Drake's new song, 8 AM In Charlotte was released on October 5, 2023, and revealed that rapper 21 Savage finally got his green card and can leave the US. In the new song, Drake raps, "Savage got a green card straight out of the consulate." The British rapper whose real name is Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, was born in Plaistow, London, United Kingdom.
His nationality was unveiled when he was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in 2019. According to HipHopDx, this also showed that Savage had overstayed his visa, as per HipHopDx.
The rapper was not allowed to leave the USA thereafter and has since missed several international shows with Drake for their It's All A Blur tour. The latter has two shows left in Canada on October 6 and 7, 2023, and people are wondering if the A Lot rapper will join him.
Drake says 21 Savage has obtained his green card
Drake recently made a surprise release of his new single called 8 AM In Charlotte. A music video starring his son Adonis showed the duo walking around on a set with a row of spotlights as Drake raps and Adonis tries to copy him.
In the single, the Canadian rapper mentioned the co-headliner of his It's All A Blur tour, 21 Savage and revealed that the latter's immigration status has changed.
"Savage got a green card straight out of the consulate. Where I go, you go, brother, we Yugoslavian," Drake rapped.
21 Savage was born on October 22, 1992, at Newham University Hospital in the Plaistow area of London. According to Rolling Stone, the son of Heather Carmilla Joseph and Kevin Cornelius Emmons, Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph was brought up in the USA his whole life.
Savage was in the US from 1992 until June 2005 when, at the age of 12, he returned to the UK for his uncle's funeral. The rapper stayed there for a month before returning to Atlanta on an H-4 visa on July 22, 2005, per the BBC.
While the rapper's visa expired, he continued living in the US until the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials caught him in February 2019. They claimed that he was "unlawfully present" in the country. He was ordered not to leave the States until the officials finished their investigation.
Savage could not attend many concert dates in the It's All A Blur tour. According to Hot New Hip Hop, artists like Travis Scott and J. Cole filled in for the rapper and headlined the international stages with Drake.
Four years later, the Rich Flex rapper finally got his green card. Following Drake's big reveal, many media outlets asked Dekalb Co. Clerk, who managed the immigration case about the situation. They revealed that 21 Savage's case was closed.
21 Savage's immigration case was delayed due to another criminal case
British rapper Giggs released his new album Zero Tolerance on August 18, 2023, which had a collaboration with 21 Savage called By Chance.
According to Hip Hop Dx, Savage rapped the lyrics:
"When I get my Green Card I’m going straight to Brixton/ I don’t do no hair, but all my Glocks got extensions."
His immigration case, suffered a further delay last year because of a separate criminal case, as per Complex. Immigration and Customs Enforcement alleged that Savage "threw out a bottle that had liquid in it that later tested positive for codeine and that a handgun was found inside the car" on February 3, 2019.
A source told Billboard on October 5, 2023, that 21 Savage is planning an international tour after years of immigration issues.