21 Savage's American Dream - Untold Stories From London, England to East Atlanta Zone 6

Summary

In this candid interview, rapper 21 Savage reflects on his remarkable journey from childhood in London to hip hop stardom in Atlanta. He discusses the struggles of immigrant life, losing friends to violence, and his resolution to build a better life for his children. With introspection on gang affiliations, public relationships, and artistic growth, 21 Savage also expresses gratitude for his success. Throughout the lively dialogue, he engages openly, offering insight into the mind of a multi-platinum recording artist.

Takeaways

• 😊 21 grew up in London until age 6-7 then moved to Atlanta
• 😮 Had a rough upbringing in Atlanta - evictions, sleeping 4 kids to a room
• 🤔 Realized limitations as an immigrant - no licenses, college, jobs. So he hustled
• 😢 Lost friends and family to violence while growing up in Atlanta
• 🎤 Got serious about rapping after he got shot at age 21
• 👍🏾 Values his kids and wants to give them what his absent dad didn't give him
• 💼 Built his career with producers like Metro Boomin and Sonny Digital
• 🤑 Gets big touring $$$, especially abroad where fans go wild for him
• 🙏 Appreciates his success coming from tough beginnings in London and Atlanta
• 🎶 Loves old school R&B like Jodeci, SWV, Mary J Blige

Q & A

What was 21 Savage's living situation like when he first moved to Atlanta from London?

When 21 Savage first moved to Atlanta, he lived in a small apartment with his mother, siblings, and other families who had also moved from London. They had to share rooms and beds due to limited space and money.

How did 21 Savage get involved with gangs and guns at a young age?

21 Savage got involved with gangs and guns growing up on the East Side of Atlanta. He was affiliated with them by default for being from that area. He also started stealing guns from around his neighborhood at a young age.

What inspired 21 Savage to start taking rap music seriously?

21 Savage decided to seriously pursue a rap career after he survived getting shot on his 21st birthday in 2013. His friend was killed in that incident, which made him want to change his life path.

How did 21 Savage meet Metro Boomin'?

21 Savage met Metro Boomin' through his friend and fellow Atlanta rapper Key!. Key used to bring 21 around producer Sonny Digital, whose home studio many rappers used. That's where 21 first met Metro and asked him for some beats to rap on.

What was 21 Savage's breakthrough song?

21 Savage's breakthrough song was 'X' featuring Future, which was produced by Metro Boomin. It was featured on his 2015 mixtape 'The Slaughter Tape' and helped launch his career.

Why couldn't 21 Savage travel outside of the US for a long time?

21 Savage couldn't travel outside of the US for a long time because he was born in the UK and stayed in the US past the expiration of his visa, making him an undocumented immigrant.

How did 21 Savage feel when he won his first Grammy Award?

When 21 Savage won his first Grammy for 'A Lot' with J. Cole, he felt bittersweet because it was the same day Kobe Bryant died in the helicopter crash.

What does 21 Savage say is his goal as a father?

21 Savage says his goal as a father is to be everything for his kids that his own father wasn't for him. He wants to always be present and active in their lives.

Why doesn't 21 Savage have a close relationship with his father?

21 Savage doesn't have a close relationship with his father because he felt abandoned by him as a child when his family moved to Atlanta without his dad. His father didn't make an effort to be involved in his life growing up.

What are 21 Savage's plans for the future in his music career?

For the future, 21 Savage wants to continue evolving his musical sound, touring worldwide, starting new business ventures, and spending more time with his family while building his legacy.

Outlines

00:00

🎤 Snoop Dogg's Perspective on Streaming Revenue and Club Shay Interview with 21 Savage

Snoop Dogg expresses skepticism about the profitability of streaming services, suggesting that even with a billion streams, artists might not make significant money. The paragraph then shifts to an interview at Club Shay, hosted by Shannon Sharp. The guest is 21 Savage, a highly influential and respected hip-hop artist. 21 Savage discusses his background, including his journey from the UK to Atlanta and his rise to fame. The conversation touches on various aspects of his life and career, including his music, business ventures, and personal experiences.

05:00

🌍 21 Savage's Early Life: Moving from London to Atlanta and Childhood Memories

21 Savage shares memories of moving from London to Atlanta at a young age, recalling details like visiting his grandmother and noticing differences between the two cities. He describes his early life in Atlanta, where he quickly made friends and adapted to his new environment. Despite the challenges of being an immigrant and adjusting to a different culture, 21 Savage reflects on the similarities between London and Atlanta, emphasizing the importance of family and community in his upbringing.

10:02

🏠 Adjusting to Life in Atlanta: School Fights, Family Dynamics, and Childhood Experiences

21 Savage recounts his adjustment to life in Atlanta as a child, including a fight on his first day of school due to his accent. He also speaks about his family dynamics, being the oldest of six siblings, and feeling a sense of responsibility towards them. His experiences range from moving to different neighborhoods to dealing with eviction and financial struggles. These experiences shaped his childhood, giving him a perspective on life and the challenges faced by immigrant families.

15:03

🎵 Influences and Aspirations: Musical Interests, Family, and Reflections on Personal Growth

The discussion explores 21 Savage's musical interests and the influence of artists like Gucci Mane and Childish Gambino from East Atlanta. He reflects on his relationship with his family, especially his mother, and the impact of moving to the U.S. on his life choices. The conversation delves into his personal growth, aspirations, and experiences that have shaped his identity as an artist and individual.

20:04

🚸 Navigating Adolescence: School Challenges, Early Exposure to Violence, and Family Support

21 Savage discusses the challenges he faced during adolescence, including being kicked out of school and his exposure to violence in his neighborhood. He talks about the support he received from his family, especially his mother, during these tough times. His experiences with gangs, the legal system, and the struggles of his immigrant family paint a vivid picture of his journey from a troubled youth to a successful artist.

25:07

👊 Overcoming Adversity: Dealing with Personal Loss, Gang Violence, and Pursuing Music

This segment focuses on 21 Savage's experiences with personal loss and adversity, including the death of close friends and family members. He talks about the impact of gang violence in his life and community, as well as his decision to pursue music as a way out of the hardships he faced. His reflections on overcoming these challenges provide insight into his resilience and determination to succeed.

30:08

💽 Breakthrough in Music: Collaboration with Metro Boomin and the Journey to Success

21 Savage shares his breakthrough in the music industry, highlighting his collaboration with producer Metro Boomin. He discusses how he got into music, his early struggles, and the journey towards success. The partnership with Metro Boomin played a significant role in his rise to fame, helping him establish a unique sound and gain recognition in the hip-hop scene.

35:09

🌟 Rising Fame and Relationships: Collaborations, Influence of Gucci Mane, and Public Image

As 21 Savage's fame rises, he reflects on his collaborations with other artists, the influence of Gucci Mane on his career, and how he navigates his public image. He discusses the importance of maintaining authentic relationships in the industry and his approach to fame. The conversation also touches on his views on public relationships and managing his persona in the spotlight.

40:09

🏆 Grammy Win and Future Aspirations: Reflecting on Success and Setting New Goals

21 Savage reflects on winning a Grammy and his future aspirations in music. He discusses the significance of this achievement in his career and how it motivates him to set new goals. The conversation also covers his thoughts on the evolution of the music industry, streaming services, and his plans for future projects and collaborations.

Keywords

💡Immigration

21 Savage immigrated from London to Atlanta when he was young. This had a major impact on his life, as he had to adjust to a new country and culture. It also later created issues when trying to get a driver's license or enroll in college. His immigrant status is a core part of his personal story and music.

💡Poverty

Growing up poor in East Atlanta shaped much of 21 Savage's outlook and path in life. He talks about evictions, having little food, his mom struggling to find work, and other hardships. This backdrop drove him towards illegal means of making money from a young age.

💡Crime

With limited options, 21 Savage turned to crime as a teen - stealing cars, selling drugs, getting involved with gangs. He says this path starts from the desire for money, attention, and status. His troubled youth is a major theme, including losing friends to violence.

💡Family

Family relationships play a central role, from his early childhood memories to explaining his personal drive now as a father of 3 kids. He has a turbulent relationship with his father but aims to be the opposite as a dad.

💡Identity

Questions of identity - national, cultural, personal - are woven throughout as someone from an immigrant background finding his place. He talks about code-switching from a London to Atlanta accent & balancing different cultures.

💡Violence

Violence features heavily in 21 Savage's upbringing and young adult life, from seeing his first murder at 8 years old to later surviving a shooting himself. It's a sober backdrop that he aims to escape from through music.

💡Authenticity

A lot of 21 Savage's appeal lies in keeping things 'real' - not putting on a front, just speaking raw truth from his experiences. He aims to give an honest portrayal of street life, even the dark sides many ignore.

💡Redemption

After tragedy and brushes with death, 21 Savage finds redemption through his music career, which gives him a way out of crime and violence. He aims to inspire others from similar backgrounds.

💡Purpose

As a father, 21 Savage finds a new sense of purpose and responsibility to raise his kids right and pass on a positive legacy, avoiding past mistakes.

💡Growth

Now in his 30s, 21 Savage emphasizes personal growth - musically, business-wise, and as a role model. An arc of maturation despite his turbulent youth.

Highlights

Savage tells his origin story of moving from London to Atlanta at age 6 or 7 with his mom, adjusting to a new country and making friends

Savage faced bullying and discrimination initially for his accent, but eventually became one of the 'cool kids' at school

Though a strong student, Savage lost motivation when he realized his immigration status limited his options, so he started skipping school

Savage started rapping seriously after getting shot at age 21, using music as an escape from the streets

Savage met Metro Boomin through Atlanta rapper Key, beginning a long creative partnership

Savage discusses losing his best friend Johnny in a shooting on Savage's 21st birthday

Savage reflects on wishing he had reconciled with his estranged father before his brother's recent death

Savage sees having children as his true legacy, aiming to be the father he wishes he had

Savage credits his mom for his strong sense of family and protecting him growing up

Savage explains how Gucci Mane made him 'hate Young Jeezy' when he was young due to their beef and alignment with Atlanta neighborhoods

Savage lists his musical influences growing up, including 50 Cent, Three 6 Mafia, Project Pat

Savage discusses being misunderstood and 'rewarded for bad stuff' as a kid, leading him down the wrong path

Savage aims to keep evolving his music gradually without jumping 'out of the window' to totally new styles

Savage appreciates international crowds who 'love hard' since they see him less often

Savage recaps getting kicked out of school for bringing a gun, foreshadowing the trouble to come

Transcripts

I hear Snoop Dog say man look here man

them streaming you stream a billion and

man you ain't really making no money

what's your thoughts on streaming they

gotta be making money cuz they giving me

money it's some money in that [ __ ] some

real

money P the price want a slice got the

roll of dice that's why all my life been

grinding all my life all my life

grinding on my life sacrifice hustle P

the price want a slice got the roll a

dice

[Music]

my hello welcome to another special

edition of on the road with Club sh Shay

I am your host Shannon sharp I'm also

the proprietor of Club sh Shay the guy

that's stopping by for conversation and

a drink today is one of the most

influential and well-respected artists

of his generation he's loved by millions

worldwide your favorite rappers favorite

rapper he's a hip-hop A-list a Grammy

award winner golden multiplatinum

songwriter record producer B businessman

humanitarian father UK born ATL raised a

Bonafide Superstar 21

Savage how was that intro you like that

intro did I leave out anything I I mean

I got got extra time I can add some more

I ain't never heard no intro like that I

like that I appreciate that appreciate

that you know anytime you stop by

convers have a have a conversation with

a on Club shasa I got you a little drink

this this is me right here and uh cuz I

want to toast the album bro uh that's

you right there American Dreams yeah

yeah it's good but I don't drink you

don't drink at all you just did that for

me I appreciate that bro good looking

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code Shannon the crown is yours you was

born in London mhm how old were you when

you migrated came to the US

like six turnning seven so do you

remember a whole lot about being in

London I remember like SM things but not

like a lot like a little smile like

going to my grandma house right being

with my

mama uh I remember like going to the

stoes like across the street and then

like on my mama side of town it's like

this [ __ ] called a High Street okay and

it's like a street just full of stoves I

remember like walking over there but I

remember more like from when we went

back and visited okay type cuz we went

back once to go visit when I was a

little older so I remember that more

than I remember like stuff while I was

there like when I was younger when you

did you have very many friends do you

remember remember friends when you were

growing up you say you left at six or

seven so did you have very many friends

I just had family like cousins like a

lot of

cousins yeah so I ain't really need no

friends so your family your your mom mov

you here of all the places in the US y

ATL you

think I don't know I ain't never asked

that you never you never asked me like

Mom not New York not Chicago not La not

Detroit Atlanta I ain't never asked that

oh God do you think about how different

your life might have been had you gone

to one of those places or Chicago or New

York or Detroit or someplace other than

the east side of

Atlanta Dam N I ain't never thought

about

that oh God you just so you just Happ

like okay so you get here you get

settled in so obviously you're in a New

London is very very so is London I'm

assuming London is very different than

Atlanta

it is but it ain't though really to me

because it's like it it look different

but it's the same [ __ ] okay you see what

I'm saying it's like I like when I came

over here like I had family too okay you

see what I'm saying so you just around

family oh so your mom so you you had

relatives in Atlanta like my mama

friends they moved with us so all the

people that I grew up with oh all move

okay so it wasn't like you was just like

move into a by yourself like just you

and your mom you had a large contingent

with you yeah yeah oh so did that make

the transition a lot

easier I ain't know about no transition

I'm just a child I'm just with my mama

you feel what I'm saying so so how how

soon did you get acclimated and how soon

did you make friends once you got to

[Music]

