And during his time in Atlanta, 21 Savage got into a lot of trouble. In the 7th grade, he was banned permanently from every school in the DeKalb County School District for gun possession. He was later sent to a youth detention center. After being released from the facility, he completed the 8th grade through an alternative program and would later drop out of high school as a freshman. He joined a street gang and became a full-time drug dealer, mainly selling marijuana. In 2011, when 21 Savage was 19, he lost his “right-hand man” in a shootout, and then in 2013 during an attempted robbery, Savage was shot six times by rival gang members and his best friend Johnny was killed. This incident shook him up and turned his attention to music. He started his rap career in 2014 by releasing his debut single Picky, which would later be included in his debut mixtape, The Slaughter Tape. In 2016, his EP Savage Mode was released, and that’s when he achieved commercial success. It peaked at No. 23 on the US Billboard 200 and Rolling Stone included it in its list of the 40 Best Rap Albums of 2016. In 2017, 21 Savage released his debut studio album Issa Album. It charted at No. 2 on the US Billboard 200 and received mostly positive reviews. And then in late 2018, he released his second studio album I Am Greater Than I Was. The album received critical acclaim and reached No. 1 on the US Billboard 200. And while his career was reaching new highs, his personal life took a hit in February 2019 when he was arrested by ICE officials. They revealed that he is a British national who has been in the United States unlawfully since his non-immigrant visa expired in 2006. A spokesperson for ICE released a statement saying, “His whole public persona is false. He actually came to the U.S. from the U.K. as a teen and overstayed his visa.” He was granted bond a week later and has an expedited deportation hearing scheduled for April 11, 2019. The good news is that 21 Savage’s net worth is estimated to be around $8 million, which means he should be able to afford the best attorneys in town. He is now part of the millionaires club that includes Chris Brown, Kanye West, and Khloe Kardashian.
