British-born American rapper 21 Savage was a guest on the Club Shay Shay podcast, where he sat down with Shannon Sharpe. The Atlanta rapper talked about what it was like being born in London and growing up in Atlanta, sharing the trials and tribulations that eventually led to him becoming a global music superstar.
Amongst other things, he also narrated the story of surviving six gunshot wounds and witnessing his friend’s murder, and how T.I. almost gave him a million dollars but didn’t, which turned out to be a blessing in the long run.
Shannon, who had previously had T. I was on his podcast, and I asked 21 Savage to confirm T.I.’s story about 21 Savage asking him for one million dollars and T.I. turning down the offer because it would mean he’d have to take more from 21 Savage. T.I. confirmed the story, and 21 Savage replied,
“He was still tryna sign me, though. T.I. is just cheap as hell,”
Said 21 Savage.
The Atlanta rapper continued to narrate what went down:
“He sent me an offer, and my counteroffer was I want a million. And he was like sh*t, imma have to take so much from you in return that it ain’t even gonna be worth the million in the future.”
Despite never signing to T.I. in the end, 21 Savage admitted to Shannon that he looks up to T.I.:
“I look up to T.I. cause he’s one of them n***as who is as rich as a mo**erf**ker but he tight as hell. And that’s how he keeps that money, though. He’s smart with his money.”
T.I., also in an interview on the Club Shay Shay podcast, had earlier explained why he turned down a seven-figure deal with his Grand Hustle label for 21 Savage and also Young Thug. According to the Atlanta rapper, he didn’t want to take on the responsibility of managing their careers, as he felt that signing them would require a significant amount of his time and attention.
“21 Savage, Young Thug, a lot of them come up to me, ‘Aye man, give me a million, Tip. I don’t care what you do, just give me a million and let me handle it from there.’ And I’m like, ‘Nah, I ain’t gonna do that. If I give you a million, I gotta take back something that’s gonna be worth way more, and we ain’t gon’ be able to be friends from there.”
T.I. also revealed that he advised 21 Savage not to worry about the money upfront, as it would eventually come.
“I always tell ’em, man, ‘Don’t worry about the money up front ’cause it’s gon’ come.’ I remember telling that to Slime, I remember telling that to 21. And even Savage, every time he sees me now, he’ll hit me and say, ‘Ay, it came.’ And that put a smile on my face because I just know how impactful every generation has the opportunity to be even more than the last.”
It’s safe to say the game massively paid off for 21 Savage, as he currently owns his master’s rights, which he says allows him to make more from album sales than touring.
