22 Savage Changes His Name to Young 22

Last year, Baton Rouge rapper 22 Savage got quite a bit of attention for his uncanny resemblance to 21 Savage. MacArthur Johnson originally made a name for himself on the Vine app, but his 21 Savage ripoff act brought him more recognition than ever before. Now, it looks like he’s seeking more legitimacy in his career by changing his name to Young 22.

The Louisiana native announced the change on Monday (Feb. 6) via Twitter. The decision is an about-face for the former 22 Savage, who previously said he would only change his name if 21 Savage beat him in a boxing match.

“Who wanna see 21 get knocked out by BIG 22,” the newly christened Young 22 wrote on Twitter in January. “If he win I’ll change my name.”

The Baton Rouge rapper was clearly trying to capitalize on all the buzz surrounding Soulja Boy and Chris Brown’s upcoming celebrity boxing match. 50 Cent liked the idea too, but 21 Savage had no interest in participating in the bout. The 2016 XXL Freshman made that clear during a recent show.

“They talking about all this boxing,” 21 said. “We walk around with choppers and shit, man. We ain’t boxing no motherfucking niggas, man.”

Young 22 responded by challenging 21 Savage once again, this time to a fist fight for $100,000. The two continued to exchange barbs on social media, but the noise has quieted down in recent weeks.