Killer Mike was hauled out of the 2024 Grammys in handcuffs on Sunday, hours after winning three awards on the pre-show broadcast.
The 48-year-old Atlanta rapper was seen being detained by officials in a video obtained by The Hollywood Reporter journalist Chris Gardner and uploaded on Twitter (now X). As Killer Mike walked out of the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, one onlooker could be heard saying, “Free Mike.”
It’s unknown whether Killer Mike, whose real name is Michael Render, has been arrested or charged. According to TMZ, the incident occurred during “an alleged physical confrontation.” Gardner claimed that a police spokesman stated the musician could be “released later from the arena.”
Killer Mike’s Statement After Release
Killer Mike stated in a radio interview on Monday morning, hours after he was released from police detention in Los Angeles on suspicion of involvement in a physical altercation on Grammys night, that the arrest was a minor blip in a momentous evening in which he was victorious, having been awarded three Grammys.
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“We hit a speed bump and then we head back to the party, man,” the Atlanta-based Big Tigger Morning Show hosts were informed by the rapper, who had just left his final party in Los Angeles after the awards ceremony.
His “Michael” album was awarded best rap album on Sunday night, and one of its tracks, “Scientists & Engineers,” also claimed best rap song and best rap performance. Some of the most well-known and acclaimed rappers of the present, including Drake, Travis Scott, Doja Cat, and Nicki Minaj, were among the nominees against whom he competed. Although Killer Mike was a prolific rapper who won his first Grammy in 2003 for his collaboration with Outkast on “The Whole World,” this marked his debut as a solo artist.
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While the Cause of the Arrest is Still Unknown
On Sunday, specifics surrounding the arrest were still unknown. He was arrested on a charge of misdemeanor violence and later released following an argument at Crypto.com Arena, the location of the awards event, according to a statement from the Los Angeles Police Department. The department did not provide any further details and said that he has a court date at the end of February. Requests for response from the rapper, whose real name is Michael Render, were not answered, and the Grammys sent inquiries to the police.
The rapper has a complicated connection with law enforcement. In the past, he has advocated for systemic changes to policing, rapped about police violence, and condemned law enforcement. Identifying himself as the son of an Atlanta police officer, he stood alongside the mayor and police chief at a news conference in 2020 and urged protestors “not to burn your own house down” as demonstrations intensified following the murder of George Floyd. He has also occasionally defended the police.