Killer Mike has addressed his contentious arrest at the 2024 Grammy Awards in his new song “Humble Me.”
The Atlanta rap icon released the track after winning Album of the Year at the BET Awards on Sunday (June 30), which was coincidentally held at L.A.’s Peacock Theatre, the same venue where he was arrested. The song, featuring Muhammad Ali’s speech about humility in the intro, and its accompanying black and white video, portray the Run The Jewels rapper in a mix of boastful and contemplative moods.
“I won at the Grammys/ For spitting my grammar/ Did that for Atlanta/ Swept up like a janitor/ Got sent to the slammer / Treat me like an animal or some kind of Hannibal,” he raps over robust production from Tec Beatz, Cory Henry, and Cuz Lightyear. On this spiritually charged track, he continues: “The Devil be doing you right when you doing it/ The Devil will ruin you/ Behind me Satan/ I walked out the door, my head up and handcuffs with pride.”
The song also captures Mike’s thoughts during his brief incarceration: “I had to quiet my mind, I prayed and I prayed and I prayed/ The liars were lying their lies/ I kept on just keeping my faith/ The Devil put me on this whipping post/ The Lord did not lie on there with me/ So I went to sleep as free as can be and the next day my son got a kidney.”
Recently, it was confirmed that Killer Mike will not face charges related to his Grammys arrest, which stemmed from an alleged altercation with a security guard. The rapper also touched on the arrest in his BET Awards acceptance speech after winning Album of the Year for Michael.
“Technically, I was not supposed to be here,” he said. “I was put in handcuffs and marched out of this building. But I wanna tell you, look at God because I’m back, baby. I’m back.”
He added: “I wanna tell Black people that it’s because of BET I’m back, not ’cause of no white person. A Black man runs this business, a Black company puts this show on, and they got my Black ass back in here. Thank you.”
“I’m moved and compelled to say this in this moment, a lot of people gonna say, ‘Who was he? Why did he get it?’” Mike continued. “I am a representation of one of the finest things God has ever made. And that’s one-half of the Black family.
“Black men and women, I am you. Whether you’re young, whether you’re old, whether you like me, whether you don’t like me, I am absolutely you, and this win is absolutely ours.”
