Listen Again: 21 Savage

Summary

Podcast Summary: Club Shay Shay – Listen Again: 21 Savage

Episode Release Date: December 31, 2024

Introduction

In this compelling episode of Club Shay Shay, NFL legend Shannon Sharpe engages in an in-depth conversation with the renowned rapper 21 Savage. Together, they delve into 21 Savage's journey from his early life in London to his rise in the Atlanta music scene, exploring his personal struggles, family dynamics, and the profound experiences that have shaped his music and outlook on life.

---

Early Life and Migration

Shannon Sharpe begins by exploring 21 Savage’s early years, particularly his migration from London to Atlanta at the age of six. 21 Savage reminisces about his childhood memories both in London and after settling in Atlanta.

• 21 Savage [00:30]: "I remember like small things but not like a lot... going to my grandma house, being with my mama."

He discusses the ease of transition, emphasizing the presence of family which made acclimating to Atlanta smoother.

• 21 Savage [06:19]: "You see what I'm saying? It's like I had family here too."

---

Family Dynamics and Responsibilities

As the eldest of six siblings, 21 Savage reflects on his role within the family, highlighting the responsibilities he shouldered from a young age.

• Shannon Sharpe [15:12]: "So, do you feel some type of responsibility that you needed to, like, be the man of the house even though you're only 7 years old at the time?"

• 21 Savage [15:19]: "I think so, yeah, for sure. Like, I was naturally, like, a protector type."

He elaborates on his protective nature, which was both instinctual and shaped by his environment.

---

School Life and Challenges

21 Savage recounts his experiences in school, detailing both his academic achievements and the challenges he faced due to his immigration status and cultural adjustments.

• 21 Savage [35:02]: "I won the spelling bee in fifth grade and the math competition the same year."

However, realizing the limitations imposed by his immigrant status led to a decline in his academic performance.

• 21 Savage [35:52]: "I stopped going to school in ninth grade."

He shares instances of getting into trouble, including an altercation that led to his expulsion from school.

• 21 Savage [38:37]: "I was kicked out of school because I brought a firearm to school."

---

Experiences with Violence and Loss

A significant portion of the conversation centers around the traumatic experiences 21 Savage endured, including the loss of close friends and a pivotal moment when he was shot on his 21st birthday.

• 21 Savage [58:09]: "It was my birthday... I was trying to book a hotel room for a kickback, but ended up getting shot and losing my friend Johnny."

He reflects on how these events impacted his outlook on life and influenced his decision to pursue a career in rap as an escape and a means to provide for his family.

• 21 Savage [76:27]: "After I got shot, I decided to level up with everything that I'm doing."

---

Turning to Rap and Building a Career

Transitioning from his troubled past, 21 Savage discusses how he found his path in music, meeting influential figures like Metro Boomin and securing his place in the rap industry.

• 21 Savage [90:02]: "After I got shot... that's when I really just started trying to rap for real."

He credits his early collaborations and the support from mentors in shaping his sound and career trajectory.

• 21 Savage [91:06]: "Sunny was the man, and that's how I met Metro."

---

Views on the Music Industry and Streaming

21 Savage shares his perspectives on the streaming model in the music industry, addressing criticisms and the importance of deal structures.

• 21 Savage [95:37]: "I think it all depends on how your deal structured... there's some money in streaming."

He emphasizes the necessity of fair contracts and how they can influence an artist’s earnings from streaming platforms.

---

Relationships and Collaborations

The dialogue touches upon 21 Savage’s relationships with other artists, particularly his amicable ties with Drake and his views on industry camaraderie versus rivalry.

• Shannon Sharpe [115:08]: "Do you think people are envious of your relationship?"

• 21 Savage [116:56]: "Cause life is bigger than that type shit... We all blessed to be in these positions."

---

Fatherhood and Personal Growth

A heartfelt segment where 21 Savage discusses the profound impact of fatherhood on his life, his aspirations to be a better father than his own, and the legacy he wishes to leave for his children.

• 21 Savage [124:49]: "Everything. It's just like, I feel like that's where your legacy count the most."

• Shannon Sharpe [125:07]: "So you're trying to be everything that your father wasn't to you."

He underscores the importance of time and presence over material gifts, aiming to provide emotional support and guidance to his children.

• 21 Savage [85:51]: "Best parents... when you're broke, you got way more time."

---

Future Goals and Projects

Looking ahead, 21 Savage outlines his goals for 2024, including evolving his music, investing in new ventures, and continuing to expand his influence both domestically and internationally.

• 21 Savage [127:05]: "I just want to level up with everything that I'm doing... travel more, start new business ventures."

He expresses a desire to maintain authenticity in his music while gradually evolving his sound.

• 21 Savage [128:04]: "I'm just slowly, like, evolving, like, piece by piece."

---

Notable Quotes

Throughout the episode, several poignant quotes highlight 21 Savage’s resilience and pragmatic outlook:

• 21 Savage [00:19]: "Let this season be filled with love... laughter and the delight of extra cash in your pocket."

• 21 Savage [06:27]: "You see what I'm saying? It's like I... had family here too."

• 21 Savage [35:50]: "I stopped caring... got to do something different."

• 21 Savage [71:59]: "That could have came from anywhere, but this day keeps crossing my mind."

• 21 Savage [125:05]: "What your little boy?"

---

Conclusion

This episode of Club Shay Shay offers an intimate glimpse into 21 Savage’s life, highlighting the adversities he overcame and the relentless drive that fueled his success. Shannon Sharpe’s empathetic interviewing style allows listeners to connect deeply with 21 Savage’s story of struggle, loss, and triumph, making it an inspiring listen for fans and newcomers alike.

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Note: This summary meticulously excludes advertisements, intros, outros, and non-content sections to focus solely on the substantive discussions and insights shared between Shannon Sharpe and 21 Savage.

Transcript

[21 Savage]

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[Justin Penick]

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[21 Savage]

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[Justin Penick]

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[21 Savage]

To create cherished memories with your loved ones.

[Justin Penick]

Discover the magic and learn [e-mail] and.

[21 Savage]

Let this season be filled with love.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Laughter and the delight of extra cash in your pocket. Cards issued by JPMorgan Chase Bank NA member FDIC holiday magic is in the.

[21 Savage]

Air and DSW's got all the shoes to make your season extra merry. Believe you've got parties to attend and.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Lists to check twice so DSW is.

[21 Savage]

Taking care of the details like gifts to make their eyes all aglow Styles that bring joy to your world Brands everyone wants like Ugg, Nike, Birkenstock and more and deals to make your budget bright. Find the perfect shoes for you and yours at a DSW store near you or DSW.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Please welcome aboard the Johnson Family. The whole fam's here for the Disney Cruise. So you know we came to play. And listen, the adults are gonna have a ball. First we're chilling in the infinity pool, onto massages at Sense's Spa. Then gliding into Star Wars Hyperspace lounge for a toast. We're even gonna kick back with Mickey on Disney's private island. That's how we get down. Cause Disney Cruise Line is where we came to play. I hear Snoop Dogg 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?

[21 Savage]

They gotta be making money cause they giving me money. There's some money in that shit. Some real money. All my life been grinding all my life Sacrifice hustle paid the price wanna slice got to roll a dice that's why all my life I've been grinding all my life look all my life been grinding all my life Sacrifice hustle.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Paid the price wanna slice not to.

[21 Savage]

Roll a D All my life I've been grinding all my life.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Hello, welcome to another special edition of on the Road with Club Shay. I am your host, Shannon Sharp. I'm also the proprietor Club 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 rapper's favorite rapper. He's a hip hop, a lister, a Grammy Award winner, Golden multi platinum songwriter, record producer, businessman, humanitarian, father UK born ATL raised a bona fide superstar. 21 Savage. How was that intro. You like the intro? Did I leave out anything? I mean, I got. Got less of time. I can add some more.

[21 Savage]

I ain't never heard no intro like that. I like that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I appreciate that. Appreciate that. You know, anytime you stop by conference, have a. Have a conversation with a on Club Shake, I got you a little drink. This is me right here and. Cause I want to toast the album, bro. That's you right there. American Dreams.

[21 Savage]

Yeah. Yeah, it's good. But I don't drink.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You don't drink at all. You just did that for me. I appreciate that, bro.

[21 Savage]

Good looking.

[Shannon Sharpe]

DraftKings Sportsbook, an official sports betting partner of the NFL playoffs is bringing you an offer that'll help make the playoffs electrifying. New customers can bet five bucks on any game and get 200 instantly in bonus bets. Download the Draft King sportsbook app now and see Code Shannon. New customers can bet just 5 bucks and get 200 instantly in bonus bets. Only on DraftKings Sportsbook. With the Code Shannon, the crown is yours.

[Justin Penick]

Gambling problem.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Call 1-800-GAMBLER in New York, call 877-8-HOPENY or text hopeny to 467-369 in West Virginia, visit www.1-800gambler.net. Please play responsibly. In Connecticut, help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org on behalf of Boot Hill Casino and Resort in Kansas. Must be 21 or older in most.

[Justin Penick]

Eligible states, but age varies by jurisdiction.

[Shannon Sharpe]

See DraftKings.com sportsbook for details. In state specific responsible gambling resources, eligibility and deposit restrictions apply. Bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance [e-mail] basketball terms. You was born in London. How old were you when you migrated?

[21 Savage]

Came to the US like six, turning seven.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So do you remember a whole lot about being in London?

[21 Savage]

I remember like small things but not like a lot like little smile. Like going to my grandma house, right? Being with my mama. I remember like going to the stoves like across the street and then like on my mama side of town. It's like this shit 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.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

Type. Cause 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.

[Shannon Sharpe]

When you did you have very many friends do you remember friends when you were growing up? You say you left at 6 or 7. So did you have very many friends?

[21 Savage]

I just had family. Like cousins? Like a lot of cousins. Yeah. So I ain't really need no friends.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So your family, your mom moved you here? Of all the places in the U.S. y. ATL you think?

[21 Savage]

I don't know. I ain't never asked her.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You never asked her? Like, mom, not New York, not Chicago, not la, not Detroit, Atlanta?

[21 Savage]

I ain't never asked her that. Oh, God.

[Shannon Sharpe]

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?

[21 Savage]

Damn. Nah, I ain't never thought about that. Oh, God.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You were just so. You just happened to, 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.

[21 Savage]

It is, but it ain't though, really, to me, because it's like, it. It look different, but it's the same.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

You see what I'm saying? It's like I. Like when I came over here, like, I had family too.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

You see what I'm saying? So you just around family.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, so your mom. So you had relatives in Atlanta, like my mama?

[21 Savage]

Friends. They moved with us. So a lot of people that I grew up with.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, okay, okay, okay. So it wasn't like you were just like, moving to a by yourself, like, just you and your mom, you had a large contingent with you.

[21 Savage]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, so did that make the transition a lot easier?

[21 Savage]

I ain't know about no transition. I'm just a child. I'm just with my mama.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

You know what I'm saying?

[Shannon Sharpe]

So how soon did you get acclimated and how soon did you make friends once you got to Atlanta?

[21 Savage]

Like, quick. Like, it was this boy named Skinny. He had got killed though, like, a couple years ago.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow.

[21 Savage]

But that was like, the first person I met that, like, ended up being, like, my best friend.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

Like, growing up, they used to stay, like, we stayed in the upstairs apartment. He stayed directly under us.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

And his mama, like, we was bad as hell. Cause it was six of us. Well, back then it was like four of us.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

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.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

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 roof like that. So we ended up getting cool. Hunt. His mama and my mama ended up getting real cool.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

And I used to like, stay at his house. Used to stay at my house. Like, I still talk to his mama all the time.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow.

