With a tattoo of a knife between his eyebrows, Shayaa “21 Savage” Joseph stands out in the Atlanta hip-hop scene. His harrowing backstory of surviving a shooting that killed his friend added dramatic weight to his debut mixtape in 2015. But his nonchalant charisma, dry humor, and catchy ad libs made him a fast-rising star who soon landed in the studio with major stars like Future. And the slow, melodic tracks of super producer Metro Boomin proved to be a successful backdrop for the deadpan creak of 21 Savage's voice.