As the rain pounded the pavement outside the doors of the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 4, Killer Mike was seated inside as the 2024 Grammy Awards held its premiere ceremony. There, he swept the rap categories, winning Best Rap Album for Michael, Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance for “Scientists & Engineers” featuring André 3000, Future and Eryn Allen Kane.
But a mere 30 minutes later, after possibly one of the best moments of his life, Killer Mike was in handcuffs being hauled off to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department jail for allegedly shoving a venue security guard. Now, he’s publicly addressing the debacle in a new song called “HUMBLE ME.” Accompanied by a black-and-white visual, the track paints a vivid picture of what he was thinking as the incident unfolded.
“I won at the Grammys for spitting my grammar, did that for Atlanta,” he raps. “Did that for Atlanta bruh, swept up like a janitor/Got sent to the slammer bruh/Treat me like an animal or some kind of hannibal, vicious and cannibal/The devil be doing you, right when you doing it, the devil will ruin you/Behind me Satan I walk out the door with my head up and handcuffs with pride/Cause all of my heroes wore handcuffs, the FBI shot some of them and they died.
“Betty and Coretta cried, Jacquelyn went into hiding/I was sitting there in a room full of cops, like Daniel was sitting with the lions/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 his whipping post/The lord did not allow him to whip me/So I went to sleep as free as can be and the next day my son got a kidney.”
Killer Mike is referring to the news he got in the days following the Grammy sweep and ensuing arrest. His son wound up undergoing a successful kidney transplant in February.
“I got a call that my child, after being on the list for three years, finally got his kidney,” he told GQ. “And I can just truly tell you that God is real … I’m grateful that God showed me within 24 hours that there’s something more important than even the accolades you’ve worked for. And that’s my family and my child and I’m just thankful. I thank Him.”
This isn’t the first time Killer Mike has talked about the arrest. On February 5, he said in a statement, “There was some confusion around which door my team and I should enter. We experienced an over-zealous security guard but my team and I have the upmost confidence that I will ultimately be cleared of all wrongdoing.”
And he was right. Last month, Killer Mike was cleared of a misdemeanor battery charge after the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office declined to file charges against him.
“HUMBLE ME” arrived hours after he won Album of the Year at the 2024 BET Awards. Watch it above.
