21 Savage and J. Cole nabbed a Grammy for their collaboration “a lot,” and the numbers keep pouring in for the classic single. The song was a shining moment for both rappers. For 21, it was a smash hit off his i am > i was album while, for Cole, it pushed his feature run to a point of legendary status. It was the first Grammy win for both artists as well.
“a lot” has now been certified 5x platinum, giving Cole yet another platinum plaque. For those who can recall, 21 Savage was arrested just after the music video for this single was dropped. His imprisonment came at the hands of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE), who revealed that 21 was actually from the UK. They claimed he overstayed his visa, but 21 was ultimately released. “I didn’t see my kids for almost two weeks,” 21 says of his time in detainment. “There are people in detention centers just sitting for months and even years not being able to see their families. Then some of those people just end up being sent off overnight to a place they ain’t never really lived and they don’t ever see their family after that.”
Check out the “a lot” video below and reminisce on a time before the pandemic.