Killer Mike has been released by police after a video of the rapper being arrested following an alleged physical altercation backstage at Sunday night's Grammy Awards went viral.
The 48-year-old won Best Rap Album earlier in the day for his sixth studio album, Michael, as well as Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance awards for his song "Scientists and Engineers," which features Andre 3000, Future and Eryn Allen Kane.
Newsweek contacted a representative for Killer Mike for comment via email on Monday.
According to The Hollywood Reporter journalist Chris Gardner, the arrest happened after he won the awards.
"Rapper Killer Mike has been taken away in handcuffs in http://Crypto.com arena after winning 3 #Grammys during telecast (Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance for 'Scientists & Engineers,' Best Rap Album for Michael) 'Free Mike' someone shouts as he walks past," he posted