Grammy-nominated rapper 21 Savage has been arrested and faces deportation after it emerged he is British and his US visa allegedly ran out when he was 13, it was revealed today.
The musician, 26, was held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and is in federal immigration custody in Georgia.
Abraham-Joseph is nominated for two awards at next week's Grammys, including record of the year for his hit 'Rockstar'.
He performed in Atlanta last Thursday in the Super Bowl Music Fest at State Farm Arena but was arrested yesterday.
Until last night it was believed that he was born and raised in Atlanta - with the Georgian city the inspiration for his music.
But ICE said last night:
'His whole public persona is false. He actually came to the US from the UK as a teen and overstayed his visa'.
Bryan Cox says the rapper, whose given name is Sha Yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, is a British citizen who entered the US legally in July 2005 at the age of 12.
He says the 26-year-old overstayed his visa, which expired a year later in July 2006.
21 Savage, who previously dated model Amber Rose, was arrested Sunday morning in a targeted operation in the Atlanta area.
This comes as a shock to his fans, who considered the rapper an Atlanta local and born and brought up in DeKalb County, which covers the eastern suburbs of the city.