Atlanta like quick like it was this this

boy named skinny mhm he had got killed

though like a couple years ago wow but

that was like the first person I met

that like ended up being like my best

friend okay like growing up they used to

stay like we stayed in the upstairs

apartment he stayed directly under us

okay and his mama like we was bad as

hell cuz it was six of us well back then

it was like four of us okay so we used

to be jumping up and down running around

and he was the youngest but his siblings

was like way older than him okay and

like so they house was quiet they got

plastic on their couch all that so like

when we used to make noise his mama

would grab a broom and hit the hit the

roof so we ended up getting cool H his

mama and my mama ended up getting real

cool okay and I used to like stay at his

house used to stay at my house like I

still talk to his mom all the time wow

yeah your your family your background y

think of your really your mom was from

Dominic your father is uh from Dominica

Dominica yeah oh okay not not Dominican

Republic Dominica yeah and so how much

of the tradition from when you came to

from London did you guys bring with you

so where did you matriculate

into East Atlanta rather rather rather

seamlessly like because you say you got

a big you got six like four four boys

and no it's three boys and three girls

three girls three boys okay and your mom

yeah and then my little sister them

Daddy he Jamaican

okay and what you mean like like

foodwise yeah as far as my mom a cook

okay for sure yeah so how soon did you

start eating some of you know cuz they

get they got them oxtail they got them

some mother pork chops mother chicken

how soon will you started eating that

opposed to what you were accustomed to

eating I think like that came with like

like making friends more like when I

used to go spend the night at my

friend's house like growing up I ain't

never I was allowed to eat pork okay

okay you know what I'm saying like other

stuff like when I go to my friend's

house spend the night as a like when I

was younger I eat whatever they cook but

I ain't start really like just picking

what I want to eat till I was a little

older you feel what I'm saying so when

you went back home you like Mom my

friends they cook this her M their mom

cooked this you think you might be able

to cook that did you tell your mom that

n hell

no I ain't telling my mama no [ __ ] like

that hell no she went you righty to hear

that

I know she was trying to I ain't even

going to try it right did did your mom

share with you that you guys were

leaving London coming to the US or did

you just guys just up and leave did you

know you were

leaving I don't really remember like I

just

remember it's like so long ago right so

I be trying to really think about the

story but I'm I'm sure my mama told me

where we was going for sure cuz I was

six right but I I just don't remember

like that conversation but I know it had

to happen right so do you remember you

just remember getting on the plane

didn't have no idea where you was going

you just know you were leaving London

yeah right cuz I think at first it

wasn't a stay thing oh okay she was just

coming to visit right okay I think we

was coming to visit

M but I don't want to [ __ ] the story up

neither cuz my mama know the story you

know what I'm saying I think it was like

Let's see we want to move here but we F

to go see if we don't like it we going

to go back type [ __ ] okay and then we

just stayed right so clearly she liked

it yeah what about you did you like it

or you was just going along with the

flow you really didn't have a choice in

the matter cuz you five or six years of

baby so if you didn't like it you was

stuck anyway you going to just adapt I

liked it though okay I liked it like

it's hot it ain't cold all the time like

Ling I remember like playing outside

like doing the same [ __ ] that I used to

do like when I used to go like to my

grandma house on my daddy side like we

playing the neighborhood go like it was

the same [ __ ] right so what was it like

I mean cuz all of a sudden they got

these these new this new family comes in

and I'm pretty sure you probably had an

accent yeah yeah yeah so yeah okay so

now you on the east side of Atlanta yeah

you got an accent how how receptive were

the kids to you they used to te I got in

a fight on the first day of school oh

God from the jump yeah they was used to

tease me okay like I went to dunell

Elementary that was the first elementary

school I went to okay so we get to the I

get on the bus or whatever they start

talking to me so they making fun of me

on the way to school okay so we get on

the bus to go home they making fun of me

on the way home okay so we get off the

bus like one of the one of the older

dudes like his little brother was the

main one so the older brother was like

like um said something like basically

like [ __ ] fight him so we get off the

bus I beat him up so the girls all the

girls they run and tell my mama okay at

the door so I your

sisters kids in the neighborhood in the

neighborhood okay so they run they tell

my mama cuz they start I I really was

kicking a lot they started calling me

Taekwondo kid my M it's a true story on

my mom okay so so I they um they run to

tell my mom so I I'm trying to drag my

feet to get home now so I walked to the

door she grabbed me by my ear pull me in

the house cuz the girls were still there

right telling her the story when I got

there so she I just remember her

grabbing me by my ear and then like

throwing me in the house like type [ __ ]

and then that was it I ain't get

punishment you Ain get no punishment no

she didn't ask you what started it uhuh

so you so not from my memory you feel

what I'm saying she probably did though

but from what I can remember I just

remember getting pulled you know you

only remember Parts you remember like I

just remember the ear like so what do

you think was the biggest obviously

you're very young so you haven't

experienced a whole lot it's not like

you're coming here you're 13 or 14 so

you haven't had a whole lot of uh uh

you're five or six years of age I think

you're seven at this time yeah so is

there big culture shock do you notice

anything different about being in London

as opposed to being in East Atlanta the

most [ __ ] that I ever like that I used

to like what I

remember changing was the size of

everything thing okay like I remember

like in London like our bathrooms would

be like this big right here you feel

what I'm saying then I remember like we

was still we was in the hood in on the

east side too right but it was just like

a size different like like at my grandma

house in London I could touch both sides

of her house like this wow you feel what

I'm saying but over here it's like more

space I remember that and I remember

getting in the car to go everywhere

right in London we used to take the bus

and the train like everywhere I remember

like we always was in the car when we

got here so you had an accent I'm

assuming where so where did you fall

into ranking as far as your siblings I'm

the oldest you're the oldest yeah okay

so I'm a you so you man so if you're

seven that means and you got three

brothers and three sisters that means

man you got some babies you got some

they was three like cuz it's a it's a

three years age gap between me and my

little sister okay so if I was seven she

was probably like three turnning four

right and then my love brother was still

a baby baby right and then the other

three was born in America okay feel what

I'm saying right right so did you s feel

a sense of responsibility because you

are the oldest you you I mean even

though you a child you like you're the

oldest male and so do you feel some type

of responsibility that you needed to

like okay I need to be the man of the

house even though I'm only seven years

old at the time I think so yeah for sure

yeah like I was naturally like a

protector type [ __ ] yeah for yeah so

what did your mom what did your mom

think about that so the type of

relationship because like you said

you're the oldest your mom is in a new

in a new place and granted there a a

community that came with you but you the

protector because you like okay I got to

look after my mom I got to look after my

brother my sister did did your mom tell

you anything about that or you just

instinctively took that on I think it

was just like instinct for the most part

M I feel like I feel like it's just in

my personality too like just like take

care of everything I don't know why I'm

like that but I think just naturally

like I developed that cuz like my whole

life I've been like that like since I

was old enough to like get out and do

what I need to do right I always like

took care of my mama and my siblings and

[ __ ] right yeah do you feel

that so was your when you were in London

do you remember much about your dad

being around yeah I remember my daddy

used to come get me like every weekend

mhm MH I used to be over

there cuz that's like where a majority

of like my cousins was at right on my on

my mama's side I only got

like like three four cousins okay but on

my daddy's side it's like 30 of them

right so that's like like my oldest

cousin Teran he in the wheelchair okay I

remember like following behind him a lot

right feel what I'm saying so that's my

dad side right so you so in other words

you really love spending time with your

dad's side of the family because that's

where all the cousins were that's where

you got an opportunity to run and play

and just have a good time it was just

deeper but my mama side too cuz like my

cousins on my mama side was bad as hell

too you see what I'm saying but it just

was a lot of us right like it was just

me chirone and Jerome right we was the

only boys on my mama's side on my

daddy's side it was more but [ __ ] it's

just different side well see if it's

only three of y'all the trouble is only

going three places so it's you you or

you when your dad side it's about 30 of

y'all so you can blame a whole bunch of

people oh

God so growing up in the east side on

that side of town rappers Gucci Man

future OJ the juice man Rich hyuan

Childish

Gambino did you did you know any of

those guys when you were growing up you

had no idea about these I seen Gucci

before okay

um yeah I seen Gucci before for sure I

seen him at Church's Chicken before like

when I was real young right right no

Miss wless I seen him at Miss Miss W

okay yeah yeah Zone I mean the East Side

that's zone six there's a lot going on

yeah east side of Atlanta there's drugs

there's a lot of killings did so what

did your mom did your mom try and shield

you like son you can't be out this time

of night so what what did she tell you

about the area that you that you guys

were going to call home

now

I don't I used to be outside so I don't

remember like her just like the only

time it'll be a problem is if I got in

trouble in school right but other than

that like I wouldn't like one of them

when the street light come on kids like

right my mom used to let me figure it

out cuz in London it's the same [ __ ]

it's it's it's down there worse right

cuz it's like concrete everywhere you

see what I'm saying alley is it's the

inner city so in London I used to be

outside from what I well that was when

we went back though right like from

before then I don't remember being

outside that much but so like no she

just used to let me like let you figure

it out figure it out then I used to be

with skinny okay but his real name Aaron

okay I used to be with him and he was

older than me so he was like my big

brother right and like so as long as I

was with him she would give me a little

more freedom to do [ __ ] like as long as

he watching over you you good did you

always gravitate towards older guys yeah

I always hung with like people older

than me for sure because you felt you

was more mature than guy than than young

guys your age yeah for sure cuz I was

older I I had to be I'm the oldest right

so you naturally like a little more

mature than you have to be cuz if you're

not you're going to get in trouble right

so how was the struggle when your mom

moving here obviously in a different in

a different country obviously times were

diff difficult for you guys did you

realize how difficult times were for

your mom and your family yeah hell yeah

like I remember when we first

moved um you be smoking cigars on here

don't you you go hey take off all right

this your just your joint let's go ahead

but I remember like um when we first

moved over here like before we moved to

the neighborhood where I went to

elementary school from okay we moved to

another neighborhood on the east side

and I remember like my mama and her

[ __ ] well her man at time

they used to sleep on the bottom bu all

us used to sleep on the top bu we used

to share like we Shar apartment with one

of friends so it was a two bedro okay I

we didn't got evicted before I remember

we coming home and our stuff was outside

in front of the house right like growing

up like um I ain't never had my own

bedroom till I was probably like 15

years old or something M like I we all

sh the room like for probably from

like first grade till

like sixth grade we I it was they had a

room my mom and her man had a room and

me and all my siblings had one room in a

two- bedroom apartment then like I don't

know what happened they got a little

motion and then we moved in the same

Apartments but we used to call it cross

the bridge it's like the other side of

the neighborhood right and we had got a

three bedroom so okay the boys had their

own room and the girl girls had their

own room and then I met my other big

brother when I moved over there to vars

right they stayed under us they Mama

used to do the same thing oh man oh God

get the broom and bang the roof oh God

right yeah but for sure it was a

struggle cuz like she my mama couldn't

get no job or no driver's license she

couldn't get food stamps she couldn't do

none of that [ __ ] right so you know it's

a struggle right so she's basically

working any job that she can get maybe

you know maybe cleaning floors maybe in

the kitchen or doing things of that

nature trying to make ends meet to put

food on the table and a roof over the

head for the kids the one job I remember

her having she I don't think she never

like did like no cleaning floors type

[ __ ] but the one job I remember her

having was like a daycare and they used

to pay them under the table I remember

hearing them conversations though like

being nosy cuz I ain't even supposed to

know that as a child but I remember

hearing them talk about it like right

and she um she used to work at all of

them used to work at a day care her her

man and then the other families that I

told you move with us they used to work

there too and I they used to pay them

undery the table like cash and [ __ ]

