Rapper Killer Mike Arrested at Grammy Awards

Facts

• Los Angeles police detained Killer Mike at the Grammy Awards on Sunday, after he won three prestigious music awards, and escorted the rapper out of Crypto.com Arena in handcuffs.¹
• Mike, aka Michael Render, was placed under arrest and transported to Los Angeles Police Department Central Division, where he was booked for misdemeanor battery. The 48-year-old was later released on zero bail.²
• Render was arrested at 4 p.m. (local time) after he allegedly knocked down and injured a security guard trying to keep the musician and his entourage from passing through a specific area in the venue.³
• A known critic of law enforcement and police violence, Render blamed the 'overzealous security' for the altercation.⁴
• Due in court on Feb. 29, Render received his first Grammy in 2003 and has since been outspoken about political and social issues — particularly those affecting the Black community.⁵
• A prominent activist at the local level, he urged rioters in his hometown of Atlanta to not destroy the city amid their protest of George Floyd's death in 2020.⁶

Sources: ¹Associated Press, ²CBS, ³Los Angeles Times, ⁴New York Times, ⁵FOX News and ⁶Peoplemag.

Narratives

• Right narrative, as provided by InfoWars. While the media talks about his political activism, it ignores the rapper's refusal to endorse Joe Biden for president. Render has been extremely critical of the Biden administration's policies on minority communities. There seems to be a notable shift among Black men in the US away from the Democratic Party — a trend that scares the party establishment. It's reasonable to wonder if Killer Mike's arrest was largely due to his refusal to pledge fealty to the Biden campaign.
• Left narrative, as provided by Newsweek. Unhinged right-wing conspiracy theorists were chomping at the bit as they sought to spin Killer Mike's arrest as another legal attack on Donald Trump supporters. The musician got arrested and was quickly released in an isolated incident at the Grammys. This is not retaliation for his refusing to endorse Biden — it's a microcosm of how right-wing conspiracy theories can spread on a whim.