Killer Mike, who took home three awards at the 2024 Grammys, spoke out for the first time since getting arrested during the Feb. 4 event at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena.
The rapper, whose real name is Michael Santiago Render, broke his silence after getting escorted out of Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena in handcuffs by law enforcement during the Feb. 4 event. Render was arrested and transported to the LAPD Central Division, where he was booked for misdemeanor battery following a physical altercation, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed.
“Ain’t nothing had happened, man,” Killer Mike explained during a Feb. 5 appearance on V103’s Big Tigger Morning Show. “But we winners. That’s it. We hit a speed bump and then we hit back to the party.”
Insisting that the incident wasn’t a huge ordeal, the 48-year-old added, “I wasn’t carried out of nowhere.”
Officials on the scene told The Hollywood Reporter that his arrest had nothing to do with the music event. He was released hours later.
Shortly before his run-in with police, the “Run The Jewels” rapper won three Grammy awards during the show’s pre-televised event: Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance for his song “Scientists & Engineers” and Best Rap Album for Michael.
The trophies mark Render’s first time taking home a Grammy since 2003, when his feature on Outkast’s “The Whole World” earned him the award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
Killer Mike used his Best Rap Performance acceptance speech to highlight just how thrilled he was to be back on the Grammys stage.
“I’m a Black man in America, and as a kid, I had a dream to become a part of music,” he said. “And that 9-year-old is excitedly dancing inside of me right now.”
Killer Mike then addressed the audience, urging them to keep the focus on the music.
“Everyone in this room,” he continued, “it is our responsibility to keep using our imagination to shape and form the world.”