that's the only job that I remember

though when you came home from school

one day and you

saw your family belongings outside did

the K how did that make you feel did the

kids make fun of you did you realize

what was going on when you saw all of

your belongings on the

outside yeah cuz I didn't seen it happen

before and I remember like we used to

steal people [ __ ] like cuz I didn't seen

other people evicted right seen they

stuff outside and like all the kids the

badass kids will be in the neighborhood

walking around see some [ __ ] start going

through that [ __ ] okay so I just

remember instantly thinking like nobody

better not touch my

[ __ ] that's like the first thought and I

remember standing but I remember like I

didn't really care about it that much

cuz they put our [ __ ] out but they we

instantly moved to a bigger apartment

right so it kind of was like it wasn't

like we just our [ __ ] was just out there

and we trying to figure out what I'm

saying like I remember us moving to a

bigger apartment like instantly okay

type [ __ ] so what was what was a typical

meal in the

household oh we had food you had good

you not like steaking [ __ ] though Ramen

hot dogs yeah yeah like that okay like

we had the regular you know but not like

I don't I don't remember no time like

well just was nothing to eat in the

house it's going to be some bread we

used to make like condensed milk

sandwiches like then was like ice grugg

meal right like you take the you get the

bread and the condensed milk and then

you put it in like the little toaster

type [ __ ] and you put it together that

[ __ ] be good as [ __ ] oh God you eat one

of them now hell yeah I

will oh God but like you know hot dogs

and noodles my mom used to make noodle

stir fry right ramen noodles right

um curry chicken jerk chicken all that

type of [ __ ] did you you being the

oldest did you learn how to cook could

you cook for sure because I'm I'm

assuming like a lot of times your mom

probably was working and you had to take

care of your brothers and sister so it

was left up to you to probably cook the

ramen to warm the food up so they can

eat when you got home from school not

cook though like the most my mama would

make me do is like unthought of food to

meat like take the meat out I used to

get my eyes wed if I forget to take the

meat out right and put cuz she don't

play about the lemon like don't just sit

in the water put lemon juice in the

water when you sit it in the water so

sometimes I take the meat out and just

sit it in the water without no lemon get

in trouble okay but she ain't never just

make me cook but we used to make our own

little food that we wanted like so if my

little brother was hungry and they

wanted like a pack of noodles I make

them some noodles or some [ __ ] right

yeah um obviously we talked a lot about

your mom what what's the relationship

like with your

dad

me and my daddy in like a weird place

cuz he got his side of how he look at it

I got my side of how I look at it

like like I I kind of understand like

okay if your child move to another

country it's kind of hard type [ __ ] but

from a child point of view all I can do

is go off the emotion that I felt as a

child like I don't I can't I can't tell

you how I would feel about it as an

adult right because the the hurt come

from when I was a child you feel what

I'm saying so it's like it's like me me

whooping you as a child and then

expecting you to receive the pain as an

adult like hell no I I know how it felt

when it happened right I know I felt

abandoned that's how I felt I felt like

I used to see like other kids in the

neighborhood well not in the

neighborhood but remember the family

that I told you that move with us yes I

had a friend well he likeed my cousin

basically

raim he was in the same predicament like

he was in another country with his mama

was with another man now a stepdaddy and

his daddy used to come visit him all the

time buy him [ __ ] so I used to be kind

of jealous of of what he had going on

right and so that's that's where a lot

of the disappointment came from with my

daddy but my daddy was a good daddy to

my siblings over there all right like my

little brother who died my little

brother got killed right on my dadd side

right they was best friends you feel

what I'm saying I got twin little

sisters and I got another little brother

they all love my daddy you see what so I

can't just say you no bad daddy but with

me I feel like you didn't do what you

were supposed to do the relationship

that they have with him is not the

relationship you have with him facts

right because you saw you said the

family that moved with you you

saw his mom even though she was in a

foreign country and she had ended up

having another man his dad still came

over and would see him and buy him

things and did you explain that to your

father saying look uh rockim dad he his

mom is with someone else and he found it

time to come over here and see him and

buy him things and spend time with him

did you convey that to him not as a

child not as a okay but like my little

brother died in 2020 Okay and like that

was me and my daddy first time talking

in like 15 20 years type [ __ ] Savage I

mean you you didn't you didn't reach

out when like at any at any point in

time before that 15 years was up did you

not reach out and try to have a

conversation with your

father cuz like when I turned 21 I got

shot okay

and my mama came in the in the like

while I was in the ICU she brought the

phone well I don't know if I was in ic I

don't know where I was at but it was

like fresh it was right after I got to

to the hospital okay and um my best

friend had just died like in the

incident mhm so like I just remember

being like mad I was more mad than sad

so she tried to hand me the phone but I

remember telling my daddy

like um cuz my mama and her my like my

SI four of my siblings got the same

Daddy I got my own Daddy and then my

little youngest sister got her own Daddy

okay so my mom was moved out here when

she came out here the father of my four

younger siblings he came like a little

later okay and we all was together okay

so when they had broke

up how I took it

was like I you ain't my daddy I got to

figure my own life out like I can't be

up under your roof no more cuz my mama

left right so I left so I remember

communicating like to my daddy like your

biological father yeah like like I'm in

the street at this time but I'm telling

him like I figure it out like I don't

expect you to just be able to just put

me up in a apartment and just pay my

rent every month like but I'm like can

you contribute like a100 or $200 and

I'mma figure the rest out I'm probably

like 16 17 at this time this like years

before I got shot okay I remember

communicating him like can you help a

little bit like my mama ain't got you on

child support you don't really send no

money like that and it ain't no

disrespect like cuz I he went in like he

be taking [ __ ] like me telling my story

is like trying to down him but this is

my truth this is what I remember you

feel what I'm saying right like from

what I remember he wasn't really sending

no money to my mama and my mama wasn't

just pressing him for no money cuz she

had a man so you see what I'm saying so

I remember communicating that and I

remember like it not coming through so

now I got to go extra harder in the lane

that I'm in right as a 16 17 year old

you feel what I'm saying cuz I

got for myself down there I got to feed

myself like I'm staying with friend to

friend to friend you feel what I'm

saying right so I remember feeling let

down by that on top of all the other

times that I was let down when I was

young and I wanted shoes or a phone or

this or that a new video game you feel

what I'm saying so at a certain point I

remember like I got old enough to where

it was like all right I I don't even

care to talk so that's how that buildup

came of me not talking to him all them

years you feel what I'm saying right so

in 2020 your brother

gets loses his life right yeah at that

point in time did you think about

putting everything else aside and try to

reestablish a relationship with the

father I did and we got on the phone and

he started doing some things that rub me

the wrong

way

like like just asking me for [ __ ] like

too early and like so at this point in

time you had already become what you

become yeah in 2020 I'm 21 Savage right

you feel what I'm saying yeah yeah

but I kind of like fell back and then

like you know like when I do interviews

these questions come up and I just I'm

truthful so right I think that might

have rubbed him the wrong way you feel

what I'm saying type [ __ ]

oh okay so you went back your parents

come you come over here and you go back

so how long were you over here before

you went back for a month two months

three

months we came out here I was seven six

I was six turning

seven we went back the summer of sixth

grade going into seventh grade so

however old you is okay so probably 11

12 yeah so probably like what five years

we was over here five years cuz I know I

know whatever it was it was right before

the Visa expired we went back and then

renewed it okay type [ __ ] you go over

there with it did you remember anything

about London because you had now you had

spent just as much time in America as

you had London because remember you five

or six when you left you stay five six

seven years here and you go back did did

it seem like home or did it seem

unfamiliar to you it seemed like home

like even

like like even when I just went back for

the first time in

what I don't know how many years that is

if I the last time I went with when I

when I was 12 and I just went last year

when I was 30 that's what 18 years yes I

still remember how to get to my grandma

house okay like cuz like it's a parking

lot and you got to walk through to get

to her house like I I still remember how

to walk to her house I still remember

how to walk to the store so it's like I

remember I don't remember everything but

I remember like right key like major

parts type [ __ ] once you get once you

get over there did you yearn to come

back like yeah I like London but the US

is my home now when I was young when we

went back to visit yeah um yeah I think

I was ready to go home not like just in

a rush but it was like all right now I

miss my other friends right I missed

y'all we didn't k

ready to go back yeah so School how were

you in school what type of student were

you in school I was an excellent student

up until a certain grade okay like I

feel

like like um we was just talking about

this last night we was playing the game

and they was like um spell super

califragilistic ESP spous and it was

crazy cuz I won the spelling be in fifth

grade spelling that same word wow and I

won the math competition that same year

like okay so I used to get all A's but

like up until a certain

point I feel like when I when I found

out like really just realize like I no

matter how good I do in school I can't

go to college because I'm an immigrant I

can't get a job I can't get no driver's

license I feel like once that started to

kick in I kind of just gave up like okay

and just stopped caring I used to go to

school fall asleep in

class like just do all types of [ __ ]

