Four-time Grammy Award-winning rapper Killer Mike is currently in Jamaica, celebrating his wife’s birthday. During the visit, World Music Views witnessed a local talent freestyle for the Run The Jewels MC. The young artist, who was serving at a hotel restaurant, approached Killer Mike while he was having breakfast, and the Atlanta-based activist was kind enough to use his vacation time to listen to the impromptu performance.
Born Michael Santiago Render, Killer Mike gained global recognition after his appearance on Jay-Z’s “Poppin’ Tags,” which also featured Big Boi, Twista, and Sleepy Brown. Killer Mike recently revealed that his verse on “Poppin’ Tags” from the 2002 album The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse was moved further down the track due to its intensity. Initially following JAY-Z’s verse, it was repositioned with Twista placed in between because of Killer Mike’s impressive rapping.
In an interview with Idea Generation, Killer Mike recounted the incident, saying, “I remember somebody tried to insult me like, ‘The only reason you got a Grammy is you’re on a song with OutKast.’ I said, ‘I had the wickedest verse on that muthafucka.’ ‘Cause what you not gon’ do is not tell me I’m a bad-ass muthaf*ckin’ rapper.”
Before his collaboration with Jay-Z, Killer Mike first gained significant attention in the U.S. with his debut on Outkast’s critically acclaimed fourth album, Stankonia (2000). His standout appearance paved the way for his collaboration on Outkast’s Grammy Award-winning single “The Whole World,” featured on their greatest hits album Big Boi and Dre Present… Outkast (2001). These early successes led to Killer Mike signing with Big Boi’s Purple Ribbon Records, then known as Aquemini Records, and Columbia Records.
He released his debut album Monster in 2003 via Columbia Records. The album peaked at number 10 on the Billboard 200 Chart. He followed up with the independent releases I Pledge Allegiance to the Grind (2006) and I Pledge Allegiance to the Grind II (2008). His fourth album, Pledge (2011), was released under T.I.’s Grand Hustle label, followed by his fifth album, R.A.P. Music (2012), released through Williams Street Records.
Killer Mike won three Grammys at the 2023 awards including the Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song, and Best Rap Performance categories for his album Michael.
Other than his solo career, Killer Mike released R.A.P. Music, produced entirely by El-P, which started a fruitful relationship between the two. In 2013, Killer Mike and El-P formed the duo Run the Jewels. Their self-titled debut album released that year received widespread acclaim, establishing the duo as a formidable force in the hip-hop industry. They followed up with three sequels—Run the Jewels 2 (2014), Run the Jewels 3 (2016), and RTJ4 (2020)—each earning continued praise and commercial success. RTJ4 matched the chart success of Killer Mike’s debut solo album on the Billboard 200.
Run the Jewels’ collaboration with Big Boi on Danger Mouse’s 2017 single “Chase Me” earned them a Grammy Award nomination.