[21 Savage]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Your. Your family, your background, you're thinking, you're really. Your mom was from Dominicana, Your father is from.

[21 Savage]

No, no. Dominica.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Dominica, yeah.

[21 Savage]

Oh, okay. Not. Not Dominican Republic.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Dominica.

[21 Savage]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

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 said you got a big. You got six, like four. Four boys and.

[21 Savage]

No, three boys and three girls.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Three girls, three boys. Okay. And your mom?

[21 Savage]

Yeah, and then my little sister. Them daddy, he Jamaican.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

And what you mean like, like food wise?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, as far as.

[21 Savage]

Yeah, yeah. My mama cooked.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

For sure. Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So how soon did you start eating Some of, you know. Cause they get, they got the oxtail, they got the mother pork chops, mother chicken. How soon were you started eating that opposed to what you were accustomed to eating?

[21 Savage]

I think like, that came with like, like making friends. Like when I used to go spend the night at my friend's house. Like growing up, I ain't never. I wasn't allowed to eat pork.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay. Okay.

[21 Savage]

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, right? But I ain't started really like, just picking what I want to eat until I was a little older. You feel what I'm saying?

[Shannon Sharpe]

So when you went back home, you like, mom, my friends, they cook this, Their mom cooked this. You think you might be able to cook that? Did you tell your mom that?

[21 Savage]

Nah, hell no. I hate telling my mama no shit like that. Hell no.

[Shannon Sharpe]

She wasn't trying to hear that, huh?

[21 Savage]

I know she wasn't trying to hit. I ain't even to try it, right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

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?

[21 Savage]

I don't really remember. Like, I just remember it's like so long ago.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

So I be trying to really think about the story, but I'm sure my mama told me where we was going for sure.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[21 Savage]

Cause I was six.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

But I just don't remember like that conversation. But I know. It had to happen, right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

So do you remember? You just remember getting on a plane, didn't have no idea where you was going? You just know you were leaving London.

[21 Savage]

Yeah, right. Cause I think at first it wasn't a stay thing.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, okay. She was just coming to visit, right? Okay.

[21 Savage]

I think we was coming to visit. Mm. But I don't wanna fuck the story up neither. Cause my mama know the story, right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

You know what I'm saying? I think it was like, let's see, we wanna move here, but we finna go see, if we don't like it, we gonna go back type shit.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

And then we just stayed.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right? So clearly she liked it.

[21 Savage]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

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. Cause you five or six years of baby, so if you didn't like it, you were stuck anyway.

[21 Savage]

You gonna just adapt. I liked it though.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

I liked it like, it's hot, it ain't cold all the time. Like London. I remember like playing outside, like doing the same shit that I used to do. Like when I used to go, like to my grandma house on my daddy's side, like, we'll play in the neighborhood, go. Like, it was the same shit, right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

So what was it like? I mean. Cause all of a sudden they got this new family comes in and I'm pretty sure you probably had an accent. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. So now you on the east side of Atlanta.

[21 Savage]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You got an accent. How. How receptive were the kids to you?

[21 Savage]

They used to teach. I got in a fight on the first day of school. Oh, God.

[Shannon Sharpe]

From the jump?

[21 Savage]

Yeah. They used to tease me, okay. Like, I went to Dundell Elementary. That was the first elementary school I went to.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

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.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay?

[21 Savage]

So we get on the bus to go home. They making fun of me on the way home.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

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, said something like, basically like fighting. So we get off the bus, I beat him up. So the girls, all the girls, they run and tell my mama.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

At the door. So I.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Your sisters?

[21 Savage]

No.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Kids in the neighborhood?

[21 Savage]

In the neighborhood.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay. So.

[21 Savage]

So they run, they tell my mama. Cause they started. I really was kicking a lot. They started calling me Taekwondo kid. It's a true story on my mama.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

So they run to tell my mama. So I'm trying to drag my feet to get home now. So I walked to the door, she grabbed me by my ear, pulled me in the house. Cause the girls were still there telling her the story when I got there. So I just remember her grabbing me by my ear and then like throwing me in the house like type shit. And then that was it. I ain't get on punishment.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You ain't getting no punishment?

[21 Savage]

No.

[Shannon Sharpe]

She didn't ask you what started it. So you.

[21 Savage]

So not from my memory, right? You feel what I'm saying? She probably did though, right? But from what I can remember, I just remember getting pulled, you know. You only. Of course you remember, right? I just remember the ear like.

[Shannon Sharpe]

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 come in here, you're 13 or 14, so you haven't had a whole lot of. You're five or six years of age. I think you're seven at this time.

[21 Savage]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So is there a big culture shock? Do you notice anything different about being in London as opposed to being in East Atlanta?

[21 Savage]

The most shit that I like that I used to like. What I remember changing was the size of everything.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

Like I remember like in London, like our bathrooms would be like this big right here, right? You feel what I'm saying? Then I remember like we were 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 a 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.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So you had an accent, I'm assuming. So where did you fall into ranking as far as your siblings?

[21 Savage]

I'm the oldest.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You're the oldest?

[21 Savage]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay, so I'm assuming so you. Man. So if you're seven, that means you got three brothers and three sisters. That means, man, you got some babies.

[21 Savage]

You got some three. Like. Cause it's a three years age gap between me and my little sister.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

So if I was seven, she was probably like three turning four, right. And then my little brother was still a baby baby.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

And then the other three was born in America.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

Feel what I'm saying?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right, right. So did you feel a sense of responsibility because you are the oldest? I mean, even though you a child, you, like, you 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 7 years old at the time?

[21 Savage]

I think so, yeah, for sure. Yeah. Like, I was naturally, like, a protector type? Yeah, for sure.

[Shannon Sharpe]

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 are 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?

[21 Savage]

I think it was just, like, instinct for the most part. 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 because, 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.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

I always, like, took care of my mama and my siblings and shit, right? Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Do you feel that? So when you were in London, do you remember much about your dad being around?

[21 Savage]

Yeah, I remember my daddy used to come get me, like, every weekend. I used to be over there. Cause that's, like, where a majority of, like, my cousins was at, right? On my mama's side, I only got, like, three, four cousins. But on my daddy's side, it's like, 30 of them, right? So that's like, like, my oldest cousin, Taran, he in a wheelchair.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

I remember, like, following behind him a lot.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

Feel what I'm saying? So that's my daddy side. Right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

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.

[21 Savage]

It was just deeper, deeper. But my mama's side, too. Cause, like, my cousins on my mama's side was bad as hell, too.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh.

[21 Savage]

You see what I'm saying? But it just wasn't a lot of us, Right? Like, it was just me, Chiron and Jerome.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

We was the only boys on my mama's side. On my daddy's side, it was more, but, well, if it's only. It's just different side.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Well, see, if it's only three of y'all, the trouble is only going three places. So it's you, you, or you with your dad's side. It's about 30 of y'all, so you can play with a whole bunch of people.

[21 Savage]

Oh, God.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So growing up in the east side, on that side of town, rappers Gucci Mane, Future oj, The Juice Man, Rich, Harmy Quan, Childish Gambino. Did you. Did you know any of those guys when you were growing up? You had no idea about these?

[21 Savage]

I seen Gucci before.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

Yeah, I seen Gucci before for sure. I seen him at Church's Chicken before, like when I was real young.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right, right.

[21 Savage]

No, Ms. Winless. I seen him at Ms. Winters.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

Yeah, yeah.

[Justin Penick]

What's going on, everybody? This is Justin Pennock from John Boy Media, the host of the Football Today podcast alongside Bobby Skinner and Chris Rose. We're rolling three times a week, on Mondays, on Wednesdays, on Fridays, breaking down everything you need to know about the NFL. We're talking about the MVP race. Is Josh Allen going to pull it out? Lamar Jackson? Can Saquon Barkley even break the rushing record? Can the Steelers keep up their momentum? We talk about everything. We break it down. Stats, analytics. And of course, Chris Rose is bringing his perspective on being a pro in the media world as well. Listen to Football Today on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts and you will be glad you did. Hope you could join us for the post season run.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Zone. I mean, the east side, that's zone six. There's a lot going on.

[21 Savage]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

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 did she tell you about the area that you guys were gonna call home? Now.

[21 Savage]

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 wasn't like one of them. When the street light come on, kids, my mama used to let me figure it out. Cause in London, it's the same shit. It's damn near worse, right? Cause it's like concrete everywhere. You see what I'm saying? It's alleys. 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. Nah, she just used to let me.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Like, let you figure it out.

[21 Savage]

Figure it out. Then I used to be with Skinny. Okay, well, his real name Aaron.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

I used to be with him and he was older than me, so he was like my big brother.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

And like, so as long as I was with him, she would give me a little more freedom to do shit. Like, as long as he watching over you, you good.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Did you always gravitate towards older guys?

[21 Savage]

Yeah, I always hung with like people older than me. For sure.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Because you felt you were more mature than guys, than young guys your age?

[21 Savage]

Yeah, for sure. Because I was older, I had to be. I'm the oldest.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

So you naturally like a little more mature than you have to be. Cause if you're not, you're gonna get in trouble.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right. So how was the struggle when your mom moving here? Obviously in a different, in a different country, obviously times were difficult for you guys. Did you realize how difficult times were for your mom and your family?

[21 Savage]

Yeah, hell yeah. Like, I remember when we first moved, you be smoking cigars on here, don't you?

[Shannon Sharpe]

You go, hey, take off. All right, this your just your joint, let's go ahead.

[21 Savage]

But I remember like when we first moved over here, like before we moved to the neighborhood where I went to elementary school from, we would move to another neighborhood on the east side. And I remember like my mama and her nigga, well, her man at the time, they used to sleep on the bottom bunk. All us used to sleep on the top bunk.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

We used to share like we shared an apartment with one of their friends. So it was a two bedroom.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

We didn't got evicted before. I remember coming home and our stuff was outside in front of the house, right? Like growing up, like, I ain't never had my own bedroom till I was probably like 15 years old or something. Like we all shared a room like for probably from like first grade till like sixth grade. We, it was, they had a room, my mama 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, okay, okay. The boys had their own room and the girls had their own room. And then I met my Other big brother, when I moved over there, Tavares, right, they stayed under us. They mama used to do the same thing.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, man.

[21 Savage]

Oh, God. Get the broom and bang the roof. Oh, God. Right, yeah. But for sure it was a struggle. Cause, like, 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 shit, right? So, you know, it's a struggle, right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

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. Make ends meet to put food on the table and a roof over the head for the kids.

[21 Savage]

The one job I remember her having, Sheen, 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, right? I remember hearing them conversations, though. Like, being nosy because I ain't even supposed to know that as a child, but I remember hearing them talk about it, like, right? And she. She used to work at. All of them. Used to work at the daycare. Her. Her man. And then the other families that I told you, move with us, they used to work there, too. And they used to pay them under the table, like, cash and shit. That's the only job that I remember, though.

[Shannon Sharpe]

When you came home from school one day and you saw your family belongings outside, 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?

[21 Savage]

Yeah. Cause I done seen it happen beforehand. I remember, like, we used to steal people shit, like. Cause I done seen other people evicted, right? Seeing they stuff outside. And like, all the kids. The badass kids will be in the neighborhood, walking around, see some shit, start going through that shit, okay? So I just remember instantly thinking, like, nobody better not touch my shit. That's like the first thought. And I remember standing like that, but I remember, like, I didn't really care about it that much because 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 was trying to figure it out, right? Feel what I'm saying? Like, I remember us moving to a bigger apartment, like, instantly, okay? Type.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So what was. What was a typical meal in the household?