right so once you realize like man as

smart as I am math won the math

competition won the spelling

B I can only advance so far in school

now I might need to try a different path

yeah so you go on this so at school so

how so how were the other kids towards

you because you're smart normally kids

they pick on kids that are smart but I

was the cool kid oh you the cool smart

kid yeah okay cuz I used to do bad stuff

too

I just had I just had good

grade but I still used to skip fight

right like do all the little mischievous

things kid do in school but I I was just

smart I'm still smart like did you get

bullied in school no I ain't really get

bullied I had issues with people right

not just like you ain't F to just put my

head in the toilet or take my lunch

money right so that's what it was I mean

the older kids trying to take advantage

of you yeah and you like nobody never

tried to do that to me I'm just saying

like I'm not one of them kid I was never

one of them kids right you ain't let

nothing slide no my mama ain't even F to

go for that right like I remember like

getting tried in the neighborhood right

my mom and them coming outside to fight

with us what where your mom at facts Mom

put it down like that I remember one

time like it was this lady and my little

sister used to be real cool with this

lady daughter right but I was just known

is the bad kid in the neighborhood right

so somebody spraying it spray painted

[ __ ] you all over her car she had like

Lexus the oh man the little bubble Lex

right but it was like it wasn't like the

it was just like a regular little Lex

okay so she come straight to my door my

mama ain't home though banging on the

door where your bad ass at I know you

did this [ __ ] so she come to the door so

my auntie was down the street I guess my

little sister ran and told my auntie so

my auntie come down my auntie come down

by this time they didn't call my Momma I

remember my mama just smashed through

the neighborhood in her minivan I

remember I had some scissors I hadn't

broke the scissors so it was just one

side of the scissor like this so my mama

pull up swerving she part right in front

of the lady building so the lady out

there um the lady standing like on the

car like with her back on the car my

mama jump out the truck

[ __ ] she done mush the lady oh God but

the lady didn't want to fight so my mama

didn't really just mash the gas on her

type [ __ ] oh God and me and my little

brothers you know we deep it's all of us

then we got friends right like and our

friends downn there like our family like

we like this the hood we down there like

this our side right so they all out

there like ready like they was going to

beat her up but she she she bit her

tongue and on my mom I really didn't do

the [ __ ] right it really wasn't me who

spray pained her car right that's how

you know reputation is your reputation

preceded you because you used to get in

stuff and they just automatically soon

as some some is went down Savage did it

oh God

that [ __ ] was crazy and I was innocent

as a

[ __ ] so you go to school you end

up getting kicked out of school because

you brought a firearm to school yeah

what made you feel you need what made

you feel like you needed to bring that

firearm I think I was just bad like we

were it was like some issues where a

group of people from like another

neighborhood that we didn't really get

along with was saying like they were

supposed to be trying to fight us and

they was deep it want like five six of

us cuz all my friends are older so they

in high school right you see what I'm

saying okay like the people that I hang

with that's like I feel like it's like

me it's only a few it was like three of

us and then

like I was just being bad really I

didn't really need to bring no gun right

where you get where you get the strap

from like this dude in my neighborhood

had did something and he hid it

somewhere and I knew where he h it at so

so I sleep stole it right

yeah and

so someone tell how did they find out

that you had the piece on you in school

cuz when I got to school it was a ISS

day so I started thinking like d I don't

I don't want to just be had this

[ __ ] home school suspension yeah

I ain't want to just have it on me all

day right so I'm like let me hide it and

it was this little [ __ ] ass look like

he ain't even really I don't even really

[ __ ] with him he just happen to be there

while I'm Hing and [ __ ] oh man I ain't

even thinking about this [ __ ] at the

time I didn't put this [ __ ] up under

some leaves and some bushes and

[ __ ] so I guess they see us on the

camera but on the camera they can't

really tell who doing what they just see

me and him right there doing

something I don't know how it happened

though but they found it they end up

finding it so they come get me out of

ISS with the it was the school officer

his name was Valentino or valencio some

[ __ ] but he was a police officer but

school police okay that come get me out

of ISS they walk me into the um

assistant principal office but they know

me like all the cuz you know like and

kids this ain't for I'm not bragging

about this but when you bad as hell in

school you you have a assigned counselor

type [ __ ] and normally your counselor is

one of the assistant principles right

type [ __ ] so all I didn't had been celed

by all of them type [ __ ] so they come

get me out of ISS they bring me in um

in the office the [ __ ] who was there

while I was hiding and [ __ ] he right

there in the office I'm like a [ __ ] he

done dime you out I know it this about

so they bring me in the office they like

yeah what what was in the I'm like I

don't know what y'all talking about I

don't know nothing I don't know I wasn't

doing [ __ ] so I just sit there then I

just every time I used to get in trouble

I just get a attitude and get mad and so

I don't got to an to [ __ ] I just like

man

bro stopped talking so I stopped talking

so they they like all right come on they

bring me back the ISS so I'm like oh I'm

straight so I'm seeing that ISS they

start calling like you know that be like

buses Walkers Riders W so everybody

start going so I get up off the rip like

I'm I ride the bus right but they let I

think either Walkers or Riders out first

I get up and soon as the first one get

up so I'm walking out ISS I'm walking

out you know ISS and the trailers mhm so

I'm walking down the hill I see the

school police he walking towards me he

come get me he cuff me I'm like ah [ __ ]

but all I was worried about was my momma

it's like when you young and you get in

trouble you don't give a d about nothing

else but what your momma I going say oh

God they cuffed me up took me to um they

tried to do some fake scar straight [ __ ]

they took me to um the big jail the C

County right um but like they used to

like I don't know how they do it now but

back in the day they used to you in the

big jail not like put you in the big

jail but that like the juvenile facility

was right there but they'll take your

pictures and [ __ ] at the big jail right

so when they bring us in I guess they

told one of the inmates like start

banging on the the window or some [ __ ]

to scare us I'm like bro what the

[ __ ] that didn't work

no now big ass D what what you going to

bust through the door and do something

to me on

the so so now they baned you you cannot

go to school in the Cal County correct

no that a't that that I got on probation

for that you got on probation for that

one okay right the next year no this

yeah this this eighth

grade I'm doing good I'm still on

probation playing football or whatever

so I'm at the back of the bus with with

all the cool kids okay we on the way to

school these [ __ ] it was this song

when we was young called teabag that man

these [ __ ] in the back they start

beating on the window tabag that ho

tabag that ho banging on the window so

people start throwing [ __ ] cuz we had a

substitute bus driver oh man they start

throwing paper at the bus driver I'm

just back there I ain't really doing

[ __ ] cuz I'm on probation so I'm

chilling but I'm laughing and [ __ ] I

think I was singing the song a little

bit right man they come get us they

treat us like we godamn did some some

serious [ __ ] they they come get

everybody everybody who was in the back

of the bus they put us in the library

they had a like the it was some girls

who was like telling about what happened

they got down I think some of the boys

was like grabbing the girls type [ __ ]

bringing the girls back there and [ __ ]

girls was Sting on people laps and just

bad [ __ ] right so they had some girls

who started telling right like they got

in trouble like if you don't tell who

was doing it we're gonna tell your

parents that you've been being fast back

there right so godamn

I just remember they had we had like a u

they used to call that [ __ ] like a

hering A hering in the library they

bringing all of us to the window they

got girls lined up we got to put our

face at the window like the hell they

like yep they said him they put my face

I ain't even did [ __ ] they like yep him

so when that happened by me being on

probation already that's when they kiic

me out of all the school [ __ ] for that

incident so they lied on you hell yeah

they lied on me man you sure I mean you

sure you had no you had no invol should

have never been back there once they

started doing all that ex should have

got went to the front have got up and

went to the front so they didn't really

lie I was back there right I just wasn't

doing all the the [ __ ] that they was

doing I was in the mix type [ __ ] did you

have to go to juvenile detention for

that that was just like some school [ __ ]

cuz they like [ __ ] you on probation

right you still don't know how to

act so they informed your mom that's

when kick you out of the Cal County

correct yeah so they tell your mom yeah

what' your mom

say I I I think that's the first time I

really just got grounded like well you

can't even leave the house but I still

was leaving the

house my mama know that [ __ ] though she

know that [ __ ] cuz yeah I got grounded

cuz matter of fact on God so boom my

mama she ain't with me by then I'm too

grown like right ain't no whooping so

she I get home and [ __ ] she like you

ain't leaving you can't go nowhere sit

inside the house watch your little

brothers and sisters type [ __ ] cuz at

this time my little brother Ruru he was

probably like two or some [ __ ] so I used

to had the babysit but my little sister

old enough to watch him too right so it

was this little boy in the neighborhood

I ain't going to say I don't even

remember his name anyway but he was like

younger than me so I'm outside we at the

park the park like right behind our

building so we I'm at the parking [ __ ]

he walk up like bro I got some keys I

found some keys to this lady car that

live in the nest building so I grab the

keys I take the keys I'm like what car

it is he show me the car I'm like all

right all right so I don't supposed to

be outside no so godamn I go get the car

I crank it up I'm like oh [ __ ] have you

ever driven a car before yeah my mama my

mom my mama [ __ ] man yeah oh

God so so so I'm like oh [ __ ] this the

real key so I jump out I jump out I I

walk out I walk back to the park so you

know how when you young you doing

something bad you always need somebody

with you to do it too like you ain't

going to just do it by yourself right so

I forgot who it was it was somebody oh

it was it was my partner I forget his

name Terry he used to live across the

bridge though he was spoiled though he

was the only child they lived in the

townhouse okay so I used to kind of like

be jealous of him but I used I used to

[ __ ] with him too he used to have all

the games unlimited

snacks oh God so I went and got

tear I got a car I got a hot box that's

what we call like a stolen car I got a

box I got a box so I go get him we go

get in the car so we driving around the

neighborhood spinning

likeing like doing burn not burning out

but just like drifting right so I go par

the car we jump out we go back to the

park again we chilling probably like 30

minutes Go pass I'm like [ __ ] let's go

ride let's go ride so godamn now I feel

like I done mastered the car so now I'm

trying to do extra [ __ ] so I get in the

car I reverse but we the car is parked

directly in front of the people like

building their apartment building right

so when we pulling off we like trying to

ease off and then hurry up and smash off

so I put the car in reverse and I back

out the parking spot so but he working

the the gear right I'm just you just

drive yeah so I'm thinking this [ __ ]

put the car and Dy this still got in

Reverse I didn't smashed on the gas boom

boom hit a

tree man I'm like oh [ __ ] [ __ ] [ __ ] I

hurry up and park the car get out the

car we take off run in the back cuz I

ain't want to run this way cuz my

building right here right so we run

behind they building and I run through

the back way of my building and go go

change my

clothes type [ __ ] so I come back out the

C County police out there so I walk up

so they like uh who seen where they went

who seen where they went I'm like I seen

them they had on white they ran that way

they ran that

way my [ __ ] ass little cousin and told

his mama it was me oh man so the police

don't know but my mama know right so now

godamn they he didn't talk but I think I

I can't remember I got to call my mom

and ask her like did she whoop me about

that cuz I think she that's like she

punched me about that like or something

I remember I got in big trouble for that

and I just remember that being like a

couple days after the school bus

incident cuz that was like fresh like I

really was supposed to be outside right

you supposed to be inside you not only

are you outside you doing some oh no

that's how I got to go outside on God I

told my mama I was taking my little

brother to the park okay so my little

brother was at the part with my little

sister right that's how I got outside oh

okay oh God so you were supposed to be

outside you just wasn't supposed to be

no no hood [ __ ] oh god oh excuse me

yeah and your brother R died you out my

little cous little cin did yeah he told

his mama that it was me and my his mama

told my mom type [ __ ] but did the police

ever find out it was you no well you

straight there Statue limitations up oh

God

sports did you play sports I played

football but I was too

small but I tried you tried but really I

had to for probation okay like they was

like you got to be in as many

extracurricular activities as possible

to keep you from doing [ __ ] just being

at home doing nothing right so I had to

but then like at I only play one season

cuz at the end of the

season my mom and them didn't have

enough money to pay the dudes right so I

only played one season I probably got on

the field three times what position did

you play wide receiver and cornerback

okay had you stuck with it you think

you'd have been pretty good yeah because

I ended up getting taller like as I got

older right so probably yeah for sure

but I stopped going to

school in ninth grade oh you might have

been an NFL player

facts but I don't think the average do

the how much money do the average NFL

player make do they make more than a

rapper

no yeah it all dep me I think I went the

right route yeah yeah yeah yeah I mean

let you a play quarterback now

quarterback they make some bread yeah

they make 40 50 Mill a year yeah but you

doing better than that too so you did

the right thing yeah facts yeah you

ain't you don't got to take no hits yeah

n y'all be bruised up yeah a't no [ __ ]

going to be pushing me to the ground and

all that so you go so the ninth grade

that what that's the farthest you went

in school school right yeah you dropped

out so I got kicked out eighth grade you

got kicked out eighth grade for the

second semester of eighth grade what did

you do to get kicked out the bus [ __ ] oh

so yeah but you had but I thought you

could go if you went to another County

outside of the cab you were straight I

still that's what we thought so we moved

at the street to gwet County M and I had

to go to Alternative School right in

gwet County right and they make you well

like that [ __ ] was just different bro

like cuz when I went to Alternative

School in the C County you know it's

black kids it's still like it's still

like regular right I got out there it

was just nothing but Mexicans but it was

some black people too but this when I

first learned about gangs and [ __ ] okay

type [ __ ] so I went there for a semester

then I went to South granette High

School for

like probably

like a semester okay then they was

trying to kick me out cuz I was smelling

like weed in school falling asleep in

class but this is about around the time

where I'm telling you like I ain't I

ain't really feel like [ __ ] was going to

get me nowhere cuz I'm an immigrant

right so I just stopped caring right so

my mama just withdrew me type [ __ ] and

she start like trying to homeschool me

and [ __ ] and then that [ __ ] I don't know

it just eventually I just I don't know

what the hell happened but it just

stopped you just kind of realize let man

School ain't for me yeah oh God right

yeah and so what so once you realize

like School ain't for me what did so

like what are you gonna do you got to do

something [ __ ]

hustle [ __ ] that's all you that's all I

could do for real did you ever get your

D GED no I'm F to get it though so when

you when your okay your mom takes you

out of school I got my G no I don't

think I do your mom takes you out of

school she's going to try to homeschool

you you like if it this ain't for me

what do you tell your mom mom School

ain't for me hey I'm not going this home

school and ain't working I'm going to

get on this grind or did you or did you

just like I just got to do what I got to

do honestly my mom always just knew

like cuz I used to be get in trouble for

like having cars lined up outside the

house and [ __ ] so like cars lined up

outside the house yeah type [ __ ] you a

general manager of the car dealership or

something that's that's the only way

that's supposed to happen like people

outside waiting in the car and okay yeah

so she I feel like she had an idea but I

think I was just too grown even though I

was young I was just like grown like I

can't explain it it was

like you much older than your age yeah

like you can't tell me nothing cuz I

already be gone for

goddamn two three weeks at a time type

[ __ ] so it's like if you tell me

something I'm going just get the hell on

right and go do it somewhere

else so when did the affiliation with

the gangs when did that come up out

like I don't know I feel like when you

from the hood they just automatically

like affiliate you with a game

right just growing up in the area did

you feel you I ain't never been

initiated into no gang or no [ __ ] yeah

so that's that's that's you're not a

part of a gang and people just assume

because you was doing devious you know

stuff right stealing the cars and

whatever else was going on they just

automatically assumed you were part of

the game right just from being from from

a certain side of town and [ __ ] right

yeah so did they say did your mom them

say anything to you like bro what you

going to do with your

life I think I think my mama used to

like beg my daddy to like Step Up type

[ __ ] more than like to me m like cuz I

feel like she felt she probably felt

like [ __ ] what else can he do for real

right type [ __ ]

