Rapper 21 Savage’s star pals demand his release as revelation he’s British sparks Twitter meme frenzy
MUSIC stars including Cardi B demanded the release of 21 Savage today as his lawyers vowed to fight efforts to deport him from the US.
The Grammy-nominated rapper is being held by immigration officers after it emerged he is actually a British citizen whose visa expired 13 years ago.
His arrest on Sunday sparked a frenzy of Twitter memes as his UK nationality contrasts with his Atlanta gangster guns-and-drugs persona.
He was dubbed "Sir Savage the 21st" and ridiculed as a cockney scallywag in a flood of jokes.
One picture, featuring a quill, said: “21 Savage writing his lyrics.”. That led to a vicious backlash against singer Demi Lovato when she shared it online.
The Sun Online told yesterday how the 26-year-old rapper - real name She'yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph - was born and grew up in East London, the son of a council worker.
Friends described him as "just a softie" who faked his gun-toting lifestyle after moving to the US state of Georgia with his British-born mum Heather Joseph in 2005, when he was 12.
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) said he was in the country unlawfully after overstaying his one-year visa.
A spokesman said: "His whole public persona is false." The agency said he was convicted on felony drug charges in 2014 and should be deported.
But today a lawyer for the millionaire rapper said that was "based upon incorrect information about prior criminal charges" and his client had never tried to conceal his immigration status from authorities.
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Attorney Charles Kuck said 21 Savage had even applied for a U Visa in 2017 on the basis he was the victim of crime after being shot six times on his 21st birthday.
Mr Kuck said: "ICE has not charged Mr Abraham-Joseph with any crime.
"As a minor, his family overstayed their work visas, and he, like almost two million other children, was left without legal status through no fault of his own."
A host of music stars rallied round in defence as gained more than 120,000 signatures. Backers include rappers Quavo and Post Malone and producer Metro Boomin.
Chart topper Cardi B, who collaborated with 21 Savage on her song Bartier Cardi, wrote on Instagram: “We will take action! 21 did not come here illegally and was not caught doing anything illegal or doing any mischief!
"In fact he have change his whole life around and as ya can see he’s been very positive in his actions and music.”
Rappers Vince Staples, Lil Yachty, Meek Mill, Father, Juicy J and Tierra Whack all tweeted in support.
Cardi B's ex Offset hit out at memes making fun of his 21's arrest, saying: "His family depending on him. Successful black man, they always try some way to bring us down."
Wale, another rap star, laid into Demi Lovato personally after she told followers: "So far 21 Savage memes have been my favourite part of the Super Bowl".
Wale said: "Why is somebody freedom funny... I don't get the joke".
Lovato was forced to delete her Twitter account as she was bombarded with abuse over her drug overdose last year.
Rap producer Alex Tumay was among many who slammed the ICE, which has faced fierce criticism for holding migrant children in cages and separating them from their parents at the Mexico border.
He said of the memes: "These jokes are terrible, especially from a bunch of folks acting woke 99% of the time. F*** ICE.
"ICE got thousands of kids separated from their parents forever and y’all quiet but y’all wanna make the lowest hanging fruit jokes for this."
Abraham-Joseph was arrested on Sunday near Atlanta along with his rapper cousin Young Nudy - real name Quantavious Thomas - in an operation targeting violent gangs.
Thomas was held on aggravated assault and gang charges while 21 Savage, who was in the car with him, was handed over to the ICE
'A SOFTIE FROM LONDON'
Yesterday we told how the young She'yaa lived a much quieter life as a child in the London suburbs.
A source told us: "To have the gangster rapper image you have to portray that image. But really he's a softie from London.
"There's a story on Wikipedia stating he saw a gun when he was eight.
"I can tell you that is not true at all. If you know his dad, you would know his dad is nothing like that at all.
"He's done stuff about his dad being a drug dealer and that sort of thing.
"His dad is a hard-working man. That is so not his dad. His dad gets up to go to work six days a week."
In 2014, She'yaa's OAP gran, who lives in Brixton, flew to Atlanta to bail him out of jail when he was held on suspicion of drugs offences.
Until Sunday the rapper was believed to have been born and raised in Atlanta, the city he used as inspiration for his hard-hitting lyrics about guns and crime.
In an interview with Fader magazine in 2016, he painted a grim picture of a crime-ridden upbringing in Georgia.
The article referenced him growing up in “beat up apartments” in Atlanta and being shown his first gun at the age of eight by his uncle.
He also brags about being the youngest pupil ever to take a gun to Stone Mountain Middle School in DeKalb County, Georgia, when he was 11 or 12.
The star claims to have been sent to a youth detention centre in Georgia, before dropping out of school and joining a street gang linked the LA-based Bloods crime family.
He was allegedly involved in robbery, grand theft auto and drug dealing, and aged 19 he lost his best friend and right-hand man Larry in a shootout.
His dancer sister Jayda, one of twins who live in London, tweeted yesterday: "Shaayaa moved to America when he was mad young, so he basically is American, he grew up there.
"I'm bare confused as to how they're trying to deport him though..he's been comfortable this whole time. This smells fishy".
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