Commentary

COMMENTARY: Black Millennials Embrace the Struggle and Message of Rapper 21 Savage

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Although 21 Savage has lived in the U.S. for the past 14 years, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is attempting to expedite his deportation back to the United Kingdom. Savage was detained but was able to post bail from ICE last week.

Published

6 years ago

February 18, 2019

Oakland Post

By Black Millennial Voices: Malika Elmengad and Franklin Chavis

Becoming a well-known hip-hop rapper involves displaying creative genius and talent on the stage and in recording studios. Unfortunately, for some young aspiring hip-hop artists, unjust confrontations with law enforcement appear to be inevitable. This is currently the case with the Grammy-nominated rapper professionally known as 21 Savage.

Based now in Atlanta, Georgia, 21 Savage was born in London in the United Kingdom on October 22, 1992. The 26-year-old talented rapper’s name at birth was Sheyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph. He immigrated legally to the United States as a minor back in 2005 with his family.

Although 21 Savage has lived in the U.S. for the past 14 years, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is attempting to expedite his deportation back to the United Kingdom. Savage was detained but was able to post bail from ICE last week.

Yet, in the aftermath of being released from ICE detention and appearing in a taped television show interview on ABC’s Good Morning America, police officials in Southern Georgia’s Liberty County re-arrested 21 Savage and charged him with “felony theft” because he did not perform at a paid gig in Georgia 3 years ago.

The fact of the matter is that 21 Savage actually turned himself into the Liberty County Sherriff’s office and was immediately released on another bail posting. According to one of his attorneys, Abby Taylor, “This is really a civil contract dispute. We are optimistic that it will be resolved to the satisfaction of all of the parties and dismissed.”

From the perspective of millions of Black American millennials across the nation, the unjust ordeals that 21 Savage is facing are all symptomatic and representative of racism in the U.S. immigration system combined with long-standing cultural and racial profiling of hip-hop artists by the so-called criminal justice system.

The constant run-ins that Tupac Shakur and DMX and many other hip-hop artists have had with the police are on point and relevant to what 21 Savage is now enduring. Some news reports have revealed that ICE officials were trying to intimidate and force 21 Savage to give up his fight to remain in the U.S. Immigration procedures could possibly lead to both his unjust deportation and a 10-year ban from reentering the country.

But it is good to witness that 21 Savage is keeping his faith strong, hiring good experienced defense lawyers, and that there is a growing vocal and visible support for him now coming from hip-hop icons like Jay Z, Diddy and Meek Mills.

Attorney Charles Kuck, one of the other lawyers representing 21 Savage, stated, “[21 Savage] never hid his immigration status.” Attorney Kuck also said that he has a pending U visa application that could permit him to remain in the U.S. 21 Savage also has two U.S. born children whom he supports, which could make him eligible to stay here and to continue his growing career as a gifted artist and musician.

Attorney Kuck concluded, “In fact, his contributions to local communities and schools that he grew up in are the examples of the type of immigrant we want in America.”

When the New York Times recently asked 21 Savage if he felt a responsibility to speak up about his circumstances. He responded in a classic 21 Savage manner spitting truth to power: “Yeah, I feel a responsibility. My situation is important ’cause I represent poor black Americans and I represent poor immigrant Americans. You gotta think about all the millions of people that ain’t 21 Savage that’s in 21 Savage shoes.”

Thus, 21 Savage speaks for all of us across the nation who are young and fed up with the mass incarcerations, intimidations, and racial oppression. His voice is our voice. Hip-hop is not going anywhere. We embrace the courage and the creative genius of 21 Savage today and into the future.