[21 Savage]

Oh, we had food.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Y'all had. Good for you.

[21 Savage]

Not like steak and shit, though.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Ramen, hot dogs.

[21 Savage]

Yeah. Yeah, like that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

Like, we had the regular, you know, but not like. I don't remember no time, like, where it just wasn't nothing to eat in the house, right? It's gonna be some bread. We used to make, like, condensed milk sandwiches. Like, them was like our struggle 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 of shit, and you put it together. That shit be good as fuck. Oh, God.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You eat one of them now?

[21 Savage]

Hell, yeah, I will. Oh, God. But like, you know, hot dogs and noodles. My mom used to make noodles. Stir fry, right? Ramen noodles.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

Curry chicken, jerk chicken, all that type of shit.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Did you. You being the oldest, did you learn how to cook? Could you cook?

[21 Savage]

For sure?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Because I'm assuming, like, a lot of times your mom probably was working and you had to take care of your brothers and sisters, so it was left up to you to probably cook the ramen or warm the food up so they could eat when you got home from school.

[21 Savage]

Not cook, though. Like, the most my mama would make me do is, like, unthought of food to me. Like, take the meat out. I used to get my ass whooped if I forget to take the meat out, right? And put. Cause she don't play about the lemon. Like, don't just sit it 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 and get in trouble.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

But she ain't never just made 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 made them some noodles or some shit, right? Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Obviously we talked a lot about your mom. What's the relationship like with your dad?

[21 Savage]

Me and my dad in, like, a weird place because he got his side of how he look at it, I got my side of how I look at it. Like. Like, I kind of understand, like, okay, if your child moved to another country, right? It's kind of hard type shit, 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 hurt come from when I was a child. You feel what I'm saying? So it's like. It's like me whooping you as a child and Then expecting you to receive the pain as an adult? Hell, no. I know how it felt when it happened.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

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 moved with? Yes. I had a friend. Well, he liked my cousin, basically, Rakim. He was in the same predicament like he was in another country with his mama was with another man. Now, his stepdaddy and his daddy used to come visit him all the time, buy him shit. So I used to be kind of jealous of what he had going on.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[21 Savage]

And so 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. Like my little brother who died. My little brother got killed on my daddy's side. They was best friends. You know what I'm saying? I got twin little sisters, and I got another little brother. They all love my daddy. You see what I'm. 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.

[Shannon Sharpe]

The relationship that they have with him is not the relationship you have with him.

[21 Savage]

Facts, right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

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 so did you explain that to your father, saying, look, Rakim, dad, 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?

[21 Savage]

Not as a child.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Not as a child. Okay.

[21 Savage]

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 shit.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Savage. I mean, you. You didn't. You didn't reach out when, like, at any point. 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?

[21 Savage]

Cause, like, when I turned 21, I got shot, okay? And my mama came in, like, while I was in the icu. She brought the phone. Well, I don't know if I was in icu. I don't know where I was at, but it was, like, fresh. It was right after I got to the hospital, and my best friend had just died, like, in the incident. 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. Cause my mama and her like my sibling, four of my siblings got the same daddy. I got my own daddy. And then my youngest sister got her own daddy.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay?

[21 Savage]

So my mama was moved out here. When she came out here. The father of my four younger siblings, he came like, a little later.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

And we all was together.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay?

[21 Savage]

So when they had broke up, how I took it was like, you ain't my daddy. I gotta figure my own life out. Like, I can't be up under your roof no more. Cause my mama left, right? So I left. So I remember communicating, like, to my daddy.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Like your biological father?

[21 Savage]

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 an apartment and just pay my rent every month, like. But I'm like, can you contribute like a hundred or 200? And I'm gonna figure the rest out. I'm probably like 16, 17 at this time. This like years before I got shot.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

I remember communicating to 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. Cause he went in like, he be taking shit. Like me telling my story is like trying to down him. But this is my truth. This is what I remember. You know what I'm saying?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[21 Savage]

Like, from what I remember, he wasn't really sending no money to my mama, okay? And my mama wasn't just pressing him for no money because she had a man.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[21 Savage]

You see what I'm saying? So I remember communicating that. And I remember, like, it not coming through. So now I gotta go extra harder in the lane that I'm in, right? As a 16, 17 year old. You feel what I'm saying? Cause I gotta fend for myself down there. I gotta feed myself. Like, I'm staying with friend to friend to friend. You feel what I'm saying?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[21 Savage]

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, I don't even care to talk. So that's how that build up came of me not Talking to him about them years. You feel what I'm saying?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right. So in 2020, your brother gets lose his life, right?

[21 Savage]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

At that point in time, did you think about putting everything else aside and try to reestablish a relationship with the father?

[21 Savage]

I did. And we got on the phone and he started doing some things that rubbed me the wrong way. Like, like just asking me for shit, like, too early and like.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So at this point in time, you had already become what you've become?

[21 Savage]

Yeah, in 2020, I'm 21. Savage.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

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.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

I think that might have rubbed him the wrong way. You know what I'm saying? Type shit.

[Shannon Sharpe]

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.

[21 Savage]

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.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay, so probably 11, 12.

[21 Savage]

Yeah. So probably like, what, five years. We was over here five years. Cause I know whatever it was, it was right before the visa expired. We went back and then renewed it.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

Type shit.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You go over there. Did you remember anything about London? Because now you had spent just as much time in America as you had London. Because remember, you were five or six when you left. You stayed five, six, seven years here, and you go back. Did it seem like home or did it seem unfamiliar to you?

[21 Savage]

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 when I. When I was 12, and I just went last year when I was 30, that's what, 18 years?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[21 Savage]

I still remember how to get to my grandma house.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

Like, because, like, it's a parking lot and you got to walk through to get to her house. Like, I still remember how to walk the house. I still remember how to walk to the stove.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

So it's like I remember. I don't remember everything, but I remember, like, right key, like, major parts type shit.

[Shannon Sharpe]

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.

[21 Savage]

When I was young, when you went back to visit. Yeah, Yeah, I think I was ready to go home. Not, like, just in a rush. But it was like, I. Now I miss my other friends, Right? I miss y'all. We done kicked it now.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Ready to go back?

[21 Savage]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So, school. How were you in school? What type of student were you in school?

[21 Savage]

I was an excellent student up until a certain grade.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

Like, I feel like we was just talking about this last night. We was playing the game, and they was, like spelled supercalifragilisticepialidocious. And it was crazy. Cause I won the spelling bee in fifth grade. Spelling that same word.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow.

[21 Savage]

And I won the math competition that same year.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

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 realized, like, all right, 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 and just stop caring. I used to go to school, fall asleep in class, like, just do all types of shit, right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

So once you realize, like, man, as smart as I am, math. Won the math competition, won the spelling bee. I can only advance so far in school now. I might need to try a different path.

[21 Savage]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So you go on this. So in school, so how. So how were the other kids towards you? Because you're smart. Normally kids, they pick on kids that.

[21 Savage]

Are smart, but I was the cool kid.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, you was the cool, smart kid?

[21 Savage]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

Cause I used to do bad stuff, too. I just had. I just had good grades, But I still used to skip fight, right? Like, do all the little mischievous things kids do in school. But I. I was just smart. I'm still smart.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Like, did you get bullied in school?

[21 Savage]

No, I ain't really get bullied. I had issues with people, right. Not just like, you ain't finna just put my head in the toilet or take my lunch money.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So that's what it was. I mean, the older kids trying to take advantage of you.

[21 Savage]

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.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You ain't letting nothing slide.

[21 Savage]

Nah, my mama ain't even finna go for that, right? Like, I remember, like, getting tried in the neighborhood, right? My mama, Them coming outside to fight with us.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What?

[21 Savage]

Where your mama at? Facts, Mom.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Put it down like that.

[21 Savage]

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 as the bad kid in the neighborhood, right? So somebody spraying it spray painted you all over her car. She had like, Alexis. Oh, man, the little bubble Lexus, right? But it was like, it wasn't like the suit. It was just like a regular little Lexus, okay? So she comes straight to my door. My mama ain't home though, Banging on the door, where your badass at? I know you did this shit. 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 mama. I remember my mama just smashing 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 scissors right there. So my mama pull up, swerving. She parked right in front of the lady building. So the lady out there, the lady standing like on the car, like with her back on the car. My mama jump out the truck, bitch. She done mushed the lady.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What?

[21 Savage]

Oh, God. But the lady didn't want to fight. So my mama didn't really just mash the gas on her type shit. 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 down there, like our family. Like, we. Like this, the hood, right down there like this outside, right? So they all out there, like, ready, like they was gonna beat her up. But she, she. She bit her tongue. And on my mama, I really didn't do the shit, right. It really wasn't me who spray painted her car, right? That's how, you know, reputation is.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Your reputation preceded you because you used to get into stuff and they just automatically, as soon as some. If some issue went down, Savage did it.

[21 Savage]

Oh, God, that shit was crazy. And I was innocent as a motherfucker.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So you go to school, you end up getting kicked out of school because you bought a firearm to school.

[21 Savage]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What made you feel you need. What made you feel like you needed to bring that firearm?

[21 Savage]

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 was supposed to be trying to fight us. And they was deep. It wasn't number, like five, six of us. Cause all my friends are older, so they in high school.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

You see what I'm saying?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right? Okay.

[21 Savage]

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.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Justin Penick]

What's going on, everybody? This is Justin Pennik from John Boy Media, the host of the Football Today podcast alongside Bobby Skinner and Chris Rose. We're rolling three times a week on Mondays, on Wednesdays, on Fridays. Breaking down everything you need to know about the NFL. We're talking about the MVP race. Is Josh Allen going to pull it out? Lamar Jackson? Can Saquon Barkley even break the rushing record? Can the Steelers keep up their momentum? We talk about everything. We break it down. Stats, analytics. And of course, Chris Rose is bringing his perspective on being a pro in the media world as well. Listen to Football Today on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts and you will be glad you did. Hope you could join us for the postseason run.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Where you get the strap from?

[21 Savage]

Like, this dude in my neighborhood had did something and he hid it somewhere and I knew where he hid it at, so I sleep stole it.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[21 Savage]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And so someone tell. How did they find out that you had the piece on you in school?

[21 Savage]

Cause when I got to school, it was a ISS day. So I started thinking like, nah, I don't. I don't wanna just be. Had this motherfucker on me in school suspension. Yeah. I ain't wanna just have it on me all day, right? So I'm like, let me hide it. And it was this little bitch ass look like he ain't even really. I don't even really fuck with him. He just happened to be there while I'm hiding the shoe. Oh, man, I ain't even thinking about this shit at the time. I didn't put this shit up under some leaves and some bushes and shit. So I guess they see us on the camera, but on the camera they can't really tell who doing what. They can 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 Valencia some, but he was a police officer. But school police, okay, they come get me out of iss they walk me into the assistant principal office. But they know me like all the. Cause you know, like. And Kids, this ain't for me. I'm not bragging about this. But when you bad as hell in school, you have a assigned counselor type shit. And normally your counselor is one of the assistant principals, right? Type shit. So I didn't have been counseled by all of them type. So they come get me out of iss they bring me in. In the office. The who was there while I was hiding. And he right there in the office.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I'm like, ah, he didn't dime you out.

