Most hip-hop fans know who 21 Savage is. The 31 year old UK-born rapper that claims Atlanta burst onto the scene in 2017 after signing with Epic Records. He’s worked with some of the hottest names in the game, including Drake, J. Cole, Offset, and Post Malone. His debut album Issa Album peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 with lead single “Bank Account” rising to number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
Behind the scenes, Savage got into trouble with the law when he was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in February 2019. That’s when the world learned that even though 21 Savage repped Atlanta, he was a British citizen at risk of being deported for overstaying his visa.
Enter Keyanna Joseph, a natural born U.S. citizen and a marriage timeline that looks ripped from the headlines— and allowed Savage (born Shéyaa Bin Abrahim-Joseph) to become a legal resident and obtain a green card. But who is Keyanna Joseph? Outside of being Savage’s wife, here’s what we know about her, how they met and how their relationship is now.
Who Is Keyanna Joseph?
21 Savage did a pretty good job of keeping his romantic life post Amber Rose out of the spotlight. But fans couldn’t help but speculate the convenience of getting married less than a year after he was arrested and facing deportation.
It seems that Keyanna Joseph prefers to stay out of the press, and who can blame her. But what little of a digital footprint isn’t locked down paints the picture of a loving mother who’s independent, self-employed, and of course attractive. According to her Instagram profile @keyanna_nukee, she’s a mother of three children. She also owns a beauty company called Beauty by Nukee that offers a variety of cosmetic and skincare products. It’s unclear if all three of her children are Savage’s, since he also has children from previous relationships.
The Keyanna Joseph — 21 Savage Timeline
The full relationship timeline for this married couple is quite murky since there’s overlap between women. A little digging shows that Keyanna and Savage tied the knot in 2020, though the specific month is unknown. Keep in mind that he was arrested in February 2019 for overstaying his visa.
Some sources claim that the couple started dating in 2011. Which would mean that they’ve been together for almost 13 years now. But the timeline gets shaky because Savage was publicly linked with Amber Rose between 2017 and 2018. Prior to Amber Rose, 21 Savage briefly dated model Heather Rose for a few months in 2017, preceded by Tommie Lee in 2016, and finally Rubi Rose in 2014.
So, at the very least, they had an on-again-off-again relationship before getting married. Still, Savage’s rotating roster of pretty faces doesn’t paint the nicest of pictures. It suggests that this might have been a business marriage to secure his residency, even if the two vibe with each other.
Trouble in Paradise
As if on cue, not long after Savage and Keyanna’s nuptials, there was chatter that the UK rapper was stepping out on his wife. Thanks to suggestive social media posts (some of which were deleted), fans started suspecting that 21 Savage and then up and coming rapper Latto might have something going on. By December 2020, the rumor mill was in full swing. With fans constantly scouring the two artists’ social feeds for clues of their supposed dirty deeds.
Similarly, what looked like an innocent vacation photo in April 2021 on Latto’s feed sent fans into overdrive. While people couldn’t see the photographer, the shadow implied that it might be 21 Savage. And Latto’s suggestive caption “He love it here” added fuel to the fire.
According to MadameNoire, 21 Savage made a massive blunder earlier that same year by posting (and then deleting) a repost of Latto’s Twitter (now X) post picturing her leaving the Hermes store with a coveted shopping bag in hand. He captioned the Instagram Story with “No makeup, damn you fine. It’s only one way I can come about you twin” complete with heart eyes and a crying laugh face emoji. Likewise, the two rappers can’t get enough of attending each other’s birthday parties.
Tattoos and Divorce Papers
To make a tough situation worse, savvy paparazzi snapped pictures of the two’s matching tattoos with each other’s names behind their ears. Apparently, Latto’s Shéyaa tattoo was the last straw for Keyanna, and who could blame her. As of September 2023, rumors swirled that Keyanna Johnson formally filed for divorce from her husband 21 Savage because of “unsolvable issues.”
Meanwhile, Savage refuses to publicly address the divorce story, preferring to post less than cryptic statuses on social media like “trust nobody”, “Love is a lie”, and “I’m done with this shxt.” One positive to come out of this situation for 21 Savage is that it’s giving him source material for new music. His track “Savage Mode 3” includes lyrics that address the divorce head-on such as, “She think she slick but she ain’t / She think she got me but she don’t / She think she won but she lost / She think she smart but she dumb”.
Given the three years of possible cheating she endured throughout the shortlived marriage, no ones questioning Keyanna’s choice to leave. But, her bold move puts her soon to be ex-husband’s legal resident status in jeopardy. If the divorce goes through, the “Bank Account” rapper will be left scrambling to figure out his residency status and avoid a forced return to his birth country. Only time will tell if the couple will make their split official or reconcile.