Ahead of a surprise arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Sunday in Atlanta, 21 Savage was scheduled to perform in one of the highest profile settings of his career: the Grammys. A source close to Post Malone’s camp confirmed that the rapper was set to appear with Post during his performance at the Sunday night ceremony. The pair planned to perform their hit (and Grammy-nominated) single “Rockstar,” as part of a larger performance that also included Malone’s separate performance with Red Hot Chili Peppers. (The RHCP collaboration will still go on as scheduled.)
The planned appearance illustrates how sudden the rapper’s (real name She’yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph) arrest and detention by ICE were.
According to statements by ICE that were later partially confirmed and debunked by Abraham-Joseph’s legal team, the Atlanta rapper was arrested for overstaying a visa. He arrived in the United States over a decade ago from the U.K., where he is from, and never returned. According to statements from Charles H. Kuck, his current immigration lawyer, he had applied for a U Visa, which gives the victims of crimes a path to American residency, in 2017.
21 Savage has not currently been granted bond, which would be necessary for him to perform on Sunday. A rep for the Grammys declined to comment on the appearance.