Killer Mike Being Questioned By LAPD For “Physical Altercation” Before Grammys; Detained Rapper Won Three Awards During Pre-Show
(Updated with more details) Killer Mike may have been handcuffed and taken into custody by LAPD this afternoon after winning three awards during the 66th Grammy Awards pre-show, but the rapper is speaking out on social media.
Killer Mike is currently still being detained by the police in DTLA. He is undergoing questioning for a fight he was involved in earlier Sunday, law enforcement sources confirmed for Deadline. No word yet on when the rapper, real name Michael Render, will be released on what appears to be a potential misdemeanor.
“Officers were dispatched as soon as we were alerted of the altercation, and detained the suspect peacefully,” a police source said of LAPD showing up as Killer Mike was leaving the backstage area of the pre-Grammys ceremony.
Just over an hour after being walked out of the Crypto.com Arena on Sunday by a bevy of officers, the outspoken and acclaimed Killer Mike did offer fans and friends some timely reassurance. Taking to social media, One half of Run the Jewels expressed himself in words worthy of a Sunday.
The LAPD’s Officer Mike Lopez could not confirm to Deadline it was Killer Mike who was detained today, but did say said a male was detained at about 4 pm in the vicinity of the Crypto.com Arena following a “physical altercation” this afternoon. A video from Chris Gardner of our cousin publication THR (you can watch it below) shows the WME-repped Killer Mike being led out of the arena by uniformed police officers.
Along with many of the Grammy nominees, host Trevor Noah, and the elite of the music biz, Atlanta-based Killer Mike has been out on the West Coast for the past several days.
A fact that led more than a few observers to assume the LAPD had deliberately waited to put a stain of the rapper’s big night by putting him in cuffs after his wins as a form of humiliation for some prior incident or another. The irony in that incorrect conclusion is that the politically adroit Killer Mike is the son of a police officer. Though never one to mince words, Killer Mike has repeatedly displayed sympathetic and nuanced perspective to the demands and stresses that beat cops face in modern America.
Earlier Sunday afternoon, Killer Mike surprised many by winning three of the four rap categories during the pre-show — best rap song and best rap performance for “Scientists & Engineers,” and best rap album for Michael. They were his first solo Grammy wins. He previously won in 2003 for best rap performance by a duo or group for “The Whole World,” alongside OutKast. Going into tonight’s ceremony, Travis Scott had been touted as the odds on favorite by many.
Killer Mike was last on-stage in LA in mid-October when he and Run the Jewels bandmate El-P played the Hollywood Palladium.
Deadline has reached out to the Recording Academy and CBS for comment on today’s incident and will update this post when/if we receive a response.