Bonnaroo 2022 Artist Spotlight: 21 Savage

Like we’ve been doing for many years now, we’re making it our mission to help you get acquainted with many of our favorite acts from Bonnaroo‘s 2022 lineup. And, for the first time in three years, we finally feel confident that there definitely will be a Bonnaroo this year, after a postponement then cancelation in 2020 due to Covid, and an unfortunate rainout of last year’s would-be September event. Returned to its traditional timeframe of June 16-19, this marks Bonnaroo’s 21st summer and 19th installment, and features a largely new lineup for the festival’s much-anticipated return!

As we dig through the entire schedule, we’ll highlight a spread of performers spanning across genres and stages, big and small, new and old, to bring you some of the most interesting, lesser-known, and most highly-recommended among this year’s crop of artists. And as our time at ‘Roo approaches, we’ll also be bringing you some special features and full list-style daily lineup guides, to help you plan your weekend ahead of the fest. While these previews won’t span every artist, and might omit some more obvious must-see acts, we hope they’ll serve as a way to help you navigate Bonnaroo’s gargantuan lineup, and to make the most of your busy weekend on the farm!

Grab your tickets right here if you haven’t already, and read on for our Bonnaroo Artist Spotlight!

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Though born in London to British parents, Atlanta is where rapper 21 Savage was raised from childhood, and where he cultivated his career in the city’s flourishing hip hop scene, initially falling into crime as a teen, but turning to music after his friend was killed and Savage was shot during an attempted robbery on his 21st birthday. While early tacks earned buzz in the Atlanta underground and beyond, it was 2016 EP Savage Mode, his first collaborative effort with DJ and producer Metro Boomin, which truly helped 21 Savage break out into the mainstreaming, earning international acclaim and charting his first platinum single with “X.” A major label deal and debut full-length Issa Album would arrive the following year, around the same time Savage appeared on Post Malone’s massive hit “Rockstar.” 2018’s star-filled sophomore record, I Am > I Was, would further hone the rapper’s raw, street life-informed, trap-laced style, and earned him his first Grammy for breakout single “a lot.” One of the most sought after and famous rappers making music today, Savage has since collaborated with the likes of Justin Bieber, Young Thug, Offset, and many more, and in 2020 released a highly-anticipated re-team with Metro Boomin, Savage Mode II. Bonnaroo never skimps on offering some solid hop hop, but in a year that none of the hip hop headliners are quite as flashy as, say, a Drake or Kanye, it’s nice to have an acclaimed rapper who keeps it real like 21 Savage on the lineup.

WATCH | “Runnin” with Metro Boomin (Official Music Video)