A recent music video from 21 Savage for the track entitled “Redrum” on his latest album, “American Dream,” includes shots of the artist and his crew enjoying the classic flavors of the Jamaican soft drink brand, BIGGA. A brand that has been associated with the phrase “larger than life,” BIGGA soft drinks are also described as “bold, bubbly, colorful, and effervescent” with a tagline touting the brand as “everything Jamaican.”
Everything BIGGA
BIGGA was developed by the Jamaica Drink Company in 1996, a subsidiary of the Wisynco Group. Because it was the first and only beverage product to be made in Jamaica by a Jamaican-owned company, it became strongly aligned with Jamaican nationalism. BIGGA is available in Antigua, Barbados, Belize, St Kitts, USA, St Vincent, Cayman, Canada, Bahamas, St Vincent, Guyana, the British Virgin Islands, Monsterrat, and Bermuda. Its flavors include ginger beer, pineapple, fruit punch, cream soda, apple, orange, Jamaica kola, and grape.
Early life marked by violence
The artist known as 21 Savage was born Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph in 1992 in London’s Plaistow area. His parents are both British nationals with Caribbean heritage. His mother’s family is from Dominica, and his father’s people are from St Vincent and the Grenadines. His paternal grandfather was from Haiti. His twin sisters, Kyra and Jayda Davis are both dance choreographers who live in London, as does his father, who works for the Westminster City Council. After his parents divorced when he was seven, he moved to Atlanta, Georgia, with his mother. At age 12 in 2005, he returned to the United Kingdom to attend his uncle’s funeral, then returned to Atlanta on an H-4 visa, which expired in 2006. He faced legal repercussions later because he had overstayed his visa, but he was granted permanent legal residency in the United States in 2023. 21 Savage has had numerous contacts with the law and was permanently banned from every school in Georgia’s DeKalb County School District for gun possession. He ultimately spent time in a juvenile detention center, dropped out of an alternative school program in his freshman year, joined a street gang, and became involved in various criminal activities. His brother Quantivayus died in a drug-related shooting, and in 2011, one of his friends was killed in a shootout. He was shot six times by rival gang members in 2013 in an incident that killed his best friend.
Inspired to become a rapper
After the 2013 incident, which occurred on his 21st birthday, 21 Savage started rapping. He received financial support for his music career from the uncle of his deceased friend, and his debut single, “I Can’t Get Enough,” was released in March 2013. “The Slaughter Tape,” his first mixtape, was released in 2015 and made him an “underground hero” in Atlanta, according to Interview Magazine. In 2017, he released his debut studio album, “Issa Album,” which debuted in the Number 2 spot on the US Billboard 200 chart. He was featured on “Rockstar,” a single from Post Malone, later in 2017. This was his first Number 1 song, and it was certified Diamond by the RIAA. His first US Number 1 album was recorded in 2018 with collaborations with Travis Scott, Post Malone, Childish Gambino, Offset, J. Cole, Gunna, Lil Baby, Project Pat, Yung Miami, and Schoolboy Q. The song, “A Lot,” that featured vocals by J. Cole, earned 21 Savage his first Grammy. A biopic about the rapper, singer, and record producer was announced in January 2024 and is currently titled, “American Dream: The 21 Savage Story.” His third studio album, “American Dream,” will be the soundtrack of the film.
Photo – Wisynco.com, Youtube.com