[21 Savage]

I know what this about. So they bring me in the office. They're 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 an attitude and get mad and so I don't gotta answer the shit. I just be like, man, bro, just stop talking. So I stopped talking. So they. They like, all right, come on. They bring me back to ISS So I'm like, oh, I'm straight. So I'm sitting at iss they start calling like, you know, they be like, buses, walkers, riders. 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, right? I get up as soon as the first one get up. So I'm walking out iss I'm walking down, you know, ISS in the trailers. So I'm walking down the hill. I see the school police. He walking towards me. He come get me, he cuffed me. I'm like, ah. But all I was worried about was my mama. It's like, when you young and you get in trouble, you don't give a damn about nothing else but what your.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Mama I going to say.

[21 Savage]

Oh, God. They cuffed me up, took me to. They tried to do some fake scared straight. They took me to the big jail. The cab count, right? But like, they used to, like, I don't know how they do it now, but back in the day, they used to book 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 window or some shit to scare us. I'm like, bro, what the fuck?

[Shannon Sharpe]

That didn't work?

[21 Savage]

No. Now, big ass doe, what you gonna bust through the door and do something to me.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So now they ban you. You cannot go to School in DeKalb County. Correct?

[21 Savage]

No, that ain't. That would. That. I got on probation for that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You got on probation for that one.

[21 Savage]

Okay, Right, the next year. No, this. Yeah, this. This eighth grade. I'm doing good. I'm still on probation. Playing football, right? Or whatever. So I'm at the back of the bus with all the cool kids, okay? We on the way to school these niggas. It was this song when we was young called Teabag that Ho. Man, these niggas in the back, they start beating on the window. T. Bag that ho. T bad banging on the window. So people start throwing shit. Cause we had a substitute bus driver.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, man.

[21 Savage]

They started throwing paper at the bus driver. I'm just back there. I ain't really doing shit. Cause I'm on probation. So I'm chilling, but I'm laughing and shit. I think I was singing the song a little bit, man. They come get us. They treat us like we got now did some serious shit. They come get everybody. Everybody who was in the back of the bus. They put us in the library. They had a. Like. It was some girls who was like, telling about what happened. They got down. I think some of the boys were like grabbing the girls type shit, right? Bringing the girls back there and shit. Girls was sitting on people lapsing. Just bad shit, 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 gonna tell your parents that you've been being fast back then, right? So, goddamn, I just remember they had. We had like a. They used to call that shit like a hearing. A hearing in the library. They bringing all us to the window. They got girls lined up. We gotta put our face at the window. Like, the hell they like. Yep, they said him. They put my face. I ain't even did shit. They like, yup, him. So when that happened, by me being on probation already, that's when they kicked me out of out of school type shit for that incident.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So they lied on you?

[21 Savage]

Hell, yeah, they lied on me, man.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You sure? I mean, you show. You had no. You had no involved.

[21 Savage]

I should have never been back there once they started doing all that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You should have got. Went to the front.

[21 Savage]

Got up and went to the front, right? So they didn't really lie. I was back there, right. I just wasn't doing all the. That they was doing, right. I was in the mix type.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Did you have to go to juvenile detention for that.

[21 Savage]

That was just like some school. Cause they, like, you on probation, right? You still don't know how to act.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So they inform your mom. That's when they kick you out of the cab category.

[21 Savage]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So they tell your mom.

[21 Savage]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What'd your mom say?

[21 Savage]

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 shit, though. She know that shit. Cause, yeah, I got grounded. Cause matter of fact, on God. So, boom. My mama, she ain't whooped me by then. I'm too grown, right? Ain't no whooping. So she, I get home and shit, she like, you ain't leaving. You can't go nowhere. Sit inside the house, watch your little brothers and sisters type shit. Cause at this time, my little brother Ruru, he was probably like two or some shit, so I used to have to babysit. But my little sister old enough to watch him too, right? So it was this little boy in the neighborhood. I ain't gonna say, I don't even remember his name anyway, but he was like, younger than me. So I'm outside. We had to 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 next building. So I grabbed the keys, I take the keys, I'm like, what car this? He showed me the car. I'm like, all right, all right. So I don't supposed to be outside.

[Shannon Sharpe]

No.

[21 Savage]

So goddamn, I go get the car, I crank it up. I'm like, oh, shit.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Have you ever driven a car before?

[21 Savage]

Yeah, my mama. My mama.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Shit, the minivan.

[21 Savage]

Yeah. Oh, God. So I'm like, oh, shit, this the real key. So I jump out, I jump out, 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 gonna just do it by yourself, right? So I forgot who it was. It was somebody. Oh, 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 kinda like be jealous of him, but I used to fuck with him too. He used to have all the games, unlimited snacks. Oh, God. So I went and got Terry. I got a car, I got a hot box. That's what we call, like, A stolen car, right? 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, like, swerving, like doing burnt, not burning out, but just like drifting, right? So I go park the car, we jump out, we go back to the park again. We chilling. Probably like 30 minutes go past. I'm like, let's go ride. Let's go ride. So goddamn now I feel like I didn't mastered the car. So now I'm trying to do extra. So I get in the car, I reverse it. 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 holding you just driving.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[21 Savage]

So I'm thinking this put the car in dry. This, it's still got in reverse. I didn't smashed on the gas, man. I'm like, oh. I hurry up and park the car, get out the car. We take off running in the back. Cause I ain't want to run this way because my building right here, right? So we run behind they building and I run through the back way of my building and go change my clothes type shit. So I come back out the cab. County police out there. So I walk up. So they like, 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 bitch ass little cousin had told his mama it was me.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, man.

[21 Savage]

So the police don't know, but my mama know, right? So now, goddamn, they he done told. But I think I can't remember. I gotta call my mama and ask her like, did she whoop me about that? Cause I think she. That's like, she punched me about that, like, ooh 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.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Mm.

[21 Savage]

Cause that was like fresh. Like, I really wasn't supposed to be outside, right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

You supposed to be inside. Not only are you outside, you doing some bullshit.

[21 Savage]

No, that's how I got to outside. On God. I told my mama I was taking my little brother to the park, okay? So my little brother was at the park with my little sister, right? That's how I got outside.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, okay.

[21 Savage]

Oh, God.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So you were supposed to be outside. You just wasn't supposed to Be. No, no. Hood.

[21 Savage]

Oh, God.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Excuse me. Yeah. And your brother Ratty dived you out?

[21 Savage]

My little cousin.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Little cousin did?

[21 Savage]

Yeah. He told his mama that it was me and my. His mama told my mama type.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But did the police ever find out it was you?

[21 Savage]

No.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Were you straight there? Statue of limitations.

[21 Savage]

Oh, God.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Sports. Did you play sports?

[21 Savage]

I played football, but I was too small. But I tried. You tried, but really, I had to for probation.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

Like, they was like, you gotta be in as many extracurricular activities as possible to keep you from doing shit. Just being at home doing nothing.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

So I had to. But then, like, I only played one season. Cause at the end of the season, my momma them didn't have enough money to pay the dues, right? So I only played one season. I probably got on the field three times.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What position did you play?

[21 Savage]

Wide receiver and cornerback.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay. Had you stuck with it, you think you'd have been pretty good?

[21 Savage]

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.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Well, you might have been an NFL player, Facts.

[21 Savage]

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?

[Shannon Sharpe]

No.

[21 Savage]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

It all depends.

[21 Savage]

I mean, I think I went the right route.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, unless you play quarterback now. Quarterback, they make some bread.

[21 Savage]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

They make 40, 50 mil a year.

[21 Savage]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But you doing better than that, too, so you did the right thing.

[21 Savage]

Yeah. Facts.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. You ain't. You don't gotta take no hits.

[21 Savage]

Yeah. Nah. Y'all be bruised up.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[21 Savage]

Ain't no nigga finna be pushing me to the ground and all that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So you go. So the ninth grade, well, that's the farthest you went in school, right?

[21 Savage]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You dropped out.

[21 Savage]

So I got kicked out eighth grade.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You got kicked out of eighth grade.

[21 Savage]

For the second semester of eighth grade.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What'd you do to get kicked out?

[21 Savage]

The butt. Shit.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, so. Yeah, but you had. But I thought you could go. If you went to another county outside of DeKalb, you were straight.

[21 Savage]

I still. That's what we thought. So we move up the street to Gwinnett county, and I had to go to alternative school.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

In Gwinnett County.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

And they make you where? Like, that shit was just different, bro. Like. Cause when I went to alternative school in the Carrick 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 one, I first learned about gangs and shit, okay. Type shit. So I went there for a semester. Then I went to South Gwinnett High School for, like, probably like a semester.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

Then they was trying to kick me out because 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 shit was gonna get me nowhere. Cause I'm an immigrant, right? So I just stopped caring, right? So my mama just withdrew me type shit. And she started, like, trying to homeschool me and. And then that. I don't know. It's just. Eventually I just. I don't know what the hell happened, but it just stopped.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You just gotta realize that's. Man, school ain't for me.

[21 Savage]

Yeah. Oh, God.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[21 Savage]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And so what? So once you realize, like, school ain't for me, what did. So, like, what are you going to do? You got to do something.

[21 Savage]

Hustle. That's all you. That's all I could do. For real.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Did you ever get your D. GED Nah.

[21 Savage]

I'm finna get it, though.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So when you. When you. Okay, Your mom takes you out of school?

[21 Savage]

No, I don't think I do.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Your mom takes you out of school, she's going to try to homeschool you. You like, eff it, this ain't for me. What do you tell your mom? Mom, school ain't for me. Hey, I'm not going. This homeschooling ain't working. I'm gonna get on this grind. Or did you. Or did you just, like. I just gotta do what I gotta do.

[21 Savage]

Honestly, my mama, I always just knew, like. Cause I used to be getting in trouble for, like, having cars lined up outside the house and shit.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So, like, cars lined up outside the house?

[21 Savage]

Yeah. Type shit.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You a general manager at a car dealership or something. That's the only way that's supposed to happen.

[21 Savage]

Like, people outside waiting in the car.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay. Yeah.

[21 Savage]

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 were much older than your age. Yeah. Like, you can't tell me nothing. Cause I already be gone for goddamn two, three weeks at a time type shit. So it's like, if you tell me something, I'm gonna just get the hell on, right? And go do it somewhere else.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So when did the Affiliation with the gangs. When did that come about?

[21 Savage]

Like, I don't know. I feel like when you from the hood, they just automatically like, affiliate you with a gang, right? Just growing up in the area, did.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You feel you need.

[21 Savage]

I ain't never been initiated into no gang or no shit.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, so that's, that's, that's. You're not a part of a gang if people just assume. Yeah, because you was doing Dev, you know, stuff, right? The stealing the cars and whatever else was going on, they just automatically assumed you were part of the game.

[21 Savage]

Right. Just from being from a certain side of town, right? Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So did they say anything? Did your mom, them say anything to you? Like, bro, what you gonna do with your life?

[21 Savage]

I think. I think my mama used to, like, beg my daddy to like, step up type more than like, to me, like, because 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, it's like she probably was saying that, but I wouldn't, would have. I wouldn't have went for that, though.

[Shannon Sharpe]

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 gonna go younger?

[21 Savage]

Yeah, I probably would have. Like 16, 17, right. But by the time I was 20.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But you grown ass man now. I mean, he can't get you to go nowhere, right?

[21 Savage]

I had my son though, right. So it wasn't. That wasn't the option no more.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

Type shit. I had my son the same year I got shot. So that was 2013, right? 20.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So you was 20?

