Killer Mike’s moniker is certainly suggestive of aggressive activity, but in the Atlanta rapper’s opinion, Hip-Hop artists have isolated themselves from each other in a way that stagnates diversity.
“We put ourselves in our own little box. [People say,] ‘Well, I’m art so I’m going to stay in this box’ and ‘I’m conscious so I’m going to stay in this box’ or ‘I’m gangster so I am going to stay in this box,’” Killer Mike told AllHipHop.com. “Well, I want to be everybody’s box. You get a record deal, the different places you go, the different people you meet and [you pick up] their different mannerisms.”
Mike explained that Public Enemy, one of the most influential and political groups, often boasted themselves like some of the more glamorous rappers.
“I’ll never forget one of my favorite Public Enemy lines ever was ‘We ride limos too.’ People thought Chuck D and Flav were riding around in a ’98 [Oldsmobile]. That’s real though,” Killer Mike reflected. “Sometimes we keep it so real, so street that we smother ourselves and our audience.”
Mike said that his new album, Ghetto Extraordinary, would reflect his experiences growing up in the South from a realistic perspective.
“I ain’t got nothing to prove so I am going to go out here and have fun. We’d have to join the army to go out and do the things we rap about – you know, shooting at people in different places,” he said of some of his peer’s rap lyrics.
Ghetto Extraordinary is the Outkast affiliate’s sophomore release. The opus will feature Big Boi, Bubba Sparxxx, Juvenile and others. The first single from the album is titled “My Chrome” featuring Big Boi.
