21 Savage Bio
Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, known professionally as 21 Savage, is a British-born rapper, songwriter, and record producer based in Atlanta, Georgia. Born in Plaistow, London on October 22, 1992, he moved to Atlanta as a child and began his recording career in 2013. He gained widespread recognition with the Metro Boomin collaboration Savage Mode (2016) and reached further commercial and critical success with albums including Issa Album (2017) and I Am > I Was (2018). His work has produced top-charting singles and earned him a Grammy Award for Best Rap Song for “A Lot.” In 2019 he was detained by U.S. immigration authorities; he later obtained lawful permanent resident status in the United States.
Early Life and Background
Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph was born on October 22, 1992 at Newham University Hospital in Plaistow, London, to British parents Heather Carmillia Joseph and Kevin Cornelius Emmons. His family is of Caribbean descent; his mother’s family is from Dominica, and his father’s is from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, while his paternal grandfather was Haitian. Abraham-Joseph considers himself African-American.
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 age 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. He had a brother, Quantivayus (“Tay-Man”), who died in a shooting after an attempted drug deal.
After dropping out of high school, 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. In 2011, when he was 19, his close associate 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.
Path to Rap
Following the death of his friend 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. On March 1, 2013, his debut single “I Can’t Get Enough” was released. His debut mixtape, The Slaughter Tape, was released on May 25, 2015, and made him what Interview Magazine called an “underground hero in Atlanta.”
On July 2, 2015, 21 Savage released a collaborative EP, Free Guwop, with Sonny Digital, a tribute EP to fellow rapper and influence Gucci Mane. On December 1, 2015, he released his second mixtape, Slaughter King. In June 2016, 21 Savage was named as one of the “Freshman Class” of 2016 by XXL, signaling his rise from the underground mixtape circuit to broader industry recognition.
21 Savage Career
Early Career (2013-2015)
21 Savage’s recording career began in 2013 with his debut single “I Can’t Get Enough,” followed by the release of The Slaughter Tape in May 2015 and Slaughter King in December 2015. The Slaughter Tape established him as an underground favorite in Atlanta, while the collaborative Free Guwop EP with Sonny Digital paid tribute to Gucci Mane, one of his acknowledged influences.
During this period he built a regional following through raw, autobiographical street narratives and a distinctive monotone delivery. His early mixtapes circulated widely in the Atlanta scene and laid the groundwork for the national breakthrough that followed with Savage Mode in 2016.
Breakthrough (2016-2017)
On July 15, 2016, 21 Savage released his joint EP Savage Mode with Atlanta-based record producer Metro Boomin. The EP gained international success and peaked at number 23 on the Billboard 200, which became their highest charting EP to date. The Savage Mode single “X” featuring Future was confirmed by Billboard as going platinum in the US, being 21 Savage’s first platinum record. In November 2016, he was on the cover of The Fader. On January 18, 2017, 21 Savage announced that he had signed to Epic Records.
In 2017, his debut studio album, Issa Album, debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200. Its lead single, “Bank Account,” peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. Later that year, he was featured on Post Malone’s single “Rockstar,” which peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and was later certified Diamond by the RIAA, becoming 21 Savage’s first number-one song. On October 31, 2017, a collaborative studio album with Offset and Metro Boomin titled Without Warning was released, debuting at number four on the US Billboard 200.
Notable Works and Milestones
21 Savage’s signature works include the Savage Mode series with Metro Boomin, Issa Album, I Am > I Was, and Her Loss with Drake. His debut atop the Billboard 200 came with I Am > I Was in December 2018, and he has since topped the chart with Savage Mode II, Her Loss, and American Dream. His collaboration “Rockstar” with Post Malone earned Diamond certification, and his single “A Lot” featuring J. Cole won Best Rap Song at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.
21 Savage Award Nominations
21 Savage has received multiple Grammy nominations across his career. His featured appearance on Post Malone’s “Rockstar” earned two nominations, Record of the Year and Best Rap/Sung Performance, at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. He later received a nomination for Best Melodic Rap Performance at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards for the remix of Burna Boy’s “Sittin’ on Top of the World.”
21 Savage Awards Won
21 Savage won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Song at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards for “A Lot” featuring J. Cole, the lead single from his second studio album I Am > I Was. The song peaked at number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and marked his first Grammy win.
| Award | Wins | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Grammy Award for Best Rap Song (“A Lot” featuring J. Cole) | 1 | 2020 |
21 Savage Family
21 Savage was born to British parents Heather Carmillia Joseph and Kevin Cornelius Emmons, who separated early in his life. His mother’s family is from Dominica and his father’s family 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. He had a brother, Quantivayus (“Tay-Man”), who died in a shooting after an attempted drug deal.
Personal Life
21 Savage and his mother are both adherents of the traditional West African religion Ifá. In June 2017, he started dating model Amber Rose, but had separated in May 2018. He has been in a relationship with rapper Latto since 2020. He has three children. In October 2017, he began taking flying lessons in a Cirrus SR20 single-engine aircraft. In 2023, 21 Savage became a lawful permanent resident of the United States and received his green card.