[21 Savage]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Take us back to that day. Do you remember anything about that day? 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, oh, this is. This is a Tuesday, this is a Wednesday. I'm gonna start my day, I'm gonna carry on. What was it about that day? Did anything feel different?

[21 Savage]

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.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[21 Savage]

But you look back on it and it's like, damn. Cause that day was my birthday.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay. So, like, he was turning 21, correct?

[21 Savage]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

It was my birthday. His. His mama Birthday and his nephew birthday. Y'all got the same birthday. So I was trying to like book a hotel room so we could have like a kickback and okay, like for that weekend. And he called me because I had like a couple cars and shit, like, but they were my not stolen cars, like cars I paid for, okay? And one of my cars, I had speakers in the trunk, like, you know how people put speakers in the trunk. And one of his speakers went out in one of his cars. So he needed one of mine. And he was like, shit, I'm gonna just give you one of mine 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 Kamari 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, 1, 1. I was with him. He was like riding with me and shit. We was trying to get the. He was gonna get the hotel room in his name. Cause I ain't got no id, I ain't got no license. So I needed somebody to get the room in their name. So I was around with him and shit. And Johnny is my friend who was with me that got killed, okay? He had went to my mama house. Cause me and my mama, me and my mama, last baby daddy, like my little sister daddy, 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 shit. And so we was all staying together. So he had. Cause remember I told you, like my mama and her other baby daddy broke up and she ain't had nowhere to go type shit. 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 and seen my son and he had got to speak out the car and shit, okay? But I remember like that whole day now that you said, like, I remember that whole day I kept telling myself like, I gotta pull up on Johnny, I gotta pull up on Johnny type. Cuz he wanted something that I had and I wanted something that he had, right? So 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 pulled up at his house and he was like, he was like, ride with me somewhere right quick. I gotta 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 plucks like, like a hoopie, right? Type like a low key car. So goddamn, the shit's so crazy because like when we was in the car on the way to wherever he was trying to go to, his grandma called and his grandma was on the exact same street, but where we was going was to the left and where his grandma was at was to the right but on the same street.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay?

[21 Savage]

And she called like right before we turned on the street, like we was at the light waiting to go left type. Shit. So when I used to think back on it, I used to be like, damn. Like, you know how they be like in life, you. You got a choice, like which way you can go type. And I used to be like, damn, if he would have went right, he would have still been alive. 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 up type. Then a whole bunch of this started happening.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Do you think with the setup. Because 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 people know you had this car?

[21 Savage]

Not people who knew me because I was always like a super low key, right? Like I got a flat. I had a flashy car too, right? But no, didn't nobody know about this car. For real. I be thinking back on like a lot of. Because even like after that I used to be like, damn, I didn't. Did 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 it used to cross my mind, but I don't really know.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Did you feel you let your guard down to allow somebody to get to jump on you like that?

[21 Savage]

Not really. Not really. Cause I was on point. I think that's how I made it. Type like I was already looking back type.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Did you know the guy?

[21 Savage]

I ain't know.

[Shannon Sharpe]

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 say, I ain't got nothing, bro.

[21 Savage]

I had some.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But you told him you, you told him you didn't have anything?

[21 Savage]

No, I had something else for him. Oh, you have you not what he wanted.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right, right, right. Okay, okay.

[Justin Penick]

What's Going on, everybody. This is Justin Pennock from John Boy Media, the host of the Football Today podcast alongside Bobby Skinner and Chris Rose. We're rolling three times a week on Mondays, on Wednesdays, on Fridays, breaking down everything you need to know about the NFL. We're talking about the MVP races, Josh Allen going to pull it out. Lamar Jackson. Can Saquon Barkley even break the rushing record? Can the Steelers keep up their momentum? We talk about everything. We break it down. Stats, analytics. And of course, Chris Rose is bringing his perspective on being a pro in the media world as well. Listen to Football Today on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts and you will be glad you did. Hope you could join us the postseason run.

[21 Savage]

Yeah, type but he had something for me too, right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

So he got to jump on you kind of.

[21 Savage]

Not really though cuz they was really scared. For real.

[Shannon Sharpe]

It was one or two.

[21 Savage]

It was two of them.

[Shannon Sharpe]

It was two of them.

[21 Savage]

Okay, one arm jumped in the back seat, okay, One arm was standing up outside the car, okay? Type shit. So the one who was shot standing outside the car, he shot me off the rip right here, okay? Cuz I'm turned like this. So he like type okay. Then he take off running. So now it's just me and Buddy in the back seat, okay? But my brother, he like I remember screaming to him type cuz me and Buddy started 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 shit. And me and Buddy was just going back and forth and then he started, Buddy in the back seat started screaming like ah, ah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So you hit him?

[21 Savage]

Yeah, but I was hit up too, right? So when I remember like the gun jam type shit. So I had copped it back again and when I put my arm over the seat he 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 shit. Then he got up and he tried to run and he collapsed type shit. And then I remember that's when I had an iPhone in this was probably like the iPhone 3 or some shit. Ugly ass iPhone. So God damn. I remember like trying to unlock the phone to call 911 and like my blood kept drying up the screen type shit. So I remember I got out the car. But first, that's how I knew Johnny was dead type shit. Cause 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, right? So the engine was just like revved up. Then it was like some movie shit. 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 ain't come to the door. So I went back to the car and got down. I unlocked my phone. I. I finally, like, I didn't even unlock it back then. It was like slide for emergency call, right? So I ended up sliding it called 91 1. Like, yeah, I'm shot. They get the asinine tight, just dick, dad ass questions like, what the, bro? Like, I'm shot. What street, man? What the you mean, what street? I don't know the street. I'm just shot, right type. So they like. I remember telling them like, my, my brother dad, my brother dad type. And then I remember land 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 the. So goddamn, they. He rolled back passing. I remember being on the phone because I thought they was finna ride back past to handle the business, right? So I scooped back type shit. I was on the phone, the lady, like, they riding back past type shit. Then I remember the police pulled up. I don't even think I told her. I think I just put the phone like down type shit and just did like that. Then the police pull up. So I get out the car. Cause I'm a victim. I'm like, man, this nigga talking about, put your hands up. He put your hands up, Let me see your hands. I'm like, bro, I can only put. I can only put this arm up. Cause remember I told you he shot me. So I put the arm up. I'm like, I'm shot in this arm. I'm shot in this arm. He like, sit on the curb and put both of your 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, I remember the lady, it was a white lady. I wanted to see her like, so I wonder, like, how she doing type. But she, she was in the back of the ambulance. So they put me on the scratching and they cut my clothes open, put me on the scratcher. So she put me in the back and she was like. She was like, let's hurry up and get him to the hospital before the sergeant get here and he bleed to death type. Because I guess like when. When you in critical condition or some like. Well, I don't even think I was in critical condition. I think I was just bleeding a lot, right? I guess like they objective is for the detective to hurry up and ask you questions just in case, right? Type shit. So she was like, hurry up. So they put me in ambulance and we just went to the hospital.

[Shannon Sharpe]

How many times did you get hit?

[21 Savage]

6.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And then no vital organs though?

[21 Savage]

No, no vital organs.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So what do you think happened to you? He got friendly fire, my brother. Yeah, the one that was in the car with you?

[21 Savage]

No, I think the dude in the backseat shot him in the head.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, okay.

[21 Savage]

Like when it first happened, right? Cause he had his gun on him too, right? But he never shot, right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

So that's why when you're saying Johnny shoot him, he couldn't because he had already got hit.

[21 Savage]

Yeah, I think he got hit like off the rip, Rip type shit, right? Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So what happened to the guy that was in the back that ended up collapsing? Did he live?

[21 Savage]

Yeah, he lived.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

He was paralyzed, right? I don't know about now. Well, that's what I heard. You know how you hear shit in the street but you don't know, right? Yeah. He lived though, from what I remember, right? What I know.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, the guy. Did they ever find the guy that shot you that was outside the car?

[21 Savage]

Yeah, they, they, they, they. I don't know about. I know they found two people, but I didn't know what they looked like, right? So I. I couldn't tell, like the police shit, really, it was dark type, right? So I think they ended up. They got charged and then it got thrown out Type shit.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You think about that? Do you think about that day? What could have been? What. What could you have done differently?

[21 Savage]

Yeah, Hell yeah. But I ain't even want to really ride with him that day because I was really just trying to chill. It was my birthday, right? We had some shit, like some drinking shit, some liquor and shit. We was gonna get drunk, so I was really just Going over there to kick it with him, right? Type shit. So, yeah, I be thinking about that. But the main thing I think about is like, I heard his grandma on the phone telling him, like, I'm ready. Cause 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 shit.

[Shannon Sharpe]

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.

[21 Savage]

Facts. Yeah. Oh, God.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You've seen a lot of tragedy. Your uncle ended up getting killed.

[21 Savage]

That wasn't my real uncle though.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

But remember I told you, like, how we like, made like a family over here? Yeah. He got killed when I was in third grade. I remember I was. I was. I think I was asleep, but I was so bad I probably was up. But I remember it was a school night. And I remember just hearing like, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. 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 shit. Started holding me. But I was so young. I think I knew it was gunshots, but some was telling me it was firecracker, right? So I go back to sleep and I remember getting up the next, like a couple hours later. Like, that was probably like two in the morning. I had to get up, probably like Sam for school, right? And I remember like, my mama was ironing my outfit for school and. And the news was on and they was like. I think it was five of them that got killed that night. Like four. Four or five. It might have been six. It was like the dudes came, they killed Big Boy, which was like, my uncle, they killed Swiss Shot and like another one of their partners and like two maintenance men. And then I remember like, my mama telling me, or it was either my mama or my stepdad. It was like, yeah, they killed big boy type. But then when I got older, you know how you replay back in your head? I was like, he robbed the wrong person. Because I remember like, all that week he had went and bought one of them new Tahoes, the Z72 trucks.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What? The Z71.

[21 Savage]

Yeah, the two dots.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, I know exactly what you're talking about. Yeah, that's the high end.

[21 Savage]

Yeah. He had bought one of them. He had. I remember walking down there. Cause like, when I was young, they used to like, give me like, little dollars and shit. And I used to like rap, like, do look like three bars some and they'll give me some dollars. So I remember one time, like that week I went down there and they was like 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 or some.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow.

[21 Savage]

Just bags of weed on the like hood of the car. And I remember one of them, one of them, his name was Kevin. He used to have a box Chevy on 23s with the Jordan logo on. 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 them 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, right? I feel like that's what happened though.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Hit somebody's stash house.

[21 Savage]

Yeah. The wrong nigga. And they came back. Cause they chased him. He was in like, it was some mo apartments connected to my apartments. And it was a cut. He got down. He got shot in the next apartments.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So he was running.

[21 Savage]

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? Cause the cut is like right next to my building. He came through the cut and ran all the way down to the end. Well, our street, it was a dead end on our street. And he ran all the way to like where my cousins Rakim stayed at. And he ended up dying, like collapsing on they front step type shit.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right. But your 21st birthday, that wasn't the first time you had gotten shot, was it? Was that the first time you got shot?

[21 Savage]

No, that was the second time. The first time was like on some like, bullshit though. It was just like a graze. For real. And wanted to just like, no, just. You know what I'm saying? Like, I ain't even go to the hospital, right? Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Was it accident or was someone intentionally trying to.

[21 Savage]

I think it was an accident.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

21St birthday, you lose your partner, you almost lose your life. You watch, you've gotten grades before Your uncle, who's not your biological uncle, but he was raised up with you, so you was considered him an uncle. At what point in time, Savage, do you say, enough of this?

