Even after being arrested at the2024 Grammys, Killer Mike is feeling grateful.
The rapper (whose real name is Michael Render), 48, appeared on Monday’sepisodeofThe Viewwhere he opened up about beingarrested a little over a week agoat the 66th annualGrammy Awards. Although he couldn’t share many details, he explained why he sees the incident as “water under the bridge” — largely because he’s just feeling blessed that he was able to make it home to Atlanta in time for his son’s long-awaited kidney transplant surgery.
Although the hip-hop star admitted that he couldn’t say much, as the legal matter remains ongoing, he offered as much of an explanation as he could about what happened when he was handcuffed and escorted out of the awards ceremony after winning three trophies prior to the telecast.
“I think backstage was overcrowded, I think the winners were exuberant, and I think security got a little over-zealous,” Killer Mike said. “It’s water under the bridge for me.”
Killer Mike at the 2024 Grammys.Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty
Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty
The member of Run the Jewels added that all of his “heroes have been in handcuffs,” making references to Malcolm X,Martin Luther King Jr.andNelson Mandela. “I walked out with the same dignity and respect that I walked in with,” he said. “I would implore people to just take that from it. Don’t dwell on the bad stuff.”
Killer Mike said that while he was in jail, he simply thought about what he’s thankful for.
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The “RUN” artist shared that he was released that night and was able to continue celebrating his Grammy wins, sweetly adding that “it was like a romance movie” when he walked out of the police station to see his wife Shana.
Killer Mike at the 2024 Grammys.Emma McIntyre/Getty
Emma McIntyre/Getty
He then spoke candidly about how he rushed home from Los Angeles to Atlanta the following morning to be with his 21-year-old son Pony Boy who was finally going into surgery after being on a wait list for three years for a kidney transplant. TheOutkastcollaborator shared, “The next morning, I woke up to my son’s mother saying you have to come home because Pony Boy has a kidney. They have a kidney for him and we have to get him now. And I just thanked God."
Killer Mike also told the hosts of the morning show about how positive his mindset has been since taking home three gramophones, including best rap album for his 2023 projectMichael. “You cannot stop dreaming,” he said. “Whatever 9-year-old, 12-year-old, 15-year-old is in your head, keep that child alive. No matter what you see in the mirror, you’re still that child. And your imagination has to be bigger than the room, bigger than the building, bigger than the sky. Because if you keep that imagination alive, everything is possible. If you limit your imagination, nothing becomes as possible as it could be.”
Killer Mike at the 2024 Grammys.Amy Sussman/Getty
Amy Sussman/Getty
After the incident,Killer Mike shared a statementwith PEOPLE. “As you can imagine, there was a lot going [on] and there was some confusion around which door my team and I should enter,'” he said. “We experienced an over-zealous security guard but my team and I have the upmost confidence that I will ultimately be cleared of all wrongdoing. Until that time, keep listening to Michael, and keep going after your dreams.”
He went on to say that he and his team received “a number of calls from concerned fans and colleagues wanting to know if I was OK.” Noted Mike: “I greatly appreciate the concern and support, but I am better than OK.”
A source also told PEOPLE that the Atlanta performer’s team was “confident that the facts of the case, when laid bare, will show that Mike did not commit the alleged offense, and he will be exonerated.”
On Feb. 29, he is set to appear in a Los Angeles court for a hearing related to his arrest.
source: people.com
