Casanova 2X has been behind bars for nearly six years, but the Brooklyn rapper continues to remember exactly who has—and hasn’t—looked out for him during his incarceration.
This time, he’s giving 21 Savage his flowers.
Casanova recently thanked the Atlanta rapper for allegedly sending him $20,000 while he was locked down, adding 21 to a short list of Hip Hop artists he has publicly credited with supporting him financially while he’s been incarcerated.
The gesture appears to have carried considerably more weight with Casanova than simply having extra money on his books. Since turning himself in to federal authorities in December 2020, the “Don’t Run” rapper has repeatedly spoken about learning who his real friends are while separated from the industry and everyday life.
For Cas, 21 apparently passed that test.
The Brooklyn MC’s situation has been a long one. Born Caswell Senior, Casanova surrendered to federal authorities on Dec. 2, 2020, after being named in a sweeping federal racketeering case involving alleged members of the Untouchable Gorilla Stone Nation Bloods.
In May 2022, he pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and narcotics offenses. Federal prosecutors said Casanova admitted to participating in a July 2020 shooting in Florida, a 2018 robbery in New York City and trafficking more than 100 kilograms of marijuana.
He was sentenced in June 2023 to 188 months—15 years and eight months—in federal prison.
Casanova has continued fighting for a reduction in his sentence while serving his time, and his official website currently lists him as incarcerated at FCI Sheridan in Oregon.
But this isn’t the first time Casanova has publicly acknowledged another artist for keeping him in mind financially.
In 2022, he thanked Chris Brown after receiving money from the R&B superstar, writing, “Thank you @ChrisBrownOfficial check cleared!” Casanova added that Brown was one of the first people to believe in him and said the gesture was something he wouldn’t forget.
Two years later, he showed similar appreciation for Tory Lanez—who was himself incarcerated.
“@torylanez you one of the realest nas I ever met,” Casanova wrote in 2024. “How you in jail looking out for a na in jail?”
Casanova said Lanez sent him enough money to last approximately a year. He later discussed their conversation publicly, recalling Lanez telling him, “Cass, I know you got money, but I got money, money,” before sending financial support.
That history gives his latest salute to 21 Savage some additional context.
Casanova has never been shy about calling out people he believes disappeared once the prison doors closed. As early as 2021, he publicly criticized friends who hadn’t checked on him or sent support after his incarceration began.
So when somebody does reach back, he remembers that too.
There’s also an interesting connection between Casanova and 21 Savage when it comes to understanding confinement. Long before becoming one of Hip Hop’s biggest stars, 21 spent nine days in ICE detention in 2019 and later described being held under 23-hour lockdown conditions while facing the possibility of deportation.
That experience obviously isn’t comparable to serving a lengthy federal prison sentence, but 21 has at least experienced what it means to suddenly have his freedom taken away.
For Casanova, the reported $20,000 wasn’t simply about the dollar amount.
Prison has a way of separating industry relationships from real ones. The phone stops ringing. Invitations disappear. People move on with their lives while the person doing the time measures life in months and years instead of album cycles.
Casanova has spent much of his incarceration making it clear that he keeps score.
Chris Brown showed love.
Tory Lanez showed love from behind bars himself.
And according to Casanova, 21 Savage just showed him $20,000 worth of it.
Sometimes the people who remember you when you’re no longer in the room tell you considerably more than the people who surrounded you when you were.