Chart Climber: 21 Savage’s “A Lot” Gains Steam During The Rapper’s Immigration Battle

21 Savage “a lot” featuring J. Cole reached a new peak of No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart this week, but the Atlanta rapper hasn’t been around to enjoy his success. Instead, he was being held without bail by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after a shocking arrest over Super Bowl weekend where news emerged that he’s actually a UK citizen living in the US on an expired visa. Artists and fans alike have rallied around the rapper, who was finally released on bond, and their efforts have boosted “a lot” to tie the highest chart position of his career as a lead artist.

Part of the reason for the increased attention is the lyrics. On the extended version of “a lot,” which appears in the song’s music video that dropped shortly before his arrest, 21 addresses the ICE-directed family separation at the US/Mexico border:

Start at the bottom, the trenches, the gutter, so I had to go a lil' harder
Lights was off, the gas was off, so we had to boil up the water
Went through some things, but I couldn’t imagine my kids stuck at the border
Flint still need water, niggas was innocent, couldn’t get lawyers

These lyrics came under renewed scrutiny after his arrest, sending pageviews soaring on Genius and reflecting renewed interest in the song that helped boost its continued climb up the charts.

“a lot” entered the Hot 100 chart on January 5, debuting at No. 37 despite stiff competition from nearly two dozen Christmas songs. This was the first tracking week following the release of his album, i am > i was, and it’s risen all but one week since then.

The song initially drew interest thanks to its soul sample, featuring East of Underground’s 1971 song “I Love You,” as well as a powerful and unexpected verse from J. Cole. The North Carolina rapper revealed that he drove all the way to Atlanta and back in one day to record the feature, which came together just a few days before the album’s completion.

Fans especially took note of Cole’s shoutout to 6ix9ine, who was arrested just weeks beforehand on federal racketeering charges and remains incarcerated:

Pray for Tekashi, they want him to rot
I picture him inside a cell on a cot
‘Flectin’ on how he made it to the top
Wondering if it was worth it or not

These lyrics helped earn the song a whopping 211,000 pageviews on Genius in its first day. “a lot” then saw a typical slow decline in daily pageviews throughout December and January. As the song was lingering in the 30s on the Hot 100 chart, its daily average fell to around 5,500 per day in January 2019.

Its first major reversal of fortune happened on February 1, the same day the music video dropped, when the song doubled its daily pageviews to 18,000.

Just two days later, news broke of 21’s arrest, and many were quick to note the rapper’s criticism of US immigration policy on “a lot.” The news sent pageviews soaring to more than 34,000 on February 3 and 4, a post-release high water mark. This coincided with a major bump on the Hot 100 chart, where the song climbed from 34 to 26 to 12, its current peak. This matches the chart success of 21’s biggest single as a least artist, 2017’s “Bank Account.”

“a lot” has become something of a rallying cry for the rapper’s supporters. Tory Lanez released a “Free 21 Freestyle” over the song’s DJ Dahi and J. White Did It-produced beat, calling for the rapper’s release from jail just hours before news broke about his impending (if temporary) freedom.

While 21 is out of prison, his battle is far from over. He still faces potential deportation to the UK, a legal battle that promises to be lengthy and complicated. These concerns likely trump any worry about the chart performance of his single, but the surge in popularity for “a lot” does show that fans and rappers alike are rallying around the Atlanta artist and his music as he faces an uncertain future.

Catch up on all the lyrics to 21 Savage’s “a lot” featuring J. Cole on Genius now.