rapper Killer Mike arrested after winning three awards – Libération

2024-02-05 12:11:56

Less than an hour before one of the most important music awards shows of the year went on air, Michael Render, aka Killer Mike, was arrested in the corridors of the ceremony’s arena. After being questioned by police regarding a physical altercation, he was released from custody.

It’s a scene we didn’t expect. Sunday February 4, less than an hour before the start of the live broadcast of the Grammy Awards, rapper Killer Mike, whose real name is Michael Render, was handcuffed and taken away by two police officers in the corridors of the Crypto Arena , where the ceremony took place. He had just won three awards at this equivalent of the music Oscars. The arrest, filmed and broadcast by a journalist from the Hollywood Reporter on X, made the rounds on social networks.

Selon the Los Angeles police, Killer Mike was suspected of having participated in a “physical altercation” less than 100 meters from the Crypto Arena. After interrogation, the American rapper suspected of “assault” was finally released, reports the police.

Killer Mike had just won three Grammys in a sequence filmed before the ceremony – although most of the awards ceremony was filmed live, certain passages were recorded before – including that for best rap album of the year for his sixth opus, Michael. A record in which he intended to “tell the story of a young black man growing up in west Atlanta, so that the world can see that our story is not about victimization and defeat, but that we can win, prosper and flourish,” he explained during the ceremony.

Committed artist

Killer Mike also won Best Rap Song, as well as Best Rap Performance for his track Scientists & Engineers, featuring Andre 3000, Future and Eryn Allen Kane.

Never publicly indicted by the courts before, Killer Mike stood out in his career for his political activism: support for Bernie Sanders in 2016 in the United States, Jeremy Corbyn in 2017 in the United Kingdom, active activist during the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020… Michael Render is also a fervent defender of victims of police violence and systemic racism.

For now, Killer Mike has not commented on his arrest. Selon l’agence Associated Press, the artist delivered backstage at the Grammy Awards: “At 20, I thought it was cool to be a drug dealer. At 40, I started living with regrets and the things I had done. At 45, I started rapping about these subjects. At 48 years old, I stand here as a man full of empathy and compassion for my past actions.”