Last updated on September 17th, 2025 at 11:23 am
21 Savage is a rapper based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Born in London, he moved to Atlanta with his mother at age seven.
He became famous in Atlanta after releasing the 2015 mixtape The Slaughter Tape before being known nationwide. He collaborated with Metro Boomin on the album Savage Mode in 2016, with its lead single “X”, featuring Drake in “Sneakin”.
21 Savage was born Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph on October 22, 1992, at Newham University Hospital in the Plaistow area of London, the son of Heather Carmillia Joseph and Kevin Cornelius Emmons.
His parents are both British nationals with Caribbean origins; his mother’s family is from Dominica, and his father’s is from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. His father and twin sisters, dance choreographers Kyra and Jayda Davis, continue to live in London, where his father works for Westminster City Council, while his paternal grandfather was Haitian.
In the 7th grade, 21 Savage was banned permanently from every school in the DeKalb County School District for gun possession. This led him to begin attending schools around the Atlanta metropolitan area before being sent to a juvenile detention center.
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.
After dropping out, 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, although he was only arrested once after contraband was found in a car he was driving.
In 2011, when he was 19, his “right-hand man,” Larry, was killed 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.
Full Name: Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph
Date of Birth: October 22, 1992
Age: 32 years old as of 2025
Nationality: American
Profession: Rapper, Songwriter, Record Producer
Genre: Hip hop, rap, gangsta rap, horrorcore
Net-worth: $16 million
Career:
On November 12, 2014, 21 Savage’s debut single, “Picky”, produced by DJ Plugg, was released. It was later included in his debut mixtape, The Slaughter Tape, which was released on May 25, 2015.
In June 2016, 21 Savage was named as one of the “Freshman Class” of 2016 by XXL. 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.
In November 2016, he was on the cover of The Fader. The Savage Mode single “X” featuring Future was confirmed by Billboard as going platinum in the US, being 21’s first platinum record.
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.
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. It became 21 Savage’s first number-one song.
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.
None of those acts, however, is credited as artists on the album. I Am > I Was debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, earning 131,000 album-equivalent units (including 18,000 pure album sales), making it 21 Savage’s first US number one album.
It was led by “A Lot”, featuring vocals from J. Cole. The song peaked at number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and earned 21 his first Grammy award.
Personal Life:
21 Savage and his mother are both adherents of the traditional West African religion, Ifá. His mother is a Nigerian and from the Yoruba tribe.
In June 2017, he started dating model Amber Rose, but had separated in May 2018.
In early August 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019, 21 Savage hosted the “Issa Back to School Drive” (named after his album Issa Album) in his home neighborhood in Atlanta. The drive gave free haircuts, hairstyles, supplies, and school uniforms.
In March 2018, 21 Savage announced the creation of the 21 Savage Bank Account Campaign (named after his hit song “Bank Account”) on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. He also announced that he was donating $21,000 to the cause.
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.
Studio albums
- Issa Album(2017)
- I Am > I Was(2018)
- American Dream(2024)
Collaborative albums
- Savage Mode (with Metro Boomin) (2016)
- Without Warning (with Offset and Metro Boomin) (2017)
- Savage Mode II (with Metro Boomin) (2020)
- Her Loss (with Drake) (2022)
Awards:
- 2020: Best Rap Song for “A Lot” (with J. Cole)
- 2024: Best Melodic Rap Performance for “All My Life” (with Lil Durk)
- 2024: Best Rap Performance for “Rich Flex” (with Drake)
- 2024: Best Rap Album forHer Loss(with Drake)
Let's Hear Your Opinion About Us. Rate Us On:
