One rapper who's blown up like crazy this year is 21 Savage. He generated a serious buzz off a few murderous club hits in Atlanta and then went on to drop a remarkable joint album, Savage Mode, with his city's best producer in Metro Boomin. Being a new and unavoidable presence on the scene, 21 has already inspired plenty of biters. There's one young rapper from Baton Rouge who's gone far beyond the subtle efforts of the rest, though, as he's given himself the moniker 22 Savage as well as a look and sound that's undeniably similar to 21's. With his first music video, 22 has already become something of a viral sensation. How long can it last, though? In a new interview, 22 confirmed that he's dead serious about pursuing a rap career as 22 Savage, and he even went as far as to say that he's "way better" than 21.
It turns out that the 19-year-old 22 Savage has quite a history, in the rap game, on social media, and with the law (which may have the final word when it comes to his potential success as 22 Savage). Here's a statement from a PR company that has recently begun to work with 22:
"Our publicity company loves the bold, brave, scandalous, outspoken, dangerous, cutting-edge and controversial artists... 22 Savage came up with an amazing idea and it’s great to be able to help light up the Internet with it. This kid is a star, point blank."
Like the man who inspired him, 22 hopes that Savage Mode will be his breakout project. Scroll through the galleries to discover everything you need to know about the Internet phenomenon that is 22 Savage.
The first 22 Savage song, “No Heart,” arrived two months ago. The track shares a title with one of the most popular songs on 21 Savage’s joint album with Metro Boomin, Savage Mode, which happens to be the title of 22’s forthcoming project.
On “No Heart,” 22 claims to have lost his heart when he was four years old. The rest of the song details repeatedly being betrayed by thotties and ratchets. “My ex fucked my cousin, I just knew she was a hoe,” he raps, also detailing far more more graphic stories like kicking a woman he got pregnant in the stomach ‘cause he wasn’t ready to be a father.
“No Heart” will be the next 22 track to get the video treatment, following “Jumpin,” which has emerged as his breakout hit.
No heart official video COMMING soon 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/wxjMtG71PK
Before He Was 22 Savage He Rapped as Mighty Mike
MacArthur Johnson had something of a rap career before he came to be 22 Savage. As Mighty Mike, he signed to the Baton Rouge independent label Travis James Entertainment, which he’s still a part of now as 22 Savage. Mighty Mike had a viral hit with a song called “Hit That Bit for the Gram.” The music video, released in March of this year, now has over 380,000 YouTube views; the audio, released in November 2015, has gained over 5.5 million. The song, seemingly designed for comedic viral success, has led to many popular dance-along videos on Instagram, Vine, and YouTube. Though Mike clearly has confidence as a rapper, his voice bears none of the broken rasp that can be heard in the raps of 22 Savage.
Before Rapping He Earned a Reputation as a Social Media Comedian
While still in high school, Johnson began to achieve a relatively prominent reputation as a social media comedian, especially in Baton Rouge and the surrounding areas. He was known for short skits, impressions, and memes, operating under various monikers, including Funny Ass Mike and GirlHeFunny. He often appeared in videos with his main comedic partner Wings, who’s apparently his half brother.
22 Savage Gets His First Hit With "Jumpin"
22 Savage put out “Jumpin” shortly after “No Heart.” As the track began to buzz, he decided that “Jumpin” would be his first music video as 22 Savage. Released a week ago, the “Jumpin” video has almost reached 1 million views on YouTube. The video begins with a group of girls responding to a man asking if the fire he hears coming out of the car stereo is 21 Savage -- “No bitch this 22!” 22 then brings the requisite amount of guns, drugs, and females, who proudly don “I ♥︎ 22” shirts,” to keep the trap positively "Jumpin."
Since “Jumpin,” 22 has released a freestyle over Future’s “Freak Hoes,” and three original songs, “Hit That 22,” “Run It,” and “Pay 4 It.”
He Was Charged with 2nd-Degree Murder Earlier This Year
Right as “Hit That Bit for the Gram” was starting to blow up, the rapper then known as Mighty Mike caught a murder charge. In May of this year, 19-year-old MacArthur Johnson was arrested for allegedly shooting and killing another young aspiring rapper in a convenience store parking lot in the small town of Baker, LA. A dispute between Johnson and the victim reportedly began over an out-of-date party flyer. Before shots were fired, they had apparently agreed to settle the beef without the use of weapons. After the initial compromise, the victim, for reasons unknown, reportedly went back to approach Johnson, who was was seated in the passenger’s side of a friend’s vehicle. That’s when the fatal shots were fired to the victim’s chest.
Johnson was charged with second-degree murder, illegal use of a weapon, and obstruction of justice. His bail was reportedly set at $370,000. As he was being led from jail to a court hearing, Johnson told reporters that he was innocent and that he acted in self-defense.
He Claims to Have Had Money Before Rap
As 22 Savage was able to make bail for his murder charge, it’s presumed that there’s some source of income surrounding him aside from his earnings off rap and comedy. Indeed, he flaunts what he says is $100,000 in a new video and claims that he been had money before the onset of his rap career. He has said in recent interviews that he sees his career as 22 Savage as an opportunity to get out of the streets. Keep in mind that he's still facing an upcoming murder trial.
@IAM22SAVAGE has a bold message for his haters pic.twitter.com/GGuv8G2EqA
He Was Once Planning to Bite Kevin Gates
Those who've been through the previous slides know that Johnson can do an impressive Kevin Gates impression -- more proof below. According to the Travis James Entertainment website, Mighty Mike was planning to drop a mixtape called Supa Brasi, presumably a spin-off of Kevin Gates' "Luca Brasi" series, especially considering that Mike can be seen donning Gates' face tattoos on the Supa Brasi cover. Could it be that he was planning to market himself as a Kevin Gates impersonator before favoring his chances as 22 Savage?
21 Savage is Aware of His Presence
Should 22 proceed with caution?
name another nigga getting cloned
Clearly 22 savage has yet to see this. RT to save his life. pic.twitter.com/PN8rbFACzP