Malika Elmengad and Franklin Chavis are Co-Founders of Black Millennial Voices, a national and global advocacy group of millennials who are now writing and reporting for the NNPA: The Black Press of America. They can be reached at www.BlackMillennialVoices.com

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Russell Hornsby: “Proven Innocent,” Actor is a Proven Talent

Don't Miss

COMMENTARY: Trump Keeps Government Open But Continues To Run a Scam

Oakland Post

1 Comment

Activism

U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries Speaks on Democracy at Commonwealth Club

Based on his first speech as House minority leader, “The ABCs of Democracy” by Grand Central Publishing is an illustrated children’s book for people of all ages. Each letter contrasts what democracy is and isn’t, as in: “American Values over Autocracy”, “Benevolence over Bigotry” and “The Constitution over the Cult.”

Published

5 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Oakland Post

: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries at the Commonwealth Club World Affairs Council on Dec. 2. Photo by Johnnie Burrell. Book cover: "The ABCs of Democracy" by Hakeem Jeffries.

By Linda Parker Pennington
Special to The Post

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries addressed an enthusiastic overflow audience on Monday at San Francisco’s Commonwealth Club, launching his first book, “The ABCs of Democracy.”

Based on his first speech as House minority leader, “The ABCs of Democracy” by Grand Central Publishing is an illustrated children’s book for people of all ages.

Each letter contrasts what democracy is and isn’t, as in: “American Values over Autocracy”, “Benevolence over Bigotry” and “The Constitution over the Cult.”

Less than a month after the election that will return Donald Trump to the White House, Rep. Jeffries also gave a sobering assessment of what the Democrats learned.

“Our message just wasn’t connecting with the real struggles of the American people,” Jeffries said. “The party in power is the one that will always pay the price.”

On dealing with Trump, Jeffries warned, “We can’t fall into the trap of being outraged every day at what Trump does. That’s just part of his strategy. Remaining calm in the face of turmoil is a choice.”

He pointed out that the razor-thin margin that Republicans now hold in the House is the lowest since the Civil War.

Asked what the public can do, Jeffries spoke about the importance of being “appropriately engaged. Democracy is not on autopilot. It takes a citizenry to hold politicians accountable and a new generation of young people to come forward and serve in public office.”

With a Republican-led White House, Senate, House and Supreme Court, Democrats must “work to find bi-partisan common ground and push back against far-right extremism.”

He also described how he is shaping his own leadership style while his mentor, Speaker-Emeritus Nancy Pelosi, continues to represent San Francisco in Congress. “She says she is not hanging around to be like the mother-in-law in the kitchen, saying ‘my son likes his spaghetti sauce this way, not that way.’”

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of December 18 – 24, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of December 18 – 24, 2024

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

‘Donald Trump Is Not a God:’ Rep. Bennie Thompson Blasts Trump’s Call to Jail Him

“Donald Trump is not a god,” U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., told The Grio during a recent interview, reacting to Trump’s unsupported claims that the congressman, along with other committee members like vice chair and former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, destroyed evidence throughout the investigation.

Published

4 days ago

December 18, 2024

Oakland Post

Congressman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said he not intimidated by President-elect Donald Trump, who, during an interview on “Meet the Press,” called for the congressman to be jailed for his role as chairman of the special congressional committee investigating Trump’s role in the Jan. 6, 2021, mob attack on the U.S. Capitol.

“Donald Trump is not a god,” Thompson told The Grio during a recent interview, reacting to Trump’s unsupported claims that the congressman, along with other committee members like vice chair and former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, destroyed evidence throughout the investigation.

“He can’t prove it, nor has there been any other proof offered, which tells me that he really doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” said the 76-year-old lawmaker, who maintained that he and the bipartisan Jan. 6 Select Committee – which referred Trump for criminal prosecution – were exercising their constitutional and legislative duties.

“When someone disagrees with you, that doesn’t make it illegal; that doesn’t even make it wrong,” Thompson said, “The greatness of this country is that everyone can have their own opinion about any subject, and so for an incoming president who disagrees with the work of Congress to say ‘because I disagree, I want them jailed,’ is absolutely unbelievable.”

When asked by The Grio if he is concerned about his physical safety amid continued public ridicule from Trump, whose supporters have already proven to be violent, Thompson said, “I think every member of Congress here has to have some degree of concern, because you just never know.”

This story is based on a report from The Grio.