During this past week, I was
unfortunately not able to make it to class; making it rather challenging to
find a topic relating to what had been discussed in my absence. I viewed some
of the other blog posts, but had a difficult time finding an idea I resonated
with. Then, as if it had been meant to be, a friend of mine sent me a meme
poking fun at 21 Savage for the recent evidence released concerning his true
nationality.
Shayaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, or as he
is commonly referred, 21 Savage, is an Atlanta-based rapper who has gained a
lot of traction in the rap industry in the past few years. With popular tracks
such as “Bank Account” reaching over 240 million views on YouTube, and his
feature on Post Malone’s track “Rockstar” being a number one single in 2017, it
is easy to see that he is no longer just another underground rapper. However,
the past has recently come back to haunt Savage.
On February third, 21 Savage was
arrested in his Atlanta home by I.C.E. claiming that he was, in fact, a citizen
of the United Kingdom who had visited the U.S. in 2005 with a nonimmigrant visa
but has remained here since its expiration in 2006. I.C.E. also cited his drug
felony conviction in 2015 as part of the reasoning for his arrest. On the
third, Savage was held in custody by local Georgia authorities awaiting his
removal proceeding in Federal Immigration Court. His attorney was quoted on the
situation stating "We are working diligently to get Mr. Abraham-Joseph out
of detention while we work with authorities to clear up any
misunderstanding," (LaPolt, 2019). Though he and the people close to him
have been deeply affected by the current ill-fated circumstances, there is one
part of the equation commonly left out from reporting.
For years now, 21 Savage has
amassed a large following of fans. Many have already shared their opinion on
the matter over social media. Among those posts, there seems to be a common
tendency to condemn Savage for claiming to be born and raised in Atlanta. Many
of his followers resonated with the message brought forth by his lyrics
regarding the struggles he faced growing up on the streets. Now with this new
information being released, 21 Savage will surely face a drastic loss in
“street cred.” This has, in-turn, negatively affected not only his fanbase, but
also his public image.
At the moment, this situation is
still up in the air though there has been hefty support for 21 Savage from
other rappers in the industry. As I stated in my last blog post regarding the
third verse of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” one cannot run from their past.
Savage had been running for over a decade until reality caught up. Now we wait
to see whether or not Savage will be Deported back to the U.K. No matter the
outcome, his career as a rapper will never again be the same it once was.
I could tell just by reading this post that you put so much effort into it and that it truly is a subject you care a lot about. Great job on this, especially since you weren't in class this week! Impressive.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog post and could tell that you were very interested in the topic. It was very informative and had lots to do with what is going on in the world today.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post very much, I liked the fact that you researched information outside of class to fully support your post. It was very interesting and informative.
ReplyDelete