Did Drake just head back to Atlanta to get his groove back? With Young Thug, Lotto, and 21 Savage all in the mix, it sure seems like it. But here’s the real question: was 21 Savage just a pawn in a bigger play against Kendrick Lamar? 21 Savage’s manager, Justin Meyers Williams, is saying no way, denying that Savage was taking shots at Kendrick on Drake’s leaked track “It’s Up.” Drake dropped the song on Tuesday, August 6th, as part of a surprise 100 GB dump of unreleased content.
Drake’s back at it, doing what he does best—stirring up the internet. He just dropped a massive 100 gigs of content out of the blue, filled with unreleased tracks, unused artwork, and even some behind-the-scenes footage. But the track everyone’s talking about? A collab with 21 Savage that sounds like it might be throwing some serious shade at Kendrick Lamar.
As soon as the track hit the web, 21’s manager went into full-on damage control, insisting to DJ Akademiks that there’s no way those lyrics were aimed at Kendrick. But fans aren’t exactly buying it—social media is buzzing with speculation that 21 was definitely dropping some not-so-subtle disses.
So, here’s the thing: fans are pretty sure 21 Savage never saw that track leak coming from Drake. With all the drama between Drake and Kendrick lately, it looks like 21 might be trying to step back a bit—he definitely doesn’t want to get caught up in the same mess Kendrick’s dealing with. But what’s really going on with this new track? Is 21 throwing shade at Kendrick? And where does 21 even stand with Drake now, especially after Kendrick called out Drake for using 21 to boost his street cred and playing the Atlanta card?
Let’s break it down. 21’s team quickly shut down the talk that the lyric was aimed at Kendrick. Akademiks actually mentioned it on his Rumble live stream, saying, “I just spoke to 21’s manager. Shout out to Mey—21 is not dissing Kendrick.”
Ever since this whole thing with Drake and Kendrick blew up, 21 Savage has been keeping a low profile and just staying out of the fray. And honestly, who could blame him? It’s pretty clear why 21 might be feeling torn right now. He’s been close with Metro Boomin from the start, but on the flip side, some of his biggest tracks in the last five years have been with Drake—they even dropped a whole album together!
After weeks of keeping us all guessing, 21 Savage finally broke his silence on Instagram Live, addressing the Drake vs. Everybody drama. While he avoided directly throwing shade at Kendrick or commenting on the diss tracks aimed at Drake, 21 did share some thoughts on the situation with Metro and Drake. He made it clear he’s not taking sides in their beef, describing both Metro and Drake as close to him and saying he’s not interested in the drama.
Fans are still curious about 21 Savage’s real feelings towards Drake, especially after Kendrick’s track “Not Like Us.” Kendrick took aim at Drake, suggesting he’s been exploiting Atlanta’s music scene. He even called out 21 by name, implying that Drake used him for street cred. This has led to speculation about whether 21 is quietly holding a grudge against Drake or just brushing off Kendrick’s jabs.
Some critics have gone even further, questioning 21’s authenticity. One fan remarked, “21 Savage is just a British guy pretending to be from Atlanta. Why is he hiding his accent? He’s as fake as Drake.” Another chimed in, “If we’re calling out Drake, let’s not forget 21 Savage is also putting on a show. Why isn’t he sticking to his British roots instead of playing tough guy?”
Here’s a fun fact you might not know: 21 Savage was actually born in London. Both of his parents are British with Caribbean heritage. When he was seven, he moved to Atlanta with his mom after his parents split. But here’s the kicker—no one knew about his British roots until 2019, when ICE arrested him and revealed he was a British national living in the U.S. illegally since his visa expired in 2006.
While he was detained, 21 Savage made a statement: “I don’t think the policy is broken; I feel like the way that they enforced the policy is broken.” This sparked massive support from the music community, with nearly half a million people signing a petition to keep him in the U.S. Jay-Z even got involved, bringing in a top-notch legal team to get him out of detention and help him stay in the country.
Now, let’s rewind to February 3rd, just before the Super Bowl in Atlanta. What happened when you got pulled over?
“I don’t even know. I was just driving, then I saw blue lights. Next thing I knew, I was in the back of a car and gone.”
Did they tell you you were under arrest?
“No, they didn’t say anything. They just said, ‘We got Savage.’”
ICE wasn’t shy about their approach. They accused him of pretending to be from Atlanta and even threw some shade, saying his whole public persona was a fake. They claimed he came to the U.S. from the UK as a teen and overstayed his visa. By October 2021, 21 Savage got his green card, and Drake gave him a shout-out in his track “8 a.m. in Charlotte,” rapping, “Savage got a green card straight out of the consulate / Where I go, you go, brother, we Yugoslavian.”
21’s lawyers confirmed he’s now a lawful permanent resident, but he won’t be eligible for citizenship until 2028. This might explain why he’s stayed out of the “colleague vs. colonizer” debate with Drake.
Despite all the drama, 21 seemed pretty chill. Just a few weeks after Kendrick’s “Not Like Us” dropped, 21 brought Drake out for a surprise performance in Toronto. And then, out of nowhere, Drake dropped a huge 100 GB of content, including unreleased tracks with Atlanta rappers like 21, Young Thug, and Lotto.
The latest release includes three new tracks: “It’s Up” with Young Thug and 21 Savage, “Blue Green Red,” and “Housekeeping Notes” featuring Lil Baby. But right now, everyone’s buzzing about “It’s Up” because it sounds like 21 Savage might be taking a shot at Kendrick Lamar. In his verse, 21 raps, “No rap cap come out my mouth / Made a couple songs, think he hot now,” and then adds a line that seems to threaten someone: “Hit his a**, he think he Pac now / Broad day like he got down.”
The internet has been on fire trying to figure out if 21 is sneaking in a diss at Kendrick. Reactions have been all over the place, from fans accusing 21 of throwing shade without naming Kendrick directly to others defending him, saying he was just trying to keep things peaceful while still getting a jab in. Twitter’s been buzzing with opinions, with some saying 21 is avoiding direct confrontation, while others think he’s just being strategic.
One fan commented, “Picking sides through sneak-dissing instead of publicly defending his boy—MFs are scared to say Candyman’s name.” Another didn’t hold back, saying, “21 Savage really shouldn’t be coming at Kendrick because he’s one of the worst new-gen rappers, and all his verses sound the same.”
On the other hand, some believe the track might have been recorded before any drama between Drake and Kendrick started heating up. One user argued, “I doubt it. It’s probably an old song, considering there’s a Thug feature,” while another suggested, “It’s a ‘Hit ‘Em Up’ reference, not a Kendrick reference.”
Just when things seemed to be heating up, 21’s manager, Mey, stepped in to set the record straight. According to DJ Akademiks, Mey confirmed that the lines in question weren’t aimed at Kendrick. Mey said, “21 is not dissing Kendrick. That definitely ain’t no shot at Kendrick.”
Even with this clarification, many fans aren’t buying it. They think 21 is using damage control to avoid beefing with Kendrick. One fan said, “Drake on his own,” and another wrote, “You know you’re scared when you’re clarifying a line before being confronted. Savage about to pull a J. Cole and apologize.”
So, what’s your take? Is 21 sneak-dissing Kendrick, or is everyone reading too much into it? Drop your comments below and stay tuned