Rapper 21 Savage is sparking a debate online after calling his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia a “pedophile” and “grooming a** city” that prepared him and others for club life since the age of 10-12-years-old. Although originally from London, England, 21’s family ended up in ATL in 2000, when he was 7-years-old.
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While appearing on a new episode ‘Perspektives With Bank,’ 21 Savage, born Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, talked about how he maneuvers around Atlanta and if he’s still outside like that. He said:
“I’m not really no n***a who just be out, everywhere all the time anyway. Half the time I’m in the house. This is how I really feel. I feel like Atlanta is really goddamn—what’s the word? Atlanta really a pedophile. ‘Cause Atlanta really groomed us, bro, since we was kids. Just listen to me. Okay, maybe pedophile is the wrong word. Atlanta is a grooming a** city. Atlanta groomed us n***as since we were 10, 11, 12 on club life, bro.”
21 continued to explain how he would work odd jobs to spend money on clothes to go show off at the skating rink He recalled:
“Like, n***a. When I was 11, n***a. On my momma, n***a, I was taking out trash for $2 in the apartments just to goddamn get some chucks [Converse Chuck Taylors] and some Dickies to go to Decatur Skate. Getting wristbands. Goddamn, n***a, they used to have pitchers with no liquor. You just get a pitcher of Sprite. So, yo a** getting groomed for the club. From, you goddamn in middle school. So, now when you goddamn 30, man, n***a, I’ve been going to the club since I was 11-12-years-old, bro f**k the club. You get what I’m saying? Atlanta groomed a n***a, bro.”
21 continued to share:
“And n***as are banging out at these clubs. Decatur Skate. Megaplex. Goddamn Vivid. Lone Star. Palladium. All this sh*t. N***as banging out, man. N***as shooting at these clubs. N***a, we 15-16. Girls getting shot. N***as getting shot.”
Big Bank continued to ask 21, “What do you think made you jump off the porch to the streets, though? ‘Cause I don’t feel like you supposed to have been in the street. ‘Cause n***as don’t know you really a smart a**, let it go a** n***a, call a n***a phone and let it go a** n***a.” 21 replied, “Those are really the most dangerous n***as, though. I’m not saying I’m dangerous. I’m just saying, don’t let them take that as…”
21 continued to add, “I think what made me jump in the street is just my circumstances. Like, I was forced in the street. ‘Cause I couldn’t do nothing else. I ain’t got no green card. I can’t get no job. So, how the hell else was I going to survive? I don’t feel like I jumped in the street. I feel like I was kind of like forced. When we moved to Atlanta, my momma had four kids.”
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