Killer Mike

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About

Michael Santiago Render, publicly known by his stage name Killer Mike, is an American rapper, actor, and political activist, mainly known as being one half of the hip-hop duo Run the Jewels with fellow American rapper and producer Jaime Meline, better known as El-P.

Background

Musical Career

Debut

Collaboration with El-P and Run the Jewels

In 2012, after successful collaborations with producer El-P that went both ways, with El-P producing Killer Mike's fifth studio album R.A.P. Music and Killer Mike making a featured appearance on El-P's third studio album, Cancer 4 Cure, the two teamed up to form Run the Jewels. The group's debut album was released in 2013 and have since released three more albums.

Reputation

Political Activism and Bernie Sanders Endorsement

Killer Mike publicly became an endorser of Bernie Sanders's presidential campaign for the 2016 election in June 2015, and went on to give several speeches in favor of Sanders's campaign. When Sanders lost the Democrat Party representation in favor of Hillary Clinton, Killer Mike refused to endorse her in her campaign against Republican candidate Donald Trump due to her pro-war background.
Killer Mike once against voiced his support of Sanders during the 2020 Democratic Presidential Primary.

NRATV Interview Controversy

Trigger Warning with Killer Mike Documentary

On January 18, 2019, Killer Mike a docuseries presented by Killer Mike was Released on Netflix. The series focused on American social issues such as education, gang life representation and the struggles of the black community within the United States of America.

2020 Riots Response

The son of a pollice officer and a member of the black community, Killer Mike felt compelled to comment on the riots and lootings that occurred in America during the protests against the murder of George Floyd. On an interview at the Atlanta Mayor's Press Conference on May 29, 2020, he emotionally voiced his disapproval of the lootings and violence it would cause, affirming that eventually local businesses owned by black families were hurt in the process and calling for a more strategic and organized response to the crisis.

Personal Life

Michael was born in the Adamsville neighbourhood of Atlanta, Georgia on April 20th, 1975. His father worked as a policeman and his mother, a florist, though he was persuaded to not join the police force by his father, saying "A cop is the last thing he wanted [my friend Jasper and I] to be. He wanted us to be good citizens, and he always wanted us to be respectful of the law, but he never wanted us to be involved in law enforcement in any capacity."