4 minute read
FEATURE STORY
hen 21 Savage says he’s got a lot to lose, he’s W speaking metaphorically, but also, quite literally. This guy has way more stuff than the average human, which makes sense for someone who grew up without it.
He still lives in Atlanta, but in a mansion. He has more boy toys than one man can reasonably know what to do with: houses, cars, cigars, watches. It’s the kind of stuff he’s always coveted — expensive, defining, an expression of success.
“[My love of luxury] came with time, as my life and my career evolved,” he explains. “Now, I love fast cars and watches, nice houses. I have about 20, 30 cars: a Ferrari SF90, a Dodge Hellcat, Mercedes, and Cadillacs. I have antique cars. I have Patek Philippes, Richard Milles, Rolexes, Audemars
Piguets, Piagets. I’ve got watches that I’ll keep forever, the ones that are rare.
I’ve got a special Richard Mille; they only made like, nine of them, so that’s probably the rarest one I’ve got.”
He goes on to describe his 50-strong humidor, which houses Gurkhas,
Arturas, and Montecristos, among others, and his extensive art collection. [He’s not in the NFT space yet but tells me he’ll get there “eventually once I figure it out.”]
There’s no doubt about it: 21 Savage is a guy who loves his luxuries.
But at the end of the day, he could survive without them. Don’t forget, this is the man who also wrote “A Lot” [Every day that I’m alive, I’ma ride with the stick/I’d rather be broke in jail than be dead and rich/Told my brothers take my breath if I turn to a snitch/But I’m 21 4L, ain’t no way I’ma switch].
And so, it’s the things to which he attaches personal meaning that are the most impactful. That includes his recent acquisition, a painting by
Kehinde Wiley, an artist best known for his naturalistic portraits of African
American men in heroic poses.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” he declares. “It’s two Black men, surrounded by flowers. It just stuck out to me.”
There’s something unexpectedly sweet about Savage (even more unexpected given that “Savage” is his stage name), who isn’t shy about confiding that his childhood dream was to be an Air Force pilot, and who manifested that desire into a quest for his pilot’s license as an adult (he’s halfway there). He is unexpectedly spiritual, practicing the West African Ifá religion; and describes himself, above all else, as “solid, genuine, and pure; sharing that the three most impactful moments of his life — in addition to being detained by ICE and getting shot — was the birth of his children Kamari, 7; Ashaad, 5; and Rhian, 5.
After learning these things, I’m not surprised in the slightest that he found a purpose by giving back, in “[helping] to give to others [some of] the opportunities” he himself is lucky to have. That he’s so hell-bent on sharing the wealth, so to speak.
On that note, in 2017, his four-time platinum hit record “Bank Account” sparked the desire to put his money where his mouth is, and in turn, launched the nationwide Bank Account Financial Literacy Campaign, which teaches kids basic money management skills as well as how to open bank accounts. In 2020, in response to the pandemic, he launched “Bank Account at Home” to cover lost wages for kids enrolled in said program who had lost their jobs; he also partnered with former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ ATL Strong to provide WiFi and tablets to underprivileged youth. This, in part, is his way of transforming his hardships into something good, something useful, for children, in conjunction with his Leading by Example Foundation.
“Giving back is especially important to me, because I feel like I’m blessed with a lot of the stuff I have, so that I could give back to people. Other than that, I want to build a child center in one of my old neighborhoods for kids to have a place to go and learn different trades or just do different things other than just roam and get into trouble,” he says, confiding that he’s actively speaking to a few of his successful Atlanta-based friends to see how they can “come together and figure it out.”
But he wants to inspire in other ways, too, and he’s hopeful that by sharing his story — quietly or not — he’s doing just that. “I feel like people just hearing my story will [be] motivated, period. Seeing where I came from to where I am now, hopefully, it does that.”
He wants to offer the reminder that, no matter how terrible things get, there is always something brighter on the other side, and that if you push yourself hard enough to change, you can always put distance between the past and the present — especially if you put in the work to do so.
“Right now, I’m at the best point in my life, mentally. I’ve evolved, and I can’t really credit it to one thing. I can’t really say that it was one thing that got me here,’ he admits, adding, “But [my greatest luxury] has always remained the same, and that’s happiness, because nothing — no material thing in life — can replace that.”
Not even multiple Grammy Awards, born out of hardship.
