Killer Mike

Michael Santiago Render (born April 20, 1975), better known by his stage name Killer Mike, is an American rapper. He made his recording debut on Outkast’s fourth album Stankonia (2000), and later appeared on their Grammy Award-winning single “The Whole World” from their greatest hits album Big Boi and Dre Present… Outkast (2001). He signed with Big Boi’s Purple Ribbon Records (known then as Aquemini Records) and Columbia Records to release his debut studio album Monster (2003), which received critical acclaim and peaked at number ten on the Billboard 200. He followed up with the independent albums I Pledge Allegiance to the Grind (2006) and I Pledge Allegiance to the Grind II (2008); he briefly signed with T.I.’s Grand Hustle and later Williams Street Records to respectively release his fourth and fifth albums, Pledge (2011) and R.A.P. Music (2012). His sixth album, Michael (2023) was met with continued acclaim, receiving three nominations at 66th Annual Grammy Awards.Following R.A.P. Music, which was produced entirely by rapper and producer El-P, him and Render subsequently formed the duo Run the Jewels in 2013. They signed with Fool’s Gold Records and released their self-titled debut in June of that year to critical acclaim. It was followed up with four similarly received sequels, of which earned Render an additional Grammy Award nomination.

Render is also known as a social and political activist, focusing on subjects including social inequality, police brutality, and systemic racism. In addition to discussing cognate topics in his music, he has lectured about similar issues at colleges and universities, written about such matters for publications including Billboard, and been the subject of interviews regarding police misconduct and race relations. He was a visible and vocal supporter of Bernie Sanders’ 2016 U.S. presidential campaign, refusing to support Hillary Clinton after Sanders left the race, and supporting Sanders once more in his 2020 presidential campaign. Render has appeared in films such as Idlewild, Baby Driver, ATL, and America: The Motion Picture. His six episode docu-series, Trigger Warning with Killer Mike investigated social issues that affect Black Americans, and premiered on Netflix in January 2019. His weekly interview program for Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), Love & Respect (2021–present) received an Emmy Award in 2022.

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