Killer Mike
Michael Santiago Render, known professionally as Killer Mike, is an American rapper, singer, actor, and activist. He made his recording debut on Outkast's fourth album Stankonia, and guest appeared on the duo's Grammy Award-winning single "The Whole World" from their greatest hits album Big Boi and Dre Present... Outkast. He signed with Big Boi's Purple Ribbon Records and Columbia Records to release his debut studio album Monster, which was met with critical acclaim and peaked at number ten on the Billboard 200. He parted ways with the label and released two albums—I Pledge Allegiance to the Grind and I Pledge Allegiance to the Grind II —before signing with T.I.'s Grand Hustle to release his fourth album, Pledge, and later Williams Street to release his fifth album, R.A.P. Music. His sixth album, Michael, was met with continued acclaim and won three awards at 66th Annual Grammy Awards, including Best Rap Album.
Following R.A.P. Music, which was produced entirely by rapper and producer El-P, he 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. Its three sequels—Run the Jewels 2, Run the Jewels 3 and RTJ4 —were each met with continued critical praise, the latter of which matched his debut solo album in chart position on the Billboard 200. The duo made a guest appearance alongside Big Boi on Danger Mouse's 2017 single "Chase Me", which received a Grammy Award nomination.
Outside of music, Render has been a social and political activist, focusing on subjects including social inequality, police brutality, and systemic racism. In addition to discussing related 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, and supported 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 the Public Broadcasting Service, Love & Respect, won an Emmy Award in 2022.
Early life
Michael Render was born in the Adamsville neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia, on April 20, 1975, the son of a policeman father and a florist mother. Because his parents were teenagers at the time of his birth, he was partly raised by his grandparents in the Collier Heights neighborhood of Atlanta, and attended Douglass High School.Career
1995–2005: Early career
In 1995, Render briefly attended Atlanta's Morehouse College, where he met producers The Beat Bullies, and soon met rapper Big Boi of Outkast. His music debut was a feature appearance on Outkast's "Snappin' & Trappin'" from the 2000 album Stankonia, followed by their 2001 single "The Whole World", which won the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. He was featured on several other tracks that year, including the Jay-Z's song "Poppin' Tags" from his album The Blueprint 2, where he guest performed alongside both Big Boi and Chicago rapper Twista.In 2003, Render released his debut studio album, Monster, while being managed by Dayo Adebiyi and Al Thrash of Own Music. The album's lead single, "Akshon ", featured both Outkast members as guest performers. A remix of the song was included on the soundtrack of EA Sports video game Madden NFL 2004. The album's second single was "A.D.I.D.A.S"., featuring Big Boi and Sleepy Brown, which peaked at number 60 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It remains Render's only single to enter the chart as a lead artist.
Following the release of his own material, he appeared on "Flip Flop Rock" and "Bust" on the Speakerboxx half of OutKast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below double album. He appeared on "Southern Takeover" with Pastor Troy on Chamillionaire's album The Sound of Revenge. Render appeared alongside T.I. on the song "Never Scared" by Bone Crusher on his album AttenCHUN!. It peaked at #26 on the Hot 100, becoming Mike's second top 40 hit. The song was used on the Madden NFL 2004 game soundtrack and by the Atlanta Braves for their 2003 season.
2006–2012: ''Pledge'' series and ''R.A.P. Music''
What was to be his second album, Ghetto Extraordinary, had its release date pushed back several times due to disputes between Big Boi and Sony Music. Originally recorded in 2005, the album was eventually self-released as a mixtape in 2008. Render confirmed in January 2008 that he had officially left Purple Ribbon Records.Render's second album, I Pledge Allegiance to the Grind, was released on his own Grind Time Official label in 2006, followed by I Pledge Allegiance to the Grind II in 2008.
T.I. announced that he and Render had been in talks about bringing Mike to his Grand Hustle imprint on Atlantic, and Render confirmed that he had signed in December 2008. He released his fourth album, PL3DGE, on Grand Hustle in 2011. His fifth album, R.A.P. Music, followed in 2012.
In 2013, Render announced that he was working to release two albums in 2014, I Pledge Allegiance to the Grind IV and R.A.P. Music II, both of which were to feature production by El-P. Although neither album was released as planned, 2013 and 2014 did see the release of two Run the Jewels albums, both collaborative efforts between Render and El-P.
Render announced in 2013 that his next solo album would be titled Elegant Elephant, a project he described as his "Moby Dick". He did not specify a timeline for its release.
2013–present: Run the Jewels, ''Michael'' and ''Songs for Sinners & Saints''
Render was introduced to rapper-producer El-P by Cartoon Network executive Jason DeMarco in 2011. The following year, El-P produced Mike's album R.A.P. Music and guested on the song "Butane ". That same year, Render guested on El-P's album Cancer 4 Cure. When R.A.P. Music and Cancer 4 Cure were released within weeks of each other, the two rappers decided to tour together. The success of the tour eventually led to the decision to record as a duo, which they named Run the Jewels.Run the Jewels released a free eponymous album on June 26, 2013. The next year, on October 28, 2014, Run the Jewels released their second free album, Run the Jewels 2. On September 25, 2015, the duo released a re-recorded version of Run the Jewels 2 made entirely with cat sounds, titled Meow the Jewels. A third album, Run the Jewels 3, was released on December 24, 2016. Their fourth album, RTJ4, was released on June 3, 2020.
On July 4, 2022, Mike released a solo single, "Run". This track would subsequently appear on Michael, a solo album that Mike released on June 16, 2023.
On July 29, 2024, Mike announced his seventh studio album, Songs for Sinners & Saints, with his gospel group, Michael & The Mighty Midnight Revival. The album released August 2nd.
In 2025, Killer Mike appeared on the De La Soul album “Cabin in the Sky” in which he raps a verse about his mother on the song “A Quick 16 For Mama”
Other ventures
Acting
Mike has been featured in the films 20 Funerals, Idlewild, and ATL. He has performed as a voice actor, playing a rapper/actor-turned-U.S. President named Taqu'il in the Adult Swim cartoon Frisky Dingo from 2006 to 2008. Mike guest-voiced a Boost Mobile phone in an episode of the same name of Adult Swim's Aqua Teen Hunger Force. He appeared twice on an Adult Swim surreal comedy series The Eric Andre Show, once in 2012, where he acted as a hype man for a female opera singer, and again in 2014, where he performed a rap battle with Action Bronson while the two were forced to walk on treadmills. He appeared as himself in Ozark. On January 18, 2019, Netflix released Trigger Warning with Killer Mike, a docuseries which Mike hosts.Graffitis SWAG barbershop
Mike and his wife, Shana, opened a barbershop in Atlanta on November 1, 2011. The two acquired and reworked a barbershop and named it Graffitis SWAG. He had waited nine years before choosing to open the barbershop, after having an early business manager advise him against the plan. It took his wife advising him to do it now while he had the time and money to pursue his lifelong dream. He eventually plans to open 150 shops across the United States over time, predominantly in cities with large Black communities.The barbershop is decorated with artwork on the walls honoring historic Black leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr. Mike said that he hopes to "lift up men in the community who are out of work and help move them toward sustainable, lifelong careers" and give his employees "opportunity for real economic elevation". As of 2012, the shop employed six barbers, with plans to add four to six more licensed barbers to the team. Mike said that he hoped to pursue his own barber license in the winter of 2012.
The enterprise has been successful and the shop has become a gathering place for the community, in addition to hosting events such as a season premiere for The Boondocks and serving as the setting for several music videos. A second location in Tampa, Florida was planned for 2014.