Words by Amar Gera January 9, 2024

Nothing says ‘Hard Launch’ like a good collab post…

Out of all the rappers in contemporary music, there are few that have quite the backstory like Atlanta MC, 21 Savage. From a tumultuous early life that saw him jump from school to school, join gangs and live about a hundred lifetimes in one, he’s had the type of life you just can’t make up.

Now, it seems the rapper is taking his story to the big screen, today releasing the trailer for his official biopic, American Dream: The 21 Savage Story. Starring none other than Donald Glover AKA Childish Gambino in the titular role, the trailer covers everything from Savage’s early life to his early success in the hip hop world to his becoming one of the defining figures in pop culture. And instead of your typical Hollywood trailer voiceover, 21 raps the narration, giving an outline for his life as Glover acts out the various sequences in turn.

Not gonna lie, it’s a bit jarring seeing such a massive rapper in Gambino himself playing Savage, but considering his work on FX’s Atlanta along with his various film roles in Spiderman, The Martian, Solo and more, we’re willing to put our faith in him. His portrayal of the rapper receiving his now iconic stage name at the end of the clip is pretty on point with what 21 Savage looks and sounds like as well, so it looks like we’re in safe hands. To top things off, the pair debuted the poster for the film with a classic collab post on Instagram, and if that isn’t a good omen for things to come, then I don’t know what is.