21 Savage: Rapper’s Immigration Status in Limbo Due to Criminal Case

April 8, 2022

*21 Savage‘s immigration status has been delayed due to the rapper’s ongoing criminal case in Georgia.

As we reported, back in 2019, Savage –real name She’yaa Bin Abraham Joseph — was detained by ICE officials for living in the US illegally for years on an expired visa.

Here’s more from TMZ:

Authorities later claimed the rapper threw out a bottle of codeine during that ICE arrest … and they say a handgun was also found in his vehicle. Here’s the crazy part — the Dekalb D.A. didn’t even formally charge 21 with possession of a controlled substance and possession of a firearm until January of this year. Think about it, a whole worldwide pandemic came and went before that much happened, and as a result … he’s still in limbo as to where he’ll end up living.

According to the report, there are currently no pending court dates for the criminal case, and the artist is allowed to travel domestically, but he can’t leave the U.S.

Recalling the moment of the arrest, the Atlanta-based artist said in 2019: “I was just driving. And I just seen guns and blue lights. And, then, I was in the back of a car. And I was gone.

“They didn’t — they didn’t say nothing. They just said, ‘We got Savage’. It was definitely targeted,” the hip-hop star added.

21’s legal team said he “won his freedom” after he was released from detainment.

“For the past 9 long days, we, on behalf of She’yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, known to the world as 21 Savage, have been speaking with ICE to both clarify his actual legal standing, his eligibility for bond, and provide evidence of his extraordinary contributions to his community and society,” a statement from his legal team confirmed at the time.

While he still faces the threat of deportation, the case will not affect the upcoming shows 21 Savage is set to perform at, including Coachella and the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in June.