a drug dealer, partaking in robberies and shootouts—all of which informed his famous moniker. “21 is a legendary street gang in Decatur [Georgia],” he explained. “Savage just comes from me being a savage. Street shit, that’s where the savage is coming at.”
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“Even with this 21 shit, this shit is deeper than what everybody perceives it as. It’s not just a number,” he revealed in a 2017 interview, stating that he has several friends who’ve been killed or put in jail before the age of 21. Savage doesn’t mince words in his music, which also rings true for the meaning of his name.
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“People look at it like it’s just fun and it’s rap…with me, I know with my life and what I’m about and the shit I’ve been through, this shit is real life shit,” he says about his songwriting, channeling his experience on the street into his lyrics. “This shit is deeper than a mic and a show…this shit is real life…Don’t play with 21, because you’re disrespecting my people who dead behind this shit.”
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Twenty-one is a significant number for the rapper for another grim reason. On his 21st birthday, he witnessed the murder of one of his best friends, Johnny, the rapper himself getting shot six times. “A whole lot of blood loss,” he recounted to Fader about what he remembers from the tragic moment. “But I guess they say your adrenaline be rushing. So you don’t really feel it, when it’s going on.”
Giving Back
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The acclaimed rapper is now giving back to his hometown through the 21 Savage Bank Account Campaign in an effort to help educate teens and children about financial literacy. “As I have gotten smarter about financial management, I realize how empowering it is to control your money rather than be controlled by it,” he said in a statement when the program launched in 2019. “I want to help kids with a background similar to mine to get smart about their money.”
21 Savage has currently released two studio albums, with I Am > I Was in 2018 serving as his first to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. It spawned the hit single, “A Lot,” which won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Song in 2020. Savage also made headlines when he and Drake teamed up for the collaborative Her Loss in 2022.
Photo by Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for Amazon Music
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