[21 Savage]

Mm, I think like, yeah, after I got shot.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Cause you got a kid, you gotta thinking now you got another life to be responsible for. It ain't Just you now, for sure.

[21 Savage]

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 shit. And I was just thinking about my little boy type shit.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Did you ever lose consciousness?

[21 Savage]

Mm. Mm. Not from what I remember.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right. You've. You've lost siblings. Yeah, you mentioned that. I think it's your. Your father had a son that ended up getting stabbed to death, correct?

[21 Savage]

Yeah, in London in my grandma neighborhood.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Mm.

[21 Savage]

That's why I just shot my last video. Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

How does one that have experienced death so much? How does one cope with it? There's one thing to know someone's gonna die of old age. We got grandparents or we have someone over there with a terminal illness. Okay. That's one thing. But to see someone lose their life so young, to see 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 buried the parent. How does one begin to cope or wrap their minds around death in that capacity?

[21 Savage]

I don't know. I don't know how I do it. Cause I done had times, like, why I cry sometimes type shit when I'm by myself and shit. 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.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

I don't know, like, what it. I don't know how I cope with it, honestly.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I read what you said after your brother's death. I took my anger out on you. I wish I could take that ish back.

[21 Savage]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What do you mean by that?

[21 Savage]

Like. Like, growing up, like, I ain't really. We ain't really talk like that neither. Cause I used to be, like, kind of jealous of, like, the relationship that him and my daddy had. 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 shit. So, like, when me and my. My daddy relationship faded, it's like me and my relationship with, like, that whole side of the family faded type shit. But, like, right before he died, we had just started back talking.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

So it was like, me saying that was like, damn, 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? You was his favorite type shit. Like, he ain't really fuck with me.

[Shannon Sharpe]

He.

[21 Savage]

He wasn't there for me how he was there for you type, right? Like, I remember one time, like, my daddy had came to visit. This the 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 shit.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, y'all barely had enough room for.

[21 Savage]

You guys, but West Indians, just like that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, right.

[21 Savage]

Okay, we'll cram in this. Oh, God, we gonna cram 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 hadn't took the van. He had took us to City Trans and. And got. Now he only bought my little brother. He ain't buy me, though type. And then I remember. I think my mama and my stepdaddy got to 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 up, but he was grabbing my little brother type. And I remember like. Like being jealous, like, being hurt by that type, right? So goddamn, 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 shit. And then I remember my stepdaddy telling my daddy, like, this ain't got nothing to do with you, bro. You good. Like. Like, 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 shit, right? And goddamn, I remember my daddy. We go home. We at home now. Well, we walk in the house. Cause 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 shit. Then I remember my daddy called me in the room, and he was like. He was like, I ain't gonna lie, I'm homesick type. He was Like, I think I'ma 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. Cause I was like, you ain't seen me in years. You done brought my brother out here and bought him all type shit. You ain't buy me nothing.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

Type shit. So I think that's where that, like, jealousy, like, came from, type shit. But I wish I never did that. You're a child with my brother, but I think I couldn't control.

[Shannon Sharpe]

No, you're a child that's like anything. I mean, if 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 and the parent.

[21 Savage]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So 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 and 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 it to him. And the opportunity. You hear people say all the time, Savage, that. Make sure you tell someone that you love him. You don't know when it's going to be the last time or you might not get an opportunity. And here, will you sit back and like, man, yeah.

[21 Savage]

Oh, God.

[Shannon Sharpe]

The feelings that I had towards him. What I would give to tell him, I love you and I. I appreciate you and bro.

[21 Savage]

Oh, God, Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

The type of father that you are, I'm assuming, correct me if I'm wrong, is that you want to be everything that your father wasn't. Facts to your son, that your father wasn't to you.

[21 Savage]

Facts. Yeah. But I kind of understand, like, with my daddy, like, I don't. Like, I had forgave him for all that when I was a child.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

More so like the reason why we not talking now is because, like, shit that he did, like, as an adult just kind of rubbed me the wrong way.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

But like, I kind of understand, like, your Child in a whole nother country, like, you ain't rich. But it was just like, look, time.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Doesn'T cost anything though, right?

[21 Savage]

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.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

Type. So I'd 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 better than rich parents, in my opinion. Because when you broke, you got way more time type shit, right? So you there for like a lot of the shit. Like, yeah, gifts and shit matter, but they don't matter at the same time.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Sometimes all the kid needs is time.

[21 Savage]

Facts. Your time, facts.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Something that a gift can't replace.

[21 Savage]

Facts.

[Shannon Sharpe]

We see yo Gotti lost his brother.

[21 Savage]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Was coming. Was at a funeral. And ended up losing. End up son. His brother ended up losing his life. Savage. How do we. How do we stop that cycle? Because I heard Rick Ross call and say, bro, let's put the guns down. Let's put the mask down. Let's. Let's come together.

[21 Savage]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Let's build this. Let's build these communities. Let's get this paper together. Let's stop this senseless violence. How?

[21 Savage]

I don't know. I don't think that ever would stop. It's just my opinion, like, people been killing forever. That just life.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But what. What are they actually killing for?

[21 Savage]

Nothing. But you can't. There's nothing that you can kill somebody for that validates, right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Killing you, fighting over territory that doesn't belong to you. That block doesn't belong to you. That belonged to the man.

[21 Savage]

Yeah, but I don't feel like people really fight over blocks no more. Like, think it be like shit that people do to each other, right? Cause it's like you could look at it from two points of views. Cause 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 an older point of view, right? But when I was younger, it was like, if somebody kill your brother, like, what. What can stop you from wanting to kill their brother? You 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? Because it's people who damn. They got a license to kill. Who can go. They can go kill somebody legally. What's the difference? Like, what makes their reason more valid than this young boy who just lost his brother?

[Justin Penick]

What's going on, everybody? This is Justin Penick from John Boy Media, the host of the Football Today podcast alongside Bobby Skinner and Chris Rose. We're rolling three times a week on Mondays, on Wednesdays, on Fridays, breaking down everything you need to know about the NFL. We're talking about the MVP race. Is Josh Allen going to pull it out? Lamar Jackson? Can Saquon Barkley even break the rushing record? Can the Steelers keep up their momentum? We talk about everything. We break it down. Stats, analytics. And of course, Chris Rose is bringing his perspective on being a pro in the media world as well. Listen to Football Today on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast and you will be glad you did. Hope you could join us for the postseason run.

[21 Savage]

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 can slow down.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

But I feel like as long as you got life, you got killing.

[Shannon Sharpe]

When did you decide that rap was gonna be your way out and you was gonna put Matt 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 was in the game, ended up getting shot nine times. Turned his life around. I don't know if 50 is a role model of yours. I think I read somewhere where you said 36 mafia.

[21 Savage]

Yeah, I liked that they music growing up, but I ain't really know much about three six Mafia. Like, I knew about Project Pat, like, his story. I ain't really Mafia, like, as a whole, right. 50 Cent was a thousand percent. Like, I looked it up to him growing up too, for sure. Like, because he told his story more than, like, a lot of other artists. He had a movie and all this type of.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So, Right.

[21 Savage]

I knew his story a little more, like, I was inspired by his story.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And so when did you decide to say, I'm gonna give this rap thing a try?

[21 Savage]

Like, after I got shot. Yeah. That's when I really just started, like, trying to, like, rap for real.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

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.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right. Okay. You meet Metro Booming.

[21 Savage]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And so that was. So how did you meet him? And how did you guys become such good friends?

[21 Savage]

I met Metro Booming through Key. It's a Atlanta rapper named Key. And I met Key through Madman. He a rapper from Atlanta too, right? And Key used to bring me around Sunny Digital.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Nobody has real names, huh? Everybody got mad, man. And Keith Slim, Skinny Pope.

[21 Savage]

Oh, God. Shay, Shay.

[Shannon Sharpe]

True. Touche, touche, right?

[21 Savage]

I got down, they used. 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.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So you met you up, he gave you. So did he know. Did he know you rapped at the time?

[21 Savage]

I don't think so. He ain't know me, right? But I just walked up on him like, man, I'm savage, bro. I need some beats. I'm finna 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.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Just grew a relationship and it took off from there.

[21 Savage]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Did. Did you think or did you know?

[21 Savage]

But really Sonny, Sonny, my. My songs with Sonny blew up before my songs with Metro, okay? Type.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay?

[21 Savage]

So it was really me and Sonny was locked in. Like, Metro was giving me beats too, but I was doing like projects with Sonny and shit. Sonny was like showing me how to record, okay? Like, let me use his house to record and all type of shit. And then me and Metro grew our relationship while all that was going on Type shit. Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Did you think you could become this?

[21 Savage]

Cause 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, right? And he used to be like, bro, don't worry, bro, it's gonna come, bro. Trust me, bro, like, it's gonna come Type. I ain't think it'll be like this. Nah, hell no. Because 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 had nobody be like, well, Future back then, who was just.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Big like that, Future says, if Young Metro don't trust you, I'm gonna 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 in the Rap game, I think. Lil baby.

[21 Savage]

Yeah. I think Atlanta's 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 air. I don't know.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I had TI on the podcast. Tia said you asked him for a million dollars, and he said no because he said that I would have to take more from you.

[21 Savage]

Yeah, he was still trying to sign me, though. TIJ is cheap as hell.

[Shannon Sharpe]

He gonna try to.

[21 Savage]

But I did. He sent me an offer, and my counteroffer was, I want a million.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[21 Savage]

And he was like, shit, I'mma have to take so much from you in return, right? That it ain't even worth. It ain't even gonna be worth the men in the future type.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So he actually saved you from yourself.

[21 Savage]

Facts. Yeah. I look up to TI Cause 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.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Had a platinum album before you signed your first deal.

[21 Savage]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So now 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.

[21 Savage]

Was it platinum up or was it gold?

[Shannon Sharpe]

I had platinum singles.

[21 Savage]

Yeah, but I had a gold album, right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, but you straight.

[21 Savage]

Yeah, for sure.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So it kept. So that kept you out of a bad deal?

[21 Savage]

Yeah, because I was like. It was like all type of street I was supposed to sign to who had like, little labels and.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

But some just used to tell me, like, man, hell no, I don't take no 30, 000, don't take no 50.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

Like, you worth more than that, right.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You end up doing a 70, 30 split, right?

[21 Savage]

Yeah, yeah. With Epic, right? Yeah, that was my first deal. It was like 70, 30, but like, they had like a 10% distribution fee or some shit, right? Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So what's your take on streaming? I hear Snoop Dogg 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?

[21 Savage]

I think it all depends on how your deal structured. Cause it's some money in streaming.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Most money in streaming.

[21 Savage]

It's just about, like, how your deal structured and how much you scream type shit.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Well, it seemed to Me to be.

[21 Savage]

Gotta be some money in it. Cause my label be giving me some money.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay, I was about to say. Cause the way you talking, you talking like you got a structured deal that you be getting.

[21 Savage]

They gotta be making money. Cause they giving me money, right? So it's some money in that shit. Some real money in it.

[Shannon Sharpe]

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?

[21 Savage]

Yeah, I'll probably lay down the line for sure. Yeah. I only got a couple albums right.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Now though, right, but you gonna stop it on them?

[21 Savage]

It depends how, how much my hustle, how I apply my hustle, right. Cause 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 catalog, right.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I'm looking at the Excel, freshman class, Lil Easy Vert, Yachty Kodak, Denzel Curry, Jill Herbo, David East, Lil Dickey Anderson, Paak designer. And you. Boy, y'all hit a lick that year.

