‘Speed bump’: Rapper Killer Mike downplays arrest at Grammy Awards

LOS ANGELES — Rapper Killer Mike downplayed his arrest at the 2024 Grammy Awards ceremony on Sunday after being released on a misdemeanor battery charge.

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Killer Mike, 48, who was born Michael Santiago Render, was escorted out of Crypto.com Arena in handcuffs at 4:22 p.m. PST, about an hour before the televised portion of the Grammy Awards began, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement that he was booked on a charge of misdemeanor battery and released but declined to elaborate, The New York Times reported. He has a court date scheduled for the end of February.

In a radio interview Monday morning, the rapper, who won three awards during the Grammy Premiere Ceremony before the televised version of the show, said the arrest was a mere blip, The New York Times reported.

“We hit a speed bump and then we head back to the party, man,” the rapper told the hosts of the Atlanta-based “Big Tigger Morning Show.”

The Los Angeles Times, quoting an unnamed source “close to the investigation,” said that Killer Mike was allegedly involved in an altercation after a security guard attempted to keep the rapper and his entourage from passing through an area in the venue. It was unclear why the guard was blocking access to the group, according to the newspaper.

The guard was allegedly knocked to the ground and injured her hand, the Los Angeles Times reported. The guard requested a citizen’s arrest and police were called to the scene, according to the newspaper.

Killer Mike was later released by police.

On Sunday night, Killer Mike won Best Rap Album for “Michael” and took a pair of Grammys for one of the album’s songs, “Scientists & Engineers.” The song won for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance.

Killer Mike’s three Grammys on Sunday were his first since 2003 when he won Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, Variety reported. He was featured in OutKast’s “The Whole World” that year.

The rapper was also nominated for Best Rap Song in 2018 for “Chase Me” by Run the Jewels, according to the entertainment news website. That year, he was paired with rapper and producer El-P, Variety reported.

On Monday the co-host of Big Tigger Morning Show, Jazzy McBee, asked Killer Mike if the arrest had overshadowed his big Grammy night, The New York Times reported.

“We gonna get back to the real question: How did he do it?” the rapper told the host. “Three Grammys, 30 years in the game, 48 years old. Beat out everybody in the thing, man. He beat the best of the best.”

A representative for Killer Mike has not responded to requests for comment.

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