21 Savage

Unflinching yet offhanded rapper 21 Savage abandoned street life to build a swiftly ascending trajectory marked by a succession of hit singles both as lead act and featured voice, the RIAA-certified gold full-lengths Savage Mode (2016), Issa Album (2017), and I Am > I Was (2018), plus multiple Grammy Awards. Savage Mode II, his 2020 joint LP with Metro Boomin, reached the summit of the Billboard 200 and registered strong international sales. Late 2022 brought Her Loss, another number-one collaboration, this time alongside Drake. In 2023, 21 and Metro Boomin linked with the Weeknd for the charting single “Creepin’,” while 2024 opened with his third solo studio album American Dream entering at the top of the chart.

Born Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph and based in Atlanta, the artist gravitated toward rap after a decisive event on his 21st birthday that left him with multiple gunshot wounds and claimed the life of his closest friend. The following year, 2014, he surfaced with the DJ Plugg-produced track “Picky.” Two mixtapes plus the Sonny Digital executive-produced EP Free Guwop arrived in 2015, setting the stage for wider recognition. Throughout the second half of 2016, 21 maintained a steady presence high on the Billboard charts via a series of collaborative and lead singles that included “X” (featuring Future), “No Heart,” and Drake’s “Sneakin’.” The opening pair appeared on Savage Mode, the Metro Boomin co-billed project. Shortly after that set earned gold certification from the RIAA in 2017, 21 issued his first major-label full-length on Epic, Issa Album, which yielded the Hot 100 peak at number 12 with “Bank Account.” Only months afterward he and Offset dropped Without Warning, his second straight release to land inside the Billboard 200’s Top Five.

Beyond his own projects, further traction arrived through featured turns on Post Malone’s Grammy-nominated “Rockstar” (Record of the Year and Best Rap/Sung Performance categories) and Cardi B’s “Bartier Cardi.” Additional guest appearances plus contributions to the Uncle Drew and Superfly soundtracks followed in 2018. Closing that year, I Am > I Was debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 behind “A Lot,” another single that climbed to number 12; Grammy nods for Rap Album of the Year and Best Rap Song arrived soon after, with the latter track ultimately taking Best Rap Song.

The 2020 follow-up Savage Mode II, again with Metro Boomin and narrated throughout by actor Morgan Freeman, preserved the predecessor’s gothic atmosphere while introducing fresh variations. The album opened at number one on the Billboard 200. Spiral: From the Book of Saw, a concise 2021 EP soundtrack to the ninth Saw installment, featured Young Nudy, Young Thug, and Gunna. Scattered 2022 singles encompassed the charting “Don’t Play That” with King Von. November brought the full collaborative album Her Loss with Drake, which led the charts in the U.S., Canada, and U.K. and spawned the hit “Rich Flex.” Early 2023 found 21 joining the Weeknd and Metro Boomin on the latter’s single “Creepin’,” followed by the further hit “Good Good” alongside Usher and Summer Walker. He returned to soundtrack work with “Call Me Revenge” featuring D4vd for the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III game. His third solo studio album American Dream arrived in January 2024, debuting at number one on the Billboard charts and marking his fourth consecutive chart-topper; production came from Metro Boomin along with guest appearances by Doja Cat, Burna Boy, Lil Durk, and others.