Hours after he made a triumphant return to the stage at his Grammy night performance to accept the BET album of the Year award for MICHAEL, Killer Mike has released a powerful new single and video, “HUMBLE ME,” in which he reflects on the incident and its aftermath.
In the striking black and white music video, the Run the Jewels MC is seen stripped of his jewelry and handcuffed, symbolizing the events of his Grammy night arrest.
Through his lyrics, he draws parallels between his experience and the biblical story of Daniel in the lions' den. The video ends on a hopeful note, with a cameo from his son Mikael “Pony Boy” Render, who recently received a life-saving kidney transplant.
Reflecting on his Grammy night ordeal, Mike raps, “I won at the Grammys / I did this for Atlanta / I swept like a janitor / I was sent to the slammer / I was treated like an animal or some kind of Hannibal.” He then reveals, “I went to sleep as free as I could / and the next day my son got a kidney.”
“I believe that humility and worship gave me God's grace in the face of this trial,” says the rapper.
During his acceptance speech for album of the Year at the BET Awards, Killer Mike addressed his arrest and subsequent journey, saying, “Technically, I shouldn't have been here. They put me in handcuffs and took me out of this building, but I wanna tell you, look at God because I'm back baby. I'm back and I'm winning.”
“I want to tell black people that it's because of BET that I'm back. No because no white person calls anyone. A Black man runs this business, a Black company did this show and they got my black ass back here. Thank you all.”
Mike also took the opportunity to stress the importance of civic engagement, urging viewers to vote in the upcoming election.
“Who we vote for on the big stage is important, but it's more important to know who your councilman is, who your district attorney is,” he said “And if you don't like the people running, run your Black a* * to the polls and run alone.”
Killer Mike's arrest on February 4, 2024, after winning three Grammys, including Best Rap album for Michaelstemmed from an altercation with a security guard outside the Grammys pre-telecast in February.
Although he was initially charged with a misdemeanor, the Los Angeles City Attorney's office later declined to pursue criminal charges. Instead, Mike completed a community service requirement, which led to the case being resolved.
Killer Mike is currently touring North America in support of his latest album, with upcoming appearances at major festivals such as Lollapalooza, Newport Folk festival and festival-international-de-jazz-de-montreal”>Montreal International Jazz festival.
“HUMBLE ME” is expected to appear next MICHAEL – Mike's first solo album in over a decade – due out later this summer via Loma Vista Records.
The rapper, backed by the Mighty Midnight Revival Choir, will be on tour in early fall with stops at major festivals and a Blue Note Jazz Club residency.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/killer-mike-humble-me-1235721497/