and it wasn't like I was just stupid

like I kind of knew what I was doing

type [ __ ] so I think she more used to

like say that [ __ ] to my daddy like come

like get him or come be with him

or but then again is like she probably

was saying

that but I wouldn't would I wouldn't

have went for that though yeah I was

about to say even if he had come if he

had come to the states and tried to take

you back were you going to go I younger

yeah I probably would have like 16 17

right but by the time I was 20 but you

grown ass man now I mean he can't get

you to go nowhere right I had my son

though right so it wasn't that wasn't

the option no more right type [ __ ] mhm I

had my son the same year I got shot so

that was

2013 20 so you was 20 yeah take us back

to that day do you remember anything

about that day about the day you got

shot and your friend got killed do you

remember anything about that day was it

a normal day did you wake up like ah

this is this is a Tuesday this is a

Wednesday I'm gon start my day I'm gonna

carry on what was about that day did

anything feel

different yeah it kind of some it ain't

really feel different but when I look

you know how you in the moment you don't

it don't feel different right but you

look back on it and it's like damn cuz

that day was my birthday okay so

like you turning 21 correct yeah okay it

was my birthday his his mama birthday

and his nephew birthday yall got the

same birthday so I was trying to like

book a hotel room so we could have like

a kick back and [ __ ] okay like for that

weekend M and

um he called me cuz I had like a couple

cars and [ __ ] like but they were my not

stolen cars like cars I paid for okay

and in one of my cars I had speakers in

the trunk like you know how people put

speak

Trump and one of his speakers went out

in one of his cars so he needed one of

mine and he was like [ __ ] I'm going just

give you one of mine when I when I

whenever I go buy a new one I don't feel

like going up there now so and he was

like I want to see Kamar too my son

right so I wasn't at the house I was

with my other partner he ended up

getting killed too his name one one I

was with him he was like riding with me

and [ __ ] we was trying to get the he was

going to get the hotel room in his name

cuz I ain't got no ID I ain't got no

license so I needed somebody to get the

room and their name so I was running

with him and [ __ ] and Johnny is my

friend who was with me that got killed

okay he had went to my mama house cuz me

and my mama me and my mama last baby

daddy like my little sister daddy um we

had all went in like we was paying rent

on the house okay they was paying more

than me but I was paying I was probably

paying like 500 they was probably paying

like 600 or some [ __ ]

and um so we was all staying together so

he had um cuz remember I told you like

my mama and her other baby daddy broke

up [ __ ] and she a have nowhere to go

type [ __ ] so we finally back together in

the house so Johnny had went to my mama

house and he had went to see my mama

went to see my son and he had got to

speak out the car and [ __ ] okay but I

remember like that whole

day now that you said like I remember

that whole day I kept telling myself

like I got to pull up on Johnny I got to

pull up on Johnny type [ __ ] cuz he

wanted something that I had and I wanted

something that he had right

so

um after he seen my son and [ __ ] and

that was his first time just going to

see my son on his own like he ain't

never did that before right type [ __ ] so

after he went to go see my little boy

and

[ __ ] I had put up at his house and he

was was like um he was like ride with me

somewhere right quick I got to handle

some [ __ ] he was like I don't feel like

going in my car though let's let's just

ride in your car cuz I was in one of my

little pluck plugs like like a hoopie

type [ __ ] like a low-key car mhm so

godamn the [ __ ] so crazy because like

when we was in the car on the way to

wherever he was trying to go to his

grandma car and his grandma was on the

exact same street but where we was going

was to the the left and where his

grandma was at was to the right but on

the same street and she called like

right before we turned on the street

like we was at the light waiting to go

left type [ __ ] so when I used to think

back on

it I used to be like damn like you know

how that be like in life you you got a

choice like which way you can go type

[ __ ] and I used to be like Dam if he

would have went right he would have

still been alive typ [ __ ] so we make we

made we ended up making a left or

whatever we end up pulling up or

whatever and

like a [ __ ] just jumped in the back

seat and just was like get it up type

[ __ ] then a whole bunch of this [ __ ]

start

happening do you think was the setup cuz

I mean you say this is this is a bucket

this is the car that you know low key

don't nobody really know did did people

know you had this

car not people who knew me cuz I was

always like a super lowkey

right like I got a I had a flashy car

too right but didn't nobody know about

this car for

real I be thinking back on like a lot of

[ __ ] cuz even like after that [ __ ] I

used to be like damn I didn't de like a

lot of [ __ ] to a lot of people type

[ __ ] so I used to be like this [ __ ]

could have came from anywhere type [ __ ]

so that day used to cross my

mind but I don't really know did you

feel you let your guard down to allow

somebody to get to jump on you like

that not really not really

cuz I was on point I think that's how I

made it type [ __ ] like I was already

looking back type [ __ ] did you know the

guy I ain't know so he says give it up

whatever you had on you like okay bro

hey whatever I got here

take you didn't have it you you said I

ain't got nothing bro I had some but you

told him you you told him you didn't

have anything no I had something else

for him oh you had not what he wanted

right right right okay okay

yeah type

[ __ ] but he had something for me too

right [ __ ] so he got to jump on you kind

of not really though cuz they was really

scared for

real it was one or two it was two of

them it was two of them okay one of them

jumped in the back seat okay one of them

was standing up outside the car okay

type [ __ ] so the one who was sh standing

outside the car he shot me off the rip

right here okay cuz I'm turned like this

so he like [ __ ] [ __ ]

boom type [ __ ] okay then he take off

running so now it's just me and Buddy in

the back seat okay but my brother he

um like I remember screaming to him type

[ __ ] cuz me and Buddy start going back

and forth like his arm was like over the

seat and my arm was like over the seat

okay so I remember like but I was shot

so I remember saying like like Johnny

shoot him shoot him shoot him type [ __ ]

and me and Buddy were just going back

and forth and then he start buddy in the

backseat started screaming like ah ah so

you hit him yeah but I was hit up too

right so when I remember like the gun

Jam type [ __ ] so I had caught it back

again and when I put my arm over the

seat he put put his gun on my arm and

shot me so my gun fell out my hand and I

remember us fighting over my gun then it

went off one more time boom and I got

shot right here in my hand from holding

the gun type [ __ ] then he got up and he

tried to run and he collapsed type [ __ ]

and

then I remember

um that's when I I had a iPhone in this

was probably like the iPhone 3 or some

[ __ ] ugly ass iPhone so God Dam now I

remember like trying to unlock the phone

to call 911 and like my blood kept

drying up the screen type [ __ ] so I

remember I got out the car but first

that's how I knew Johnny was dead type

[ __ ] cuz like after buddy got out the

car and ran I remember I told Johnny

like pull off bro pull off pull off and

then the car wasn't moving but his his

foot was on the gas but it was in park

so the engine was just like up then it

was like some movie [ __ ] the windshield

wipers was like but it wasn't raining

right and then you know the door like

when you got the door open ding ding

ding like the alarm that tell you close

the door type [ __ ] so I jumped out the

car I went and knocked on somebody door

they come to the door so I went back to

the car and godamn I unlocked my

phone I I finally like I didn't even

unlock it back then it was like slide

for emergency car right so I ended up

Sling It call like yeah I'm

shot they get the ass and all tight just

dick out ass questions like what the

[ __ ] bro like I'm shot what what street

man what the [ __ ] you mean what street

who who I don't know the street I'm just

shot right type [ __ ] so they like um I

remember telling them like my my brother

dead my brother dead type [ __ ] and

then I remember laying the

and I guess the [ __ ] who was driving

them [ __ ] he came looking for the

[ __ ] who was in the back seat I guess

he couldn't find a [ __ ] so

goddamn they um he roll back past and I

remember being on the phone cuz I

thought they was going to ride back past

to handle the business right so I scoop

back type [ __ ] I was on the phone to lay

like they rid back

past type [ __ ] then I remember the

police pulled up um I don't even think I

told her I think I just put the phone

like down type [ __ ] and just did like

that then the police pull up so I get

out the car cuz I'm a victim I'm like

man this [ __ ] talking about put your

hands up put your hands up let me see

your hands I'm like bro I can only put I

can only put this arm up cuz remember I

told you he shot me in this arm so I put

the arm up I'm like I'm shouting this

arm I'm shouting this arm he like um sit

on the curve and put both y hands behind

your back I'm like man I'm shot in this

arm I can't put it behind my back he

like put it behind your back so I think

I just like mean this [ __ ] like that

type [ __ ] then I sat right there for a

minute then the ambulance pulled up and

when the ambulance got there um I

remember the lady it was a white lady I

wanted to see her like I wonder like how

she doing type [ __ ] but she she was in

the U Back of the ambulance so they put

me on the stretch and [ __ ] they cut my

clothes was open put me on the stretcher

so she put me in the back and she was

like um she was like um let's hurry up

and get him to the hospital before the

sergeant get here and he bleed to death

type [ __ ] cuz I guess like when when you

in critical condition or some [ __ ] like

um well I don't even think I was in

critical condition I think I was just

bleeding a lot right I guess like they

they objective is for the detective to

hurry up and ask you questions just in

case right type [ __ ] so she was like

hurry up so they put me in ambulance and

we just went to the hospital how many

times did you get hit

six and then no vital organs though no

no vital organs so what do you think

happened to you he got friendly fire my

brother yeah the one that was in the car

with you no I think the dude in the back

seat shot him in the head oh okay like

when it first happened right cuz he had

his gun on him too right but he never

shot right so that's why when you saying

Johnny shoot him he couldn't because he

had already got hit yeah I think he got

hit like off the rip real type [ __ ]

right yeah so what happened to the guy

that was in the back that ended up

collapsing did he live yeah he Liv he

was paralyzed I don't know about now but

that's what I heard you know how you

hear [ __ ] in the street but you don't

know right yeah he lived though from

what I remember what I know yeah the guy

did they ever find the guy that shot you

that was outside the

car yeah they they they they I don't

know about I know they found two people

but I didn't know what they looked it

like right so I I couldn't tell like the

police [ __ ] really it was dark type

right so I think they ended up they got

charged and then it got thrown out type

[ __ ] you think about that do you think

about that day what could have been what

what could you have done

different yeah hell yeah but I ain't

even want to really ride with him that

day cuz I was really just trying to

chill it was my birthday right we had

some [ __ ] like some drink and [ __ ] some

looking [ __ ] we was going to get drunk

so I was really just going over there to

kick it with him right type [ __ ] so yeah

I be thinking about that but the the

main thing I think about is

like like I heard his grandma on the

phone telling him like I'm I'm ready cuz

he pick her up from work every day right

and I just used to think like damn I

wish he would have just went and got his

grandma instead type [ __ ] because he

wouldn't got his grandma you wouldn't

have been in the car you wouldn't have

been there he wouldn't have been there

and that day would have never happened

facts yeah oh God you seen a lot of

tragedy your uncle ended up getting

killed you that was my real Uncle though

but remember I told you like how we like

made over here mhm

yeah he got killed when I was in third

grade I remember um I was I was I think

I was sleep but I was so bad I probably

was up but I remember it was a school

night and I remember um just hearing

like B and I remember jumping up and I

remember jumping up and looking at my

window and then my mama came in the room

and just started hugging me type [ __ ]