[21 Savage]

Yeah, for sure.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, y'all hit a lick.

[21 Savage]

Yeah, for sure. It was some stars on that cover.

[Shannon Sharpe]

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, I'm new savage, all right.

[21 Savage]

Yeah, yeah, sometimes, yeah. But I'd be like, I still got to keep going though.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You still trying to grind?

[21 Savage]

Yeah, but I do be like appreciative though. I do sit back and just daydream sometimes. Like, damn, this could have went this way or this way type shit, right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

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[21 Savage]

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 grown up now, right? I was like a young when I first came out. I was just saying anything type shit, right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Samples on the album. How difficult was it. How difficult was it to clear the samples for some of the music that you used?

[21 Savage]

Jan do that. My A R she be handling. She be on top of all that shit. So she ain't really come back to me. Like nothing was too hard to clear this time. But it do get hard.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Sometimes it gets hard because they wanna charge more than what you think it's worth. Or they just don't want you to sample it.

[21 Savage]

Some people just don't want you to sample that shit, right? Like 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 clear it. So it was like, damn, I should have just never cleared it for the album in the first place. Cause now this song big and.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And you can't sing it.

[21 Savage]

I can't really do nothing. Everything that I want to do with it.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So why would they let you do it for the album but not let you do it commercially?

[21 Savage]

I don't know, man.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Do you ever look and see like, okay, American Dream 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, may the best man win it?

[21 Savage]

Depend on who dropping. I'mma keep it all the way real. If it's somebody too big, I'm going to get up out they way, right? But I'mma normally know that before I even drop. Like, I'mma know, like, you know, all the labels have like a calendar of what be coming out for the most part, right? But yeah, I get up out somebody way, but people get up out my way too though, right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

They should.

[21 Savage]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I'm looking at. Are you the best rapper in that 2016 class?

[21 Savage]

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.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Dark days, song of the album. You say your gun won't love you back and the block won't hug you back.

[21 Savage]

That song.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[21 Savage]

I really was, like, in the booth, like, talking, like, to, like, a younger me.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

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 shit. 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 gonna hug you back, right? You can stay, like, hug the block. That's like posting on the block all night. It ain't gonna hug you back. You could love your gun, but your gun ain't never gonna love you back, right? Use your friends after your candlelight. Dang, ain't nobody gonna come check on your mama like that. They ain't gonna give her nothing.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow.

[21 Savage]

Like, you feel me? Like, that's just how shit go. For real.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You told kids to stay in school, Talked about seeing friends take their last breath. Talked about crying at night and mamas crying. Talked about kids growing up without fathers. Said you even thought about suicide. Tell 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.

[21 Savage]

When you young, you. Damn. They 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 around, mama always busy type. So, like, when you do bad, remember I told you, like, you get a counselor, right? That was like, some cool in school. Like, if you had a counselor, like, other kids looked at you like. Like you was something type. 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 it, you a grown man and you just stuck in this shit type shit.

[Shannon Sharpe]

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 make the mistakes that I made. Yeah, you one of the few.

[21 Savage]

Yeah. Bless Barry. I know a lot of people that didn't.

[Shannon Sharpe]

On this album. Young Thug. Young Thug. Thug recorded. Have pre recorded. Do you still talk to Thug?

[21 Savage]

Yeah. Not like that, though.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But we didn't talk the 21American dream. You got a story, a movie coming out?

[21 Savage]

Nah, that was a parody.

[Shannon Sharpe]

A parody. Oh, okay. Do you think your story. You think your story is good enough to be a movie or documentary? You got a very interesting story, Savage.

[21 Savage]

Do you think. You think so?

[Shannon Sharpe]

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 success 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?

[21 Savage]

Yeah. Yeah. I feel like it could be one day they'll hate on it now, though.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Why they gonna hate on it?

[21 Savage]

Cause they gonna be like, what the 21 savage deserve a story for a movie about him. What he did right? You know how they do.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You know what they hate on your relationship with Drake? Why people got. Why people got beef with Drake? What Drake do to anybody?

[21 Savage]

I don't know, so.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Cause you know you gonna get blowback if you cool with Drake. They hating on him, they gonna hate on you too.

[21 Savage]

Yeah, I don't know. I fought with Drake, though. Drake, my boy.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, you should. I mean, what's not. What's not to like about the bad? I mean, hell, everything he touched turned platinum. Damn. Gold. Platinum.

[21 Savage]

Oh, God. Oh, God. Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

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 it very. You and he seem to have a very special relationship. And sometimes people get envious of that. They want what you have.

[21 Savage]

What you feel like a man is if he jealous of how cool two other men are. What you think? What you think that is what you would look at like that. Like if somebody said, I don't like how Stephen a fuck with Shannon Sharp. Like how that'll make you feel. What you would look at that like.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That'S some hating ass. You know what?

[21 Savage]

Right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Because it is. But what you have to understand, and I'm learning this, Savage, is that as you rise, the plows are going to come, but so is the hate and the criticism. So if you're not willing to accept the applause and the adulation that comes along with the rise, you might as well get off. Because the hate and the criticism coming.

[21 Savage]

Yeah, yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

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 drown out the applause and the adulation, right?

[21 Savage]

What adulation mean?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Applause, the praise, the Grammys, the. Man Savage. You hear Savage album man, F. Savage, man. I don't f. With that dude like that, man. He ain't like that. Yeah, 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, hold on, now, don't you go here. Cause if I can't go here with you, I'm gonna start hating on you. Now if you get here now, I gotta say some stuff that might not.

[21 Savage]

Even be true, right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Because I don't want people to like you more than they like me.

[21 Savage]

I ain't never been like that, though.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I know you not, but there are a lot of people that are.

[21 Savage]

Yeah. I wonder why, though. Like, what make you be like that? Like, I always look at it like, shit, that's just like me hating on Drake.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, I'm trying to get there, right?

[21 Savage]

I look at it like inspiration. Like, shit, I'm working.

[Shannon Sharpe]

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 if Drake there, hell, why can't I get there, right? See, that's how I looked at it. When I saw Stephen A. And I see guys that Charles Barkin, things like that. I was like, I'm not hating on him. 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?

[21 Savage]

The money.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Lots of it. Come with Drake. Huh?

[21 Savage]

That shit just come period, right? You reach a certain level. Cause, shit, Drake ain't finna pay you nothing that you ain't worth, right? He ain't like. He just paying you. Cause you his friend.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Hell no.

[21 Savage]

They paying you your fee, man.

[Shannon Sharpe]

It made me. He get thinking I should have started rapping instead of playing football.

[21 Savage]

Might as well, man.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I got you. What the hell? What a 55 year old gonna rap about shit.

[21 Savage]

Rap about goddamn everything you going through. It's some 55 year olds that goddamn can relate. It's a lot. Google how many 55 year old men it is in the world.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That's a bunch of them.

[21 Savage]

All right then.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Nah, you ain't finna get me out there, have me out there jumping crazy.

[21 Savage]

Make a song, get some screaming money and then tell me if screaming pay or not.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What's it like touring outside the country?

[21 Savage]

It's different. Cause they got. It's like they love hard.

[Shannon Sharpe]

They might not even speak English, but they can sing every word that you be singing.

[21 Savage]

Yeah, that shit crazy. I ain't never got love like that before.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Really?

[21 Savage]

I have, I have. But I think it's just different because they don't see you as often so they appreciate you more.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

Type.

[Justin Penick]

What's going on, everybody? This is Justin Penic from John Boy Media, the host of the Football Today podcast alongside Bobby Skinner and Chris Rose. We're rolling three times a week on Mondays, on Wednesdays, on Fridays, breaking down everything you need to know about the NFL. We're talking about the MVP race. Is Josh Allen going to pull it out? Lamar Jackson, Can Saquon Barkley even break the rushing record? Can the Steelers keep up their momentum? We talk about everything, we break it down. Stats, analytics. And of course, Chris Rose is bringing his perspective on being a pro in the media world as well. Listen to Football Today on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast and you will be glad you did. Hope you could join us for the postseason run.

[21 Savage]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

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.

[21 Savage]

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.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right. Because you couldn't leave because of situation.

[21 Savage]

Right. So I think it was like anticipated for me a lot.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

But shit, every so showed out they was showing love like a motherfucker. Like screaming every song. Like songs that I wasn't even expecting them to know. They know every word.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Every word.

[21 Savage]

Yeah, that shit was crazy.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Let me ask you this. Would you ever experiment with your sound like Drake did?

[21 Savage]

Yeah, why not? Once I get to Drake level, you got. You got to be big as hell to experiment.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[21 Savage]

Because you could experiment and that in your career.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

But so you got to have, like, the leverage to do that right. Type shit.

[Shannon Sharpe]

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 number one. You go. You go platinum.

[21 Savage]

I'm just slowly, like, evolving, like, type shit. Like piece by piece. Like, I ain't finna just jump out the window and just make no whole different shit, right? But I give you, like, little bits and pieces of it as I go type shit.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You like R B? Would you ever do an R B.

[21 Savage]

Album with me singing? Yeah. Hell, nah, man. I had to go get a vocal coach.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

I love R B, though. I listen to that more than anything. I don't even listen to rap like that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay, you. You like R B? Give me your Mount Rushmore R B artist. If you. You got. You got. Give me your top five R B artists.

[21 Savage]

Can they just. Artists or a group? Can it be either or.

[Shannon Sharpe]

It could be either. It's your list.

[21 Savage]

All right. Mount Rushmore ain't in order neither.

[Shannon Sharpe]

No, no, no, no. Now, my Rushmore is only four, but I'm gonna make it easy on you. I'll let you get five. I'm gonna let you get five.

[21 Savage]

All right. Usher.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

I love hwv.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

Beyonce.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

The boy who in jail, R. Kelly. And five. Tough man, number five, Tough bro. I ain't gonna lie. I love Monica. Monica, okay, but then, like, you got Mary J. Blige.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[21 Savage]

You got. Goddamn. Cause the Isley Brothers got some for sure. It's so many other ones, but them probably who I listen to the most.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[21 Savage]

What your Mount Rushmore be?

[Shannon Sharpe]

R B. Well, Usher. That definitely got to be on there. Usher. For me, I would say Usher, Mary J. Man.

[21 Savage]

James Brown.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I would probably know that's sold Marvin Gaye.

[21 Savage]

James Brown soul, Right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[21 Savage]

I wouldn't put him in R and B.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Who?

[21 Savage]

James Brown.

[Shannon Sharpe]

No, I wouldn't either. No, probably Marvin Gaye, I guess. For me, I love Luther, but you can't go wrong with Kenny Lattimore either.

[21 Savage]

I don't know Kenny Lattimore.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, he lived before your time.

[21 Savage]

Yeah, yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But, you know. But you know. But you know Luther, right?

[21 Savage]

Yeah, yeah. Luther Vandross. Yeah, yeah, for sure.

[Shannon Sharpe]

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.

[21 Savage]

Why? I can't?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Nah. Hell no. Cause I know you gonna. Cause I know you gonna pick Beyonce. You can't pick Beyonce. Who? Jumping on the track with you.

[21 Savage]

Just one person.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[21 Savage]

For the whole album.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You have. Nah. You know what? I'm gonna let you do feature. You can have as many as you want. I'm gonna let you have. I'll let you have Beyonce.

[21 Savage]

Beyonce.

[Shannon Sharpe]

She gonna do a track. Beyonce, go do a track.

