21 Savage: Details Surface About Rapper’s Felony Warrant

More details are emerging about the concert 21 Savage allegedly skipped out on in 2016, which led to his felony arrest on Friday morning.

21 Savage, who was held by ICE earlier this month for allegedly over-staying his visa in the U.S., turned himself in again on Friday morning for new felony charges. A new warrant was issued in connection with a 2016 case, where 21 Savage allegedly backed out of a show after accepting $17,000 to play. On Sunday, the promoter who booked the show gave new details to TMZ.

The promoter’s name is Karen Smith, and she booked the talent for a show at the Bo’Maz Club in Hinesville, Georgia in September of 2016. She told reporters that 21 Savage demanded to carry his gun on his person even within the show. Eventually, Smith said she caved and allowed the weapon inside.

Later, Smith recalled that 21 Savage had an issue with his opening act, who was another local rapper. She said that 21 Savage complained loudly about the opener, and even asked the DJ to cut him off early. The DJ refused, and eventually 21 Savage and his entourage got angry and left.

The outlet even obtained video footage of the scene, showing the local opening act on stage. As he is playing, figures that look like 21 Savage and his friends get up and leave the room. Little did they know that the move would come back to haunt them years later.

Smith reportedly went to the police in October 2016. She filed paperwork for a federal warrant against 21 Savage, charging him with theft by deception.That warrant sat on record, with no action taken for two years. However, things changed this month after 21 Savage’s arrest by ICE.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency picked up 21 Savage on Super Bowl Sunday. A spokesman for the agency claimed that he had entered the country on a one-year visa in 2005, and had been here illegally since 2006. Lawyers representing 21 Savage disputed just about every part of this claim, from the timeline of his arrival in the U.S. to his current immigration status.

After the high-profile arrest, Smith herself went to the Sheriff to revive her case against 21 Savage. She is belatedly pursuing her criminal case against the rapper. Here, too, the rapper’s lawyer, Abbi Taylor, told TMZ that 21 Savage has committed no criminal offense.

When news of the immigration case first broke, many fans were shocked by the news that 21 Savage, a rapper so closely associated with Atlanta and its local culture, was from the U.K. In his first interview after the arrest, 21 Savage told Good Morning America that, in spite of all the jokes, he still considered the city his home.

“I wasn’t hiding it,” he said. “But it’s like, I didn’t want to get deported so I’m not finna just come out and be like ‘by the way, I wasn’t born here’ to the world. I’ve been here 20 years. This is all I know.”