start holding

me but I was so young I think I knew it

was gunshots but some was telling me it

was fir crap right so I go back to sleep

and I remember um getting up the next

like a couple hours later like that was

probably like 2: in the morning I had to

get up probably like s for school right

and I remember like um my mama was iron

in my outfit for school and [ __ ] and the

News was on and they was like um I think

it was five of them that got killed that

night it was like four four of five it

might have been six it was like the

dudes came they killed Big Boy which was

like my uncle they killed um swis

shot and like another one of they

partners and like two maintenance

men and then I remember like um my mama

telling me or it was either my momma or

my stepdaddy was like yeah they K big

boy type [ __ ] but then when I got older

you know how you replay [ __ ] back your

head I was like he robbed the wrong

person cuz I remember like all that week

he had went and bought one of them New

Tah the z72 trucks what the Z71 yeah the

the two yeah I know exactly what you

talking about yeah that's the highend

yeah he had bought one of them he had um

I remember walking down there cuz like

when I was young they used to like give

me like little daughters and [ __ ] and I

used to like rap like do little like

freyle three bars or some [ __ ] and

they'll give me some dollars so I

remember one time like that week I went

down there and they was like all outside

by the Z71 like they was on the truck

chilling on the truck smoking and [ __ ] I

remember I seen like a big ass bag of

weed probably like 5 lbs or some [ __ ]

wow just bags of weed on the like hood

of the car and I remember um one of them

one of them his name was Kevin he used

to have a box Chevy on 23s with the

Jordan logo going mhm I remember him

like man put that [ __ ] up bro what the

hell wrong with y'all put that [ __ ] up

but I remember like I ain't never seen

him had that much weed I seen them smoke

weed a million times they ain't never

had that much weed so I feel like that's

what happened but I don't know but I

feel like that's what happened though

hit somebody Stash House yeah the wrong

[ __ ] and they came back cuz they chased

him they he was in like it was some more

Apartments connected to our apartments

and it was a cut he got damn he got shot

in the next Apartments he was running he

saw him coming in the head once but he

still was alive and he ran all the way

from them Apartments ran like through

the cut cuz the cut is like right next

to my building he came through the cut

and ran all the way down to like to the

end like where I Street it was a dead

end on our street and he ran all the way

to like where um my cousin raim stayed

at and he ended up dying like collapsing

on they front step type [ __ ] right but

first birthday that wasn't the first

time you had gotten shot was it was that

the first time you got shot no that was

the second time the first time was like

on some like bull [ __ ] though it was

just like a graze for real and want to

just like know just you know what I'm

saying like I ain't even go to the

hospital right yeah was it was accident

or was someone intentionally trying to

it I think it was an accident okay

yeah 21st birthday you lose your partner

you almost lose your life you watched

you've gotten grades before your your

uncle who's not your biological uncle

but he was raised up with you so he you

was consider him an uncle at what point

in time Savage do you

say enough of

this I think like after I got shot cuz

you got a kid you got a thinking now you

got you got another life to be

responsible for it ain't just you now

for

sure I remember thinking about that too

like while I was sitting

there I was like I remember I just kept

mumbling like I can't go out like this

can't go out like this can't go out like

this type [ __ ] and I was just thinking

about my little boy type [ __ ] did you

ever lose

Consciousness not from what I remember

[Music]

right you've uh you've lost

siblings Yeah you mentioned that uh I

think it's your your father had a son

that ended up getting stabbed to death

correct

yeah in London in my grandma

neighborhood MH that's why I just shot

my last video at

yeah how does one

that have experienced death so much how

does one cope with

it there one thing to know someone's

going to die of old age we got

grandparents or we have someone over

there a terminal illness okay that's one

thing but to see someone lose their life

so young to see a a parent bury a child

when no one no parent should have to

bury a child it's supposed to be the

other way the child Buri the parent how

does one begin to cope or wrap their

minds around death in that

capacity I don't know I don't know how I

do

it cuz I didn't had times like why I Cry

Sometimes type [ __ ] when I'm by myself

and [ __ ]

but

I don't know I think you just got to be

built for this [ __ ] like you got to just

be built for it like you learn how

to like just like move

forward in life and just accept certain

[ __ ] but it's

like still hurt though but I don't know

like what it I don't know how I cope

with it honestly I read what you said

after your brother's death I took my

anger out on you I wish I could take

that is back yeah what do you mean by

that like like growing up like I ain't

really we ain't really talk like that

neither cuz I used to be like kind of

jealous of like the relationship that

him and my daddy had M I used to feel

like my little brother was the son he

wanted and I was I was the son that he

didn't want type

[ __ ] so like when me and my my daddy

relationship faded it's like me and my

relationship were like that whole side

of the family faded type [ __ ] but like

right before he died we had just started

back talking okay so it like me saying

that was like Dam I regretted all the

other all the years that we wasn't

talking because I felt

like you was like spoiled by my like you

know what I'm saying like you was his

favorite type [ __ ] like he ain't really

[ __ ] with me he he wasn't there for me

how he was there for you type [ __ ] right

like I remember one time

like um my daddy had came to visit this

the only only time he ever came to visit

and he had to use like my mama told him

like no my my mama baby my stepdaddy

told my mama like they ain't got to

spend no money on no Hotel while they

here they can come stay with us type

[ __ ] yeah oh y'all barely had enough

room for you guys but [ __ ] West Indians

just like that yeah right okay we crime

in this [ __ ] like oh God we going to

crime in this [ __ ] so so

they came and stayed with us and [ __ ]

and he had brought my little brother

with

him and I remember one day

goddamn he had then took um the van he

had took us to city trans and [ __ ] and

godamn he only bought my little brother

[ __ ] he ain't buy me [ __ ] though type

[ __ ] and then I remember

um I think my mama and my

stepdaddy got the arguing about that

because he took too long with the car

right and my stepdaddy had to go to work

type [ __ ] so I remember just being like

I remember like being in the store and

like I was like picking out [ __ ] and he

wasn't grabbing my [ __ ] that I was

picking out but he was grabbing my

little brother [ __ ] type [ __ ] and I

remember

like like being jealous like being hurt

by that type [ __ ] right so godamn I

ain't never say [ __ ] though like that

like when because I was too young so it

was kind of like a you know when you

young and you feel some type of way

about something but you can't say

nothing so it's just like you just eat

it right so I remember we got home I

remember them arguing and [ __ ] and then

I remember my stepdaddy telling my daddy

like this ain't got nothing to do with

you bro you good like like um don't

worry about nothing you didn't do

nothing wrong she was supposed to tell

y'all what time I had to go to work type

[ __ ] right and God damn I remember my

daddy um we we go home we we at home now

well we walk in the house cuz I think my

stepdaddy told my daddy that while we

was like in the parking lot so we walk

in the apartment we go in the house I

remember my daddy and my mama talking

and [ __ ] then I remember my daddy caught

me in the room and he was like

um he was like I ain't going to lie

um um I'm HCK

type [ __ ] he was like I think I'mma

leave early what type [ __ ] and I

remember being like I remember being

like hurt by that too type [ __ ] and then

he left type

[ __ ] and I I remember that's when I

first started like being like man [ __ ]

this [ __ ] like that's my that was my

first feeling of

like and my brother right that's when I

first started being jealous of my

brother cuz I was like

you ain't seen me in years you done

brought my brother out here and bought

him all type [ __ ] you ain't bu me

nothing right type [ __ ] so I think

that's where that like jealousy like

came from type [ __ ] but I wish I never

did that with with my brother but I

think I couldn't control no you're a

child that's like anything I mean if you

you got two kids and you buy one

constantly the other child will become

resentful of the child that you buy

everything for and the child that you

don't get anything he'll resent both the

child ENT yeah so it's it's a natural

reaction Savage I mean that was not

something that you could consciously

like you know what it's okay you know

blah that's not how that's not how a

child Minds function yeah but it

explains why you have the resentment

towards your father and you ended up

growing even though it wasn't your

brother's fault but still he was getting

gifts in things that you weren't and so

you resented him for getting things that

you couldn't get and you resented the

Father for giving to him

mhm and you the opportunity that you

know you hear people say all the time

Savage that you know make sure you tell

someone that you love them you don't

know when it's going to be the last time

or you might not get an opportunity and

here we you you sit back and like man

yeah I God the feelings that I had

towards him what I would give to tell

him I love you and I I appreciate you

and bro I oh God

yeah the type of father that you are I'm

assuming correct me from wrong is that

you want to be everything that your

father wasn't facts to your son that

your father wasn't to you

facts

yeah but I kind of understand like with

my daddy like

I like I had forgave him for all that

[ __ ] when I was a child more so like the

reason why we not talking now is because

like [ __ ] that he did like as a ad that

just kind of rub me the wrong way right

but like I kind of understand

like your child in the whole another

country you ain't Rich right but it was

just like look time doesn't cost

anything though right but it was like

other little things you see what I'm

saying so it was kind of like but now

like with my

kids I be feeling like I don't be doing

all the way my job because of my job

right type [ __ ] so I be trying to like

balance that out like trying to like

it's like you you you work to

receive to gain all this success and all

the good [ __ ] but it's

like I feel like the best parents in my

opinion is parents that don't got it all

I feel like broke parents are are better

than Rich parents in my opinion because

when you broke you got way more time

type [ __ ] right so you there for like a

lot of the [ __ ] like yeah gifts and [ __ ]

matter but they don't matter at the same

time sometimes all the kid need is time

your time facts something that a gift

can't replace facts we see uh yogatti

lost his brother yeah was coming was at

a funeral and ended up losing end up son

uh his brother ended up losing his life

Savage how do we how do we stop that

cycle because I heard Rick Ro calling

said bro let's put the guns down let's

put the masks down let's let's come

together yeah let's build this let's

build these communities let's get this

paper together let's stop this senseless

violence

how I don't

know I don't think that [ __ ] ever would

stop it's just my

opinion like people been killing forever

mhm that [ __ ] just life

but what what are they actually killing

for nothing but you can't there's

nothing that you can kill somebody for

that validates right

killing you're fighting over territory

that doesn't belong to you that block

doesn't belong to you that belonged to

the man

yeah but I don't feel like people really

fight over blocks no more like think it

be like [ __ ] that people do to each

other right

is it it's like you can look at it from

two points of views when I was younger I

used to look at it from my point of

view but now that I'm older it's like I

look at it from like a older point of

view but when I was younger it was

like if somebody kill your brother mhm

like what what can stop you from wanting

to kill their brother seeking revenge

like what can stop you from wanting to

do that you feel what I'm saying

like then I be like damn what give like

people the right to say when you can

kill cuz it's people who damn they got a

license to Kill who can go they can go

kill somebody legally what what's the

difference like what makes their reason

more valid than this young boy who just

lost his

brother you feel what I'm saying so it's

like I don't feel like killing whatever

stop probably the

amount and

the how it's happening and [ __ ] slow

down right but I feel like as long as

you got life you got killing when did

you decide that rap was going to be your

way out and you was going to put that

behind

you how old were you when you said you

know

what I can do

this I mean I think 50 50 was a guy that

that end was in the game end up getting

shot nine times turned his life around

um I don't know if 50 is a road model of

yours I think I read somewhere where you

said 36 mafia yeah I like the they music

growing up but I ain't really know much

about 36 marfia like I knew about

Project Pat like his story I ain't

really know about 36 mafia like as a

whole St 50 c was a th% like I looked it

up to him growing up too for sure like

cuz he told his story more than like a

lot of other artists he had a movie and

all this type of [ __ ] so right I knew

his story a little more like I was

inspired by his story [ __ ] so when did

you decide to say I'm going to give this

rap thing a try like after I got shot

yeah that's when I really just started

like trying to like rap for real right I

had made songs playing around and [ __ ]

with friends but that's when I started

like really like putting my money into

it and [ __ ] like that right okay you

meet Metro booming yeah and so that was

so how did you meet him and how did you

guys become such good friends I met

Metro boomman through key it's a Atlanta

rapper name key mhm and I met key

through M man he a rapper from Atlanta

too right and key used to bring me

around Sunny digital nobody has real

names huh everybody got man Manny key

slim

skinny oh God sh

sh touche

tou

right God

damn um

they key used to bring me around sunny

and sunny was the man okay and then

everybody used to be at Sunny house

right and then that's how I met Metro so

you Metro up he gave you so did he know

did he know you rapped at the time I

don't think so he a know me right but I

just walked up on like man I'm Savage

bro I need some beats I'm F to start

rapping and he [ __ ] around and sent me

a couple beats and I had did like a

couple songs on him and he [ __ ] with

him and then we just grew a relationship

and it it took off from there yeah did

did you think or did you know but really

sunny sunny my my songs with sunny blew

up before my songs with Metro okay type

[ __ ] okay so it was really me and sunny

was locked in like Metro was giving me

beats too but I was doing like projects

with sunny and [ __ ] Sunny was like

showing me how to record okay like let

me use his house to record and all type

of [ __ ] and then me and Metro grew our

relationship [ __ ] while all that was

going on typee [ __ ]

