21 Savage is back and just released his third studio album titled American Dream, and in promotion for the album he released a 4-minute trailer featuring Donald Glover and Stranger Things‘ Caleb McLaughlin. Glover and McLaughlin are both starring as different versions of the Atlanta rapper, with Donald Glover pulling double duty as the director as well.
It’s unclear whether their will be a feature length biopic to follow up or if this is just promo for the album, but it’s certainly one of the most unexpected collaborations to come to mind in recent memory. He had Morgan Freeman narrating on his last solo album, but this pairing clears that one in terms of sheer weirdness.
American Dream: The 21 Savage Story is a memoir of his incarceration by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) beginning in 2019. Savage, who was raised in Atlanta but was born in the U.K., was arrested by ICE in 2019, held for several weeks and threatened with deportation, but the “Free 21 Savage” campaign ultimately led to his release and ability to remain in the country. It also chronicles other big moments in his life, such as winning a Grammy for his song “A Lot,” and features 21 Savage himself rapping throughout it.
It’s unclear if this is a glorified music video (and lowkey genius marketing), or signs of a full length biopic to come. We wouldn’t put it past Donald Glover to pull off a feature-length version of this.
How are we feeling about this? Do you want a full-length 21 Savage biopic starring Donald Glover and Caleb McLaughlin?