[21 Savage]

Beyonce gonna do another track. That's two. I'm gonna just get from Beyonce. Summer Walker.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

That girl, she hard as a motherfucker. Coco Jones.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

Her.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay. I like her.

[21 Savage]

I'm gonna go get Avant, wherever he at, right? We gonna go get Avant. We gonna get the boy Joe.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. Okay.

[21 Savage]

We gonna see where Joe at.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Well, you might want to put. If you go get you. What about Casey and Jojo? You go put them on your R B.

[21 Savage]

They be stinging still. They still say, yeah, Casey and Jojo. I'm gonna go get Jagged Edge, man.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You go away. Oh, man.

[21 Savage]

I'm gonna bring them back together. I'm gonna go get swv. Y'all have to come back out. I love cut close. If they still somewhere singing, I get cut close. I get Samo 2 to come back.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

Yeah. See, I'm gonna have all type of on my right. I probably make the hardest collaboration on RB album of all time. If I could just get Autumn Artists.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[21 Savage]

Oh, God.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. It's gonna cost you a lot, though.

[21 Savage]

It's all right. We gonna scream.

[Shannon Sharpe]

How did it feel to help J. Cole win this with Grammy?

[21 Savage]

I think we helped each other. I don't think I just helped him. I think we helped each other. It felt good. Shit, that was my first Grammy too, Right? Ain't like I just had 10 Grammys and I just gave him a Grammy.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[21 Savage]

We won that motherfucker at the same time, Right. I wouldn't have got it without him.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right? So 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 jive. You nominated? You want to win? Okay, so you sitting there and the Grammy for Goes to. And they call J. Cole and 21 Savage. What goes through your mind?

[21 Savage]

I was sad that day because that was the day Kobe died.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, right.

[21 Savage]

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.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That's anticlimactic.

[21 Savage]

It was like one of them, like, pre announcements. Yeah, yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You want to hear? You want to. Hey, I want To. Hey, I want to hear my.

[21 Savage]

You want to get up and walk?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, yeah. You like, walk on stage? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[21 Savage]

Oh, God. But, yeah, that was the day Kobe died, so it's kind of, like, bittersweet.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So would you do a collab with J. Cole?

[21 Savage]

Yeah, for sure.

[Shannon Sharpe]

It seems like you, like, look, you one of these artists that. Hey, you collab, offset J. Cole, Drake. You don't seem to have no beef with none of the artists.

[21 Savage]

Mm. Mm. Cause I feel like. I feel like life is bigger than, like, that type shit. I feel like we all blessed to be in these predicaments and positions and because I feel like we'll be doing the people injustice by not giving them that Right. Type shit. 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 spoiled now, right? Artists today is spoiled because of how far music has went. 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 shit 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? Cause it was, like, more rare now.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Like, everybody beefing got everybody beefing.

[21 Savage]

So type shit.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But are they really beefing or they trying to. They trying to get some publicity.

[21 Savage]

It be half and half.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay. Yeah, I'm gonna put you on. I got a tough one for you right now. Give me your top five. Atlanta Rappers.

[21 Savage]

Without me.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Without you.

[21 Savage]

I'm gonna go future.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay. TI okay.

[21 Savage]

Gucci outkast and Young Thug.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay. I'm sorry, Luda Jeezy. Y'all made my top five. But that's.

[21 Savage]

Damn.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Migos, Thug, yada. Yeah, baby, I'm sorry.

[21 Savage]

See, you can't do no Atlanta top five. You can. You gotta do Atlanta top 20. No, no, we got too many greats.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Nah. Cause I ain't gonna let you put everybody up in there. So when they see that I like.

[21 Savage]

My five, them niggas ain't gonna put me in they top five anyway.

[Shannon Sharpe]

They might.

[21 Savage]

Hell, no. They gonna say current. Current or all time.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So what. What. What type of influence did Gucci have on you? You say you saw Gucci at Ms. Wieners very, very early on.

[21 Savage]

I'm gonna keep it real. Like, growing up on the east side, bro. Gucci made me hate Young Jeezy as a child.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[21 Savage]

You see what I'M saying, gonna beat the head.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Go ahead.

[21 Savage]

Yeah, like, I used to really be like, man, Jesus, right? I'm from the east side, Gucci type. Oh, God, Gucci had a big impact. Like, Gucci was the one, like. And he was like. He put that shit on the map, like, let it be known, like the east side type shit.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Are you big into gifts? Do you buy other? Other. I saw Drake bought Thug Ferrari. Are you big into buying other artists gift that jump on your album and. And blow it up?

[21 Savage]

Yeah, we be buying. I done bought Drake some. He done bought me some. I didn't bought Thug. He bought me, like, people that I with, right. In Metro, right. I just don't do for the Internet, right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

So, like, you do stuff and don't nobody know about it.

[21 Savage]

Yeah. But a might have a chain on that I bought him, right. You would never know, right? Because I ain't finna like, be like, honey type shit.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Were you old enough to remember Freak Nick? Yeah, Freaknick was like, that, wasn't it?

[21 Savage]

I. I don't remember being there. I just remember traffic, like, can't go nowhere.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Nope.

[21 Savage]

Type.

[Shannon Sharpe]

It was real nice, though.

[21 Savage]

But you gotta come to my free. You been. You know, I'll be throwing freak meat too. Hold on.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What time? What's really going on?

[21 Savage]

On my birthday.

[Shannon Sharpe]

When is this?

[21 Savage]

October.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Ah, man.

[21 Savage]

We had like. How many people was out there? Like 7,000 people. Yeah. All downtown at the Underground. We had. We had Uncle Luke perform.

[Shannon Sharpe]

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 Nick. You missed you. It was real nice, man. Let me stop. Let me stop. It was all right. It was all right. No, everybody be talking about, you know, teeth, what's going on? Me? You spent a lot. You put spend good. I mean, now you, you, you, you savage. You gonna be in front of the camera, you rapping. You gotta have your grill right?

[21 Savage]

Yeah, for sure.

[Shannon Sharpe]

How many bands you put in there?

[21 Savage]

Like 85.

[Shannon Sharpe]

See.

[21 Savage]

I had to go get them, right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

You get it, right? Yeah. You're supposed to, though.

[21 Savage]

Yeah. Not the composite.

[Shannon Sharpe]

No, no, that's that. Hey, I know.

[21 Savage]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You got that porcelain?

[21 Savage]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You got grills? No grills. I want to get to this. Dating publicly. Would you ever date publicly again?

[21 Savage]

Yeah, probably. You would, would you?

[Shannon Sharpe]

No.

[21 Savage]

Why?

[Shannon Sharpe]

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.

[21 Savage]

Damn, I never thought about it. You just taught me something.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That's just me. I mean, to each his own. I mean, some people like that. I don't. My relationship is not for public consumption.

[21 Savage]

Right.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Because sometimes I think people start to try to live. Try to play out their relationship for the public and do things. Oh, you see what they did? They on this vacation. If I go on vacation, it's just me and you. I ain't trying to do anything for the gram or the net.

[21 Savage]

Right? Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I mean, if I. If I don't all that. Like when you go out to eat and you women got to take pictures. Oh, let me take a picture. Come on, man. Stop it.

[21 Savage]

Yeah. Oh, God.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So that's. That's where I'm at with that. But that's each his own. Yeah, but you. But you cool. I mean, if your lady says okay, you know, Savage, I.

[21 Savage]

Boy, hey, you might just change my mind. Oh, God. You might just change my mind, cuz, you. You got to break up, puppy. But what if you never break up? Have you ever been in a relationship that you felt like, I don't think we ever gonna break up?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Hell, all the relationship that you be in, you be thinking that at a time. I don't think anybody getting no relationship thinking like, oh, man, this is gonna end tomorrow. You think it's gonna last forever?

[21 Savage]

Oh, God.

[Shannon Sharpe]

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 or, oh, he ain't. He don't love her like that. She don't love him. She for the street. He for the street. And it started to play. I mean, you get inundated with that Savage, man. You hear that enough? And it just.

[21 Savage]

Yeah, it'll take a toll on you.

[Shannon Sharpe]

It does. It does. Your tattoos. How old were you got your first tattoo?

[21 Savage]

13, 14. I had got my mama name, though. All right, so she couldn't.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So you cool there. So how old when you first got your face tat? Your first face tap? How old were you?

[21 Savage]

16.

[Shannon Sharpe]

She didn't like that.

[21 Savage]

17? Yeah, she ain't like it. 17. 17. Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So was it the cross? Was it.

[21 Savage]

Nah, it was 21.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[21 Savage]

And then that next year, my big brother Larry, that was like, Johnny best friend, he had got killed. Him and his mama got killed together.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow.

[21 Savage]

And I had got Rip Larry. Cause me and Larry went and got 21 together.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

So I had one that got Rip Larry around it. That was my second face tattoo.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right. What does being a father mean to you?

[21 Savage]

Everything. It's just like, I feel like that's where your legacy count the most.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Mm.

[21 Savage]

Because when you think of, like, all the legends, you be like, damn, I wonder what they son doing, what they kids look like. Like, that's who carry on.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Like, that's your name, that's your lineage.

[21 Savage]

Yeah. I feel like it mean everything.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And you're trying to be everything that your father was to you.

[21 Savage]

Yeah. Facts.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Do you make a. Is it just second nature or you try or you make a conscience or you like, yeah, my dad wouldn't do this, so I'm gonna do that. My dad.

[21 Savage]

Hell no, I don't do that. It's just second nature 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, really. It's just what. What come natural to me.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Do you always want to be a parent? Did you always want to be a father?

[21 Savage]

Yeah. Yeah, I always wanted to have kids. I feel like, what did you. What did you really do it for if you don't have no kids?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[21 Savage]

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, Brianny and like, Kenya Martin junior Or like Carmelo's son. It's like, that's what it's about, right? Like, oh, God.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You want. What if your son would say, dad, you know, I want to be a rapper too.

[21 Savage]

I'm gonna try and find something else. But if that's his passion, right. We're gonna do it the right way.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right? When people say rap is declining, your answer is.

[21 Savage]

My show price is going up.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That's what they decline.

[21 Savage]

It can't be declining shit. My shit going up.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[21 Savage]

I just did the most streams in the day for. Of my career. The biggest solo streams of my career.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow.

[21 Savage]

So it can't be declining. But I don't know though, right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

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?

[21 Savage]

I just want to, like, level up with everything that I'm doing. Like, better show. I feel like everybody love the album already. Like, spend more 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.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Travel, that's something that you want to do.

[21 Savage]

Yeah, like traveling and just starting new ventures and, and business and shit. Just growing up right. Doing ground stuff.

[Shannon Sharpe]

21 savvy, ladies and gentlemen.

[21 Savage]

All my life? Been grinding all my life?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Sacrifice, hustle, paid the price, Wanna slice.

[21 Savage]

Got to roll a dice?

[Shannon Sharpe]

That's why?

[21 Savage]

All my life I've been grinding? All my life? All my life? Been grinding all my life?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Sacrifice, hustle, paid the price, won a.

[21 Savage]

Slice, got the rolling dice? That's why all my life I've been grinding all my life?

[Justin Penick]

What's up, everyone? It's Justin Penick from John Boy Media, the host of the Football Today podcast with Bobby Skinner and Chris Rose. We roll three times a week. On Mondays, on Wednesdays, on Fridays. Breaking down everything you need to know about the NFL. We're gearing up for the NFL playoffs. I hope you can join us. Join in with us three times a week. Listen to Football Today on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts and you will be glad you did.