ATLANTA (AP) — Authorities in Atlanta say Grammy-nominated rapper 21 Savage is in federal immigration custody.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Bryan Cox says the artist, whose given name is Sha Yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, was arrested in a targeted operation early Sunday in the Atlanta area.
Cox says Abraham-Joseph is a British citizen who entered the U.S. legally in July 2005 but overstayed his visa, which expired in July 2006. Cox said Abraham-Joseph was convicted on felony drug charges in Georgia in October 2014.
Cox says Abraham-Joseph has been placed in deportation proceedings in federal immigration court.
Abraham-Joseph is nominated for two awards at next week’s Grammys, including record of the year for “Rockstar” alongside Post Malone.
A representative for Abraham-Joseph did not respond to an email seeking comment.
How stupid is this guy? I despise ICE and their Gestapo tactics, but this rich celebrity dickhead doesn’t deserve any sympathy. I’ll save my tears for people like the immigrant kids who are being housed in detention facilities while their parents are being deported.
A rapper in a Gucci hoodie: Fine, lock him up, deport him, whatever.
Not to mention his kind-hearted, community-building, understanding-enhancing lyrics like
[quote]How many times you got shot? (A lot)
How many niggas you shot? (A lot)
How many times did you ride? (A lot)
How many niggas done died? (A lot)[/quote]
(Chanted over samples of someone else’s song, not even any original music.)
Under normal circumstances I wouldn’t care much about a celebrity getting deported. But maybe this will get the attention of people who haven’t been paying enough attention to what’s happening.
The only thing I’d add to that is if they’re not equally strict with Norwegian rappers then it’s a more concerning thing.