NEW YORK, Feb 4, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Rapper 21 Savage, who has long said he is
from the US state of Georgia, was detained on Sunday by US immigration
officers who say he is actually British and overstayed his visa.
The news sent shockwaves through social media as the Grammy-nominated 26-
year-old rapper — whose real name is Sha Yaa Bin Abraham Joseph — says he
is local act from Atlanta, the capital of hip hop.
“We are working diligently to get Mr. Abraham-Joseph out of detention while
we work with the authorities to clear up any misunderstandings,” the rapper’s
lawyer, Dina LaPolt, said in a statement to AFP.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Bryan Cox told the local
Atlanta Journal-Constitution outlet that 21 Savage is an “unlawfully present
United Kingdom national” who entered the United States in 2005 on a visa that
expired one year later.
The US agency also told the paper he had been arrested and later convicted
for felony drug charges in 2014 — but at the time, ICE was unaware that he
was in fact British.
According to the paper 21 Savage was arrested in a “targeted operation.”
The artist, known for his conversational rap delivery and no-nonsense
sincerity, released his debut studio album in 2017.
His lyrics touch on everything from drugs and violence to systemic racism
and police brutality.
His sophomore album, “I Am > I Was” debuted at the top of the Billboard 200
in December 2018, holding the number one spot for two consecutive weeks.
The rapper is up next week for two Grammys for his work on fellow rapper
Post Malone’s smash hit “Rockstar,” including for the major Record of the
Year award.