- Killer Mike is an Atlanta based rapper
- He won three Grammys but was detained the same night
- THIS is what happened
Just when you thought the Grammy Awards couldn't get any more electrifying, Killer Mike drops a bombshell – but not the lyrical kind! Fresh from snagging a trio of golden gramophones for his hit "Scientists & Engineers" and the album 'Michael,' the rap sensation found himself in a tangle with the law, less than an hour before the star-studded 2024 Grammys ceremony was set to kick off.
Grammy Triumph to Grim Arrest!
In a scene more gripping than a Hollywood thriller, Killer Mike was cuffed and carted off into a security room at the Crypto.com Arena. Eyewitnesses spotted the rap mogul near the VIP entrance, his hands restrained, as whispers of "Free Mike" echoed through the corridors. What's the 411? The LAPD spilled the tea, citing a "physical altercation" as the cause of the commotion.
Video footage appeared to show Killer Mike, 48, whose real name is Michael Santiago Render, handcuffed and escorted by police officers through a hallway in the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles
The buzz inside the arena was electric, with Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. seen in deep convo with the security squad and Killer Mike's posse. The tension was palpable – was this a Grammy night scandal in the making? But a source close to the action assured us it's "a big nothing," hinting at a possible release for the hip-hop hero later that evening.
As the night wore on, the drama unfolded like the plot of a prime-time soap. At 8:33 p.m., the LAPD broke the silence, revealing that Michael Render – a.k.a. Killer Mike – was booked for Misdemeanor Battery. But fans of the rap virtuoso need not fret; his release was already in the works.
A public information officer from the Los Angeles Police Department would not confirm Killer Mike's identity but told PEOPLE that just after 4 p.m., a male was detained for his involvement in a physical altercation. "At this time the individual is being questioned by the police and the investigation is ongoing," the representative said.
While speaking to 'GQ' magazine in December, Killer Mike spoke candidly about the "attacks" that are facing hip-hop.
"Well hip-hop is low-hanging fruit. It's very easy to criticize. So when I say attack, I mean it's being under-appreciated, even by those who are my age who were there as it grew," he said. "We take it for granted. We don't hold it in its highest regard. We talk down on it instead of understanding it's going to grow, maybe, into something we don't recognize."
"I think hip-hop is low-hanging fruit for people who hold or aspire towards some type of leadership position because it's much easier to try to hold a rapper accountable for the soils of society than to say our educational school system is broken, but we don't know how to fix it," continued the Atlanta-born artist.
The rapper has also served as an activist for his community. When riots began to emerge following the killing of George Floyd, he gave a tearful address urging rioters to not destroy their own city in May 2020.
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Big trouble!
The tables turn
Did he really do it?
Earlier in the day, Killer Mike threw shade at ageist haters, proclaiming during the pre-show, "For all the people out there that think you get too old to rap, bullshit." His message was clear: hip-hop has no expiry date.
As the 66th annual Grammy Awards unfold live on CBS, with Trevor Noah at the helm, the question on everyone's lips is: Will Killer Mike make a triumphant return to the Grammy stage? Keep your eyes peeled and your ears open – this night is far from over!
