People all across America have been keeping up with the 21 Savage-ICE deportation story via news and social media. This news break was previously met with a lot confusion from the general public. Almost no one knew that 21 Savage was not an American citizen – let alone British. After his release, the rapper did an interview with Good Morning America where he stated that previously he “did not understand what a visa was” and continued on to say, “I knew I wasn’t born here, but I did not know what that meant as far as when I transitioned into an adult, how it was gonna affect my life.” Some might believe that the 21 Savage-ICE fiasco could simply be summed up as a learning experience for immigrant children on how to remain a citizen and just overall the importance of being informed. However, it may also be more than that. Some questions come up when analyzing this case, questions that make the entire plot take a more cynical turn.

21 Savage’s visa expired about thirteen years ago. Why was he just now being targeted by ICE? I mean, the guy has been touring all over the place. Why did his arrest and release coincide with the beginning and end of the Grammys? 21 Savage has been famous for years now rapping about money, drugs and sex. It’s a bit suspicious that this happens right after he makes a verse about the immigration system..

Now we’re not going to pretend to know all the ins and outs about immigration laws and the extent of what ICE (U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement) can and cannot do. But what we are able to see is a pattern of musicians being targeted once they make spontaneous political statements, or in some way point out the recent wrongs of the government. Tupac, Bob Marley, the list goes on. On The Tonight Show, 21 Savage added lyrics in his song “A-lot” that spoke on border patrol and how Flint Michigan still does not have access to clean water. Five days later, he was arrested by ICE because his VISA expired…13 years ago. Why didn’t ICE act sooner? Did his statement on The Tonight Show put him on some kind of radar?

It is very discouraging that after people try to send positive messages and make changes in this country, it seems like they are then targeted and silenced. In the 60s, during the Civil Rights Movement, we saw that prominent figures assassinated and rising speakers’ their light dimmed before they even got the chance to shine. While we are not seeing assassinations like in that era, we still see a pattern of the government wanting to stop the voices of people with platforms from speaking on how corrupt this country can be. 21 Savage is currently released, and it was revealed that there was a “miscommunication” and while he was held in isolation for nine days, he had not been charged with any crime. He is currently out on bond and vows to get more involved in, and raise awareness for immigration reform. Thankfully, the results of this chaos have given birth to a new activist.

So the conversation begins – are conscious musicians really being targeted? What’s the answer as to why rappers that talk about money, drugs and sex are left unbothered? We didn’t write this editorial to throw any shade on the government -only to provoke thought. What do you think?