yeah did you think you could become

this cuz I remember I used to like when

I had caught my little first little song

I remember I used to be sitting at Sunny

house like man when the hell you

supposed to start getting show money bro

type [ __ ] and he used to be like bro

don't worry bro it's going to come bro

trust me bro like it's going to come

type [ __ ] I ain't think it'll be like

this no hell no cuz back then it was

like people was blowing up but I don't

know if people was blowing up that big

right I feel like all the people

who this big right now like we all got

there around the same time type [ __ ]

right like we ain't have nobody be like

what future back then who was just big

like that future says if young Metro

don't trust you I'm going to shoot

you I mean but you look at your guy I

mean

what is it about

Atlanta you future tip Luda I

mean east

side if you if you in the rap game I

think little baby yeah I think Atlanta

just like a player City like it's just

player like we

just I don't know we just know how to

talk we know how to walk dress talk to

women set Trends it's just something in

the I don't know no I had Tia on the

podcast Tia said you ask him for a

million dollars and he said no because

he said that I would have to take more

from

you yeah he was still trying to sign me

though TI is cheap as

hell he going try

to but I did he he sent me a offer yeah

and I my counter offer was I want a

million right and he was like [ __ ] I'mma

have to take so much from you in return

right that it ain't even worth it ain't

even goingon to be worth the milon in

the future type [ __ ] so he actually

saved you from yourself

facts yeah I look up to TI cuz TI one of

them [ __ ] he rich as a [ __ ]

but he tight as hell

boy that's how he keep that money though

right he's smart with his

money had a planum album before you

signed your first deal

yeah yeah so now you in you you're in a

very favorable situation because you got

you I mean it's not necessarily you got

to do a bad deal because you already got

a platinum album it's not like a

situation you're looking to get signed

so you can release an album you already

got the album was it platinum or or was

it gold gold gold had Platinum singles I

had Platinum singles yeah but I had a go

album right yeah but you straight yeah

for sure so it kept so that kept you out

of a bad deal yeah cuz I was like it was

like all type of Street [ __ ] I was

supposed to sign to who had like little

labels and [ __ ] right but some just used

to tell me like man hell no I don't take

no 30,000 don't take no

50,000 like you worth more than that

right you end up doing a 7030 split

right yeah yeah with epic right yeah

that was my first

deal it was like 7030 but like they had

like a 10% distribution Feld some [ __ ]

right yeah so what's your take on

streaming I hear snoo dogs say man look

here man them streaming you stream a

billion and man you ain't really making

no money what's your what's what's your

what's your thoughts on

streaming um I think it all depends on

how your deal structur cuz it's some

money and streaming money streaming it's

just about like how your deal structur

and how much you

scream type [ __ ] well it seem to me got

to be some money in it cuz my label be

giving me some money okay I I about to

say cuz the way you talking you talking

like you got a structured deal that you

be get they got to be making money cuz

they giving me money right so it's some

money in that [ __ ] some real money in it

let me ask you about your catalog future

sold his catalog I think he sold it 65

75 million is that something you'd be

interested in at some point yeah I

probably lat on down the line for sure

yeah I only got a couple albums right

now though right but you going to

startend it depends how how much my

hustle how I apply my hustle right cuz

sh sh I might [ __ ] around and invest in

something and become a billionaire and

be able to pass my catalog down to my

kids might not even have to sell my

calot

right I'm looking at the EXL Freshman

Class Lil EAS vert yachty Kodak Denzel K

J herbo David E L dick Anderson pack

designer and you boy y'all hit a lick

that year yeah for sure yeah y'all yeah

for sure it was some stars on that cover

do you uh do you do you ever sit back

and like man considering what your story

of how coming to to Atlanta from London

or the East Side your upbringing there's

a lot of things that could have happened

that this didn't happen do you ever sit

back and like damn man this sh I'm

Savage all right yeah yeah sometimes

yeah but I be like I still got to keep

going though you still trying to grind

yeah but I do be like appreciative

though I do sit back and just Daydream

sometimes like Dam this [ __ ] could have

went this way or this way type [ __ ]

right sure you shouldn't have to worry

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guaranteed your new project American

dream is projected to have your number

one album um

first album in six

years how much have you grown since your

first album I think I my sound just

changed like my beat selection like just

talking about deeper things and just

like I feel like I'm just growing up

like I'm a grownup now right [ __ ] I was

like a young [ __ ] when I first came out

I was just saying anything type [ __ ]

right samples on the album how difficult

was it how difficult was it to clear the

samples for some of the music that you

used um Jan do that my anr she she be

handling she be on on top of all that

[ __ ] so she ain't really come back to me

like nothing was too hard clear this

time but it do get hard sometimes it

gets hard because they want to charge

more than what you think is worth or

they just don't want you to sample it

some people just don't want you to

sample that [ __ ] right like um one of my

songs like

they cleared it for the album but then

when it was time for me to do like

commercials or like TV performances they

wouldn't cleared so it was like damn I

should have just never cleared it for

the album in the first place cuz now

this song big and and you can't sing it

I can't really do nothing everything

that I want to do with it so why so why

would they let you do it for the album

but not let you do it

commercially I don't

know man do you ever look and see like

okay American Dreams supposed to drop

and somebody else like you know what

like three other artists might be

dropping that week would you ever move

yours up or push yours back or you like

hey me the best man win it depend on who

dropping I'm keep it all the way real if

it's somebody too big I'm going to get

up out their way right but I'mma

normally know that before I even right

Drop Like I'mma know like you know out

the labors have like a calendar of

what be coming out for the most part

right but yeah I I get up out somebody

way but people get up out my way too

though right they should yeah I'm

looking at uh this are you the best

rapper in that 2016

class I feel like I am right but I feel

like everybody in that class should feel

like they is too right but hell yeah I

feel like I am for sure Dark Days song

of the album you say your gun won't love

you back and the block won't hug you

back

that song yeah I really was like in the

booth like talking like to

like a younger

me a young man in that same situation

type [ __ ] like I was just like telling

them

like yeah this [ __ ] might look cool but

in reality like this the truth like this

what it really is right here like this

the real type [ __ ] and I was just like

talking to him in that way like

yeah you you could say you love that

block but it don't love you it ain't

going to hug you back right you can stay

like hug the block that's like posting

on the block all night it ain't going to

hug you back you can love your gun but

your gun ain't never going to love you

back

right your

friends after your candle light they

ain't nobody going to come check on your

mama like that they ain't going to give

her nothing wow like you feel me like

that's just how [ __ ] go for real you

told kids to stay in school talked about

seeing friends take their last breath

talked about crying at night and Mama

crying talked about kids growing up with

our fathers said even thought you even

thought about

suicide uh tells the story that don't

want people to live so what is it about

that lifestyle that people find so not

people but young men especially a lot of

young men of color find so

fascinating when you

young you damn n get rewarded for dumb

[ __ ] right like when you young but it

ain't like a real reward but it's like

you get more attention I say that like

like when we be growing up like we don't

be getting a lot of attention type [ __ ]

like our daddy ain't no mama always busy

type [ __ ] so like when you do bad [ __ ]

remember I told you like you get a

counselor right that was like something

cool in school like if you had a

counselor like other kids looked at you

like like you were something [ __ ] so

it's like it just build up and build up

and build up type [ __ ] and you just used

to getting rewarded for dumb [ __ ] or not

dumb [ __ ] but like bad [ __ ] right that

it just carry on and then you just

before you know that you a grown man and

you just stuck in this [ __ ] type [ __ ]

but you're one of the ones that made it

you got an opportunity to be a grown man

got an opportunity to look back and say

look made some mistakes don't learn

don't do make the mistakes that I made

yeah you one of the few

yeah bless very I know a lot of people

that

then um on this album Young Thug Young

Thug or Thug record

pre-recorded you still talk to Thug um

yeah not like that though but we we in

the

top the 21 American Dream you got a

story a movie coming out n that was a

parody a par oh okay do you think your

story you think you your story is good

enough to be a movie or documentary you

got a very interesting story Savage do

you think you think so I

do because it's the American dream I

mean think about how many people you

hear about this all the time people

migrating to America and you're an

American sucess story not a whole lot of

money very tough upbringing single

parent I mean you had love and you could

have gone down this path and you went

down this path for a period of time but

somehow you come back down the straight

and narrow and here we are American love

success

stories why not yeah yeah yeah I feel

like it could be one day they'll hate on

it now though why they go hate on it cuz

they gonna be like what the [ __ ] 21

Savage deserve a story for a movie by

him for what he did right you know how

they do you know what they hate on your

relationship with Drake why people got

why people got beef with Drake what

Drake do to anybody I don't

know so cuz you know you going to get

blowback if you cool with Drake they

hating on him they going to hate on you

too yeah I don't know I [ __ ] with Drake

though Drake my boy yeah you sure I mean

what's not what's not the like about the

B I mean hell everything he touched turn

to platinum damn gold Platinum oh

God oh God yeah do you think people are

envious of your relationship because

obviously he it's not like he I don't I

wouldn't say that he doesn't mess with a

whole lot of people but he seems to have

a very you and he seem to have a very

special relationship and sometimes

people get envious of

that they want what you have what you

feel like a man is if he jealous of how

cool two other men are what do you what

you think what you think that is what

you would look at like that like if if

somebody said I don't like how stepen a

[ __ ] with Shannon sh like how that how

that make you feel what you would look

at that like that's some hate ass you

know what right because it is but what

what you have to understand and I'm

learning this Savage is that as you rise

the plaws are going to come but so is

the hate and the criticism so if you're

not willing to accept the plaws and the

agulation that comes along with the

rise you might as well get off because

the hate and the criticism coming yeah

yeah and that's a part of it and you

just have to accept that and and that

can't the the the the hate and the

criticism it can't can't drown out the

Applause and the agulation right what

agulation mean Applause the praise the

the gramys the Man Savage you hear

Savage album man F Savage man I don't

fck f with that dude like that man he

ain't like that yeah you know that's you

know that's coming yeah but see

everybody everybody see as long as you

like here and everybody's here with you

we cool Savage but now now hold on now

don't you go here cuz if I can't go here

with you I'm going start hating on you

now if you get here now I got to say

some stuff that might not even be true

right because I don't want people to

like you more than they like me I ain't

never been like that though I know

you're not but there a lot of people

that are yeah I wonder why though like

what make you be like that like I always

look at it like [ __ ] that's just just

like me hang on Drake yeah I'm trying to

get there right I look at it like

inspiration like [ __ ] I'm working that's

see that's how I look at it I look at

anybody that's done something well it's

been done once hell it can be done again

right so it Drake there hell why can't I

get there see that's how I looked at it

when I saw Stephen A and I see guys that

Charles barking things like that I was

like I'm not hating on them I was like I

can do that let me see let me get on my

grind

yeah but that's not how we are we're not

we're not wired like that right and it's

sad the touring aspect what what do you

what do you like what do you like most

about touring and touring with

Drake the money

lots of it come with Drake

huh that [ __ ] just comp period right

reach a certain level cuz [ __ ] Drake

ain't F to pay you nothing that you

ain't worth right he ain't like he just

paying you cuz you his friend hell no

they paying you your

fee man it make me get thck I should

have started rapping instead of playing

football might as well but I got you

what hell what a 55 year old go rap

about [ __ ] rap about goddamn

everything everything going through it's

some 55 year olds that goddamn can

relate it's a lot Google how many 55y

old men there is in the world as a bunch

of them all right then n you Ain G to

get me out there help me out there make

a song get some Screaming money and then

tell me if screaming pay or

not what's it like touring outside the

country it's different cuz they they got

it's like they love they love hard they

might not even speak English but they

can sing every word that you be singing

yeah that [ __ ] crazy I ain't never got

love like that before really well I have

I have but I think it's just different

because they don't see you as often so

they appreciate you more right type [ __ ]

yeah so you love so you love going you

love I mean it's not like you don't love

touring the states but you love going

out of the country because they give you

love like but I think it might be

different for me because remember I

couldn't travel for so long like my

first time ever performing out the

country was a couple months ago right so

because you couldn't leave because of

situation right so I think it was like

anticipated for me a lot right but [ __ ]

every soul showed out they was showing

love like a [ __ ] like screaming

every song like songs that I wasn't even

expecting them to know they know every

word every word yeah that [ __ ] was crazy

let me ask you this would you ever

experiment with your sound like Drake

dead um yeah why not once I get to Drake

level you got you got to be big as hell

to experiment because you could

experiment and that [ __ ] in your career

right but so you got to have like The

Leverage to do that right type [ __ ] but

right now you love you love The Savage

sound right now that's working right now

it's booming you sold out your album's

number one you you go platinum I'm just

slowly

like evolving like type [ __ ] like piece

by piece like I ain't to just jump out

the window and just make no whole

different [ __ ] right but I give you like

little bits and pieces of it like as I

go type [ __ ] you like R&B would you ever

do an R&B

album with me singing yeah hell no man I

had to go get a a vocal coach okay I

love R&B though I listen to that [ __ ]

more than anything I don't even listen

to rap like that okay you you like R&B

give me your M Rushmore R&B artist if

you you got you got give me your top

five R&B artists can they just artist or

a group can it be either or it can be

either or it's your list all

right Mount Rushmore ain't in order

neither no no no no now Mount Rushmore

is only four but I'm I'm gonna make it

easy on you I'm G let you get five I'm G

let you get five all right Usher

okay um I love s WV okay Beyonce okay

the boy who in jail oh

KY and

um five tough man number five tough

bro I ain't G to lie I love Monica

Monica okay but then like you got Mary J

BL yeah yeah

yeah you got

goddamn cuz the O the brothers got some

[ __ ] for sure it's so many other ones

but them probably who I listen to the

most right what your M Rush be R&B well

Usher that definitely got to be on there

Usher for me I was say

usher Mary

J

uh

man James

Brown I would probably know that's

Marvin Gay James Brown sold right yeah I

wouldn't put him in R&B who James Brown

no I wouldn't either no probably Marvin

Gay I guess L for me I love Luther but

you can't go wrong with Kenny Latimore

either I don't know Kenny lore yeah he a

little bit for your time yeah yeah but

you know but you know but you know

Luther right yeah yeah Luther van yeah

yeah for sure so would you like let's

just say you want to do an RB

album who who's the and you can't pick

Beyonce why I can't pick no hell no cuz

I know you gonna cuz cuz you I know you

going to pick beyon you can't pick

Beyonce who you who jumping on the track

with you just one person yeah for the

whole album you have no you know what

I'mma let you do Fe you can have you can

have as many as you

want I'm I'mma let you have I'll let you

have Beyonce Beyonce Usher go do a track

Beyonce go do a track Beyonce gonna do

another

track that's two I'mma just get two two

from

Beyonce um

um Sumer Walker

okay that girl um she hard as a

[ __ ] Coco Jones

Okay um her okay I like her I'mma go get

aant wherever he

at we gonna go get aant we gonna get the

boy Joe yeah okay we're GNA see where

Joe at well you might put if you go get

what about Casey and JoJo you go put on

y&b they they be singing still they

still say yeah Casey and JoJo I'mma go

get Jagged Edge man you go way all bad

I'm bring them back

together I'mma go get S SWV y got to

come back

out

um I love um cut close if they still

somewhere singing I get cut close I get

Samo to to come back okay yeah see I'mma

have all type of [ __ ] on my [ __ ] right I

probably make the hardest collaboration

on R&B album of all time if I could just

get all them artists right oh God yeah

it's going to cost you a lot though [ __ ]

it's all right we going to

[Laughter]

scream how did it feel to help jco win

his Grammy I think we helped each other

I don't think I just helped him I think

we helped each other it felt good [ __ ]

that was my first Grammy too right ain't

like I just had 10 Grammys and I just

gave him a Grammy right we won

[ __ ] at the same time right I

wouldn't have got it without him right

so so what was that what was that

feeling like you're sitting in there

okay you get nominated obviously it's a

huge accomplishment just to get

nominated everybody say oh you know I

don't even care if I win as long as I'm

nominated bull you nominated you want to

win okay so you sitting there and the

Grammy four goes

to and they call Jay Cen 21 Savage what

go through your mind I was sad that day

cuz that was the day Kobe died oh oh

right so I was kind of sad that day and

then like they my award wasn't announced

in the Grammys I knew I won it before we

got there that's animatic it was like

one of them like pre-announced yeah yeah

you want to you want to hey I want hey I

want to hear my want to get up and walk

like walk on stage yeah yeah yeah oh God

but yeah that was the day Kobe died so

kind like bter

sweet so would you do a collab with jco

yeah for sure

it seems like you like look you one of

these you one of these artists that hey

you collab offset jcole

Drake you don't seem to have no beef

with none of the

artist cuz I feel like I feel like life

is bigger than like that type [ __ ] I

feel like we all blessed to be in these

predicaments and positions and [ __ ]

because I feel like we'll be doing the

people a Injustice by not giving them

that right type [ __ ] like back in the

day you don't remember like everybody

used to be in everybody video it was

more like Unity like because we was all

coming

from we we um we spoiled now right

artist today is spoiled because of how

far music has went M back in the day it

was

like it was harder to get on right so

they was more appreciative by the time

they got they start getting they [ __ ]

together you know what I'm saying so

they all stuck together a little more

yeah we had that that's why I feel like

beefs was so big back then right cuz it

was like more rare now like everybody

beef everybody beefing so type [ __ ] but

are they really beefing or they trying

to they trying to get some publicity it

be half and half okay yeah I'mma put you

on I got a tough one for you right now

give me your top five Atlanta

rappers Without Me Without You I'mma go

Future Okay TI okay Gucci

Outcast and young okay I'm sorry Luda

J y'all made my top five but

that's damn Migos Thug

y baby I'm sorry see you can't do know

Atlanta top five you can you got to do

Atlanta top 20 no nope we got too many

great no cuz I let you put everybody up

in there so when they see that I like my

five them [ __ ] ain't going to put me

in they top five

anyway they might hell no they G to say

current current or all time so what what

what type of influence did Gucci have on

you you say you saw Gucci at Miss

wieners very very early on I'mma keep it

real like growing up on the east side

bro Gucci made me hate Young Jeezy as a

child right right you see what I'm

saying yeah like I used to really be

like man [ __ ] gez I'm from the East side

[ __ ] Gucci type [ __ ] on God Gucci had a

big impact like Gucci was the one like

and he was like he put that [ __ ] on the

map like let it be known like the East

Side type [ __ ] are you big in the gifts

do you buy uh other uh other I saw Drake

uh Vault Thug or Ferrari are you

begining to buy other artist gift that

jump on your album and and and blow it

up um yeah we be buy I done bought Drake

some [ __ ] he done bought me some [ __ ] I

done bought Thug [ __ ] he bought me [ __ ]

like people that I [ __ ] with in Metro

right I just don't do [ __ ] for the

internet so

like you do stuff and don't nobody know

about it yeah but a [ __ ] might have a

chain on that I bought him you'll never

know cuz I ain't F to like be like huh

huh bro like type [ __ ] were you old

enough to remember freak Nick yeah freak

Nick would like that that wasn't it I I

don't remember being there I just

remember traffic like can't go nowhere

nope type [ __ ] it was real nice though

but you got to come to my fre you been

you know I be throwing freak NE too you

what what hold on what time what what

really going on on my birthday when when

is this October a

man man we had like how many people was

out there like 7,000

people yeah all downtown at the

underground we had we had Loop perform

what yeah yeah I remember them

days you see what I told you see after

you get 55 you just get on up out the

way you know I had my time in my early

20s in my late 20s early 30s I had my

time I had my time with freak you miss

you it real

nice man let let me stop let me stop a't

G say it was all right it was all

right no uh everybody be talking about

you know

teeth what's going on I mean you spend a

lot you put spend good I mean now you

you you you savage you going to be in

front of the camera you rapping you got

to have your grill right yeah for

sure how many bands you put in there

like 85

see I had to go get them right you get

them right yeah you're supposed to

though yeah not the composite [ __ ] n no

that's that I know yeah you that porcel

yeah you got it

too grills no

[Laughter]

grills let man I want to I want to get

you this dating publicly would you ever

date publicly

again yeah probably you would would you

no why because I believe if you date

publicly you have to break up publicly

and you have to deal with your issue

publicly if you date privately you can

break up privately and deal with any

issues you may have privately damn I

never thought about it like you just

taught me

something that's just me I mean to each

his own I mean some people like that I

don't I my relationship is not for

public consumption right because

sometimes I think people start to try to

live try to to play out their

relationship for the public and do

things oh you see what they did they on

this vacation now if I go on vacation

it's just me and you I ain't trying to

do for the grandmother net right yeah I

mean if I if I don't all that like when

you go out to eat and you women got to

take picture oh let me take a picture of

the come on man stop it yeah on God so

that's that's where I'm at with that but

that's the each's own yeah but you but

you could I mean if your lady says okay

you know Savage I hey you might just

changed my

mind oh God you might just change my

mind cuz you you got to break up purp

but what if you never break up you don't

have you ever been in a relationship

that you felt like I don't think we ever

going to break up hell all the

relationship that you be in you be

thinking that in a

time I don't think anybody get no

relationship thinking like man this this

is going end tomorrow you think you

think it's going to last forever God but

I just think the thing is that sometimes

you know man that internet man then

people start then people start surmising

what's going on oh he ain't he don't

love her like that she don't love him

she put the street he put the street and

this to play I mean you you get

inundated with that Savage man you hear

that enough and it just yeah it'll take

a toll on you it does it does uh your

tattoos how old when you got your first

tattoo 13 14 mhm I had got my mama name

though all right so she couldn't so you

cool with that so how when you first got

your face tap your first face tap how

old were you 16 she didn't like that 17

yeah she ain't like it 1 17 MH yeah so

so what was was it the cross was it it

was 21 okay and

then that next year um my big brother

Larry that was like Johnny best friend M

he had got killed him and his mama got

killed together wow and I had got rip

Larry cuz me and Larry went and got 21

together right so I had one a got rip L

around it that was my second face tattoo

to

right what does being a father mean to

you

everything it's just

like I feel like that's where your

legacy count the

most cuz when you think of like all the

Legends you be like Dam I wonder what

they son doing what they kids look like

like that's who carry on like that's

your name that's your lineage yeah I

feel like it mean

everything and you're trying to be

everything that your father was to you

yeah facts do you make a is it just

second nature or you try or you make a

con or you like yeah my dad wouldn't do

this so I'm gonna do that my hell no I

don't do that it's your second nature

your second nature I don't even think

it's like I don't even think of me and

my daddy relationship when I think of

like my kids just what what come natural

to me do you always want to be a parent

did you always want to be a father yeah

hell I always wanted to have

kids I feel like what did you what did

you really do for if you don't have no

kids right like what was all of this for

you just going to die and then what

that's the end of

you ain't nothing else to go on like

type [ __ ] like how I look at like Bry

and

[ __ ] like kenar Jr or like Carmelo's son

it's like that's what it's about [ __ ]

like oh God you want what if your son

would say dad you know I want to be a

rapper

too

I'mma try and find something else but if

that's his passion right [ __ ] we gonna

do it the right way

right when people say rap is declining

your answer

is

um my show price is going up what they

declin it can't it can't be

declining [ __ ] my [ __ ] going up right I

just did the most streams in the day for

for

of my career the biggest solo streams of

my career right so it can't be

declining but I don't know though right

what's 21 Savage goal for

24 we early in 24 we we January so what

what can we expect what's your goals for

24 I just want to like level up with

everything that I'm doing like better

show um I feel like everybody love the

album already like

um spend my time with my kids and my my

people like I want to go back to London

more often and [ __ ] and just like now

that you can travel that's something

that you want to do yeah like traveling

and just starting new Ventures and [ __ ]

and business and [ __ ] just growing up

right doing grown

stuff 21 Savvy ladies and gentlemen all

my life grinding all my life sacrifice

hustle P the price want a slice got the

roll a dice that's why all my life been

grinding all my life all my life

grinding all my life sacrifice hustle P

the price want a slice got the roll a

dice that's why all my life I've been

grinding all my

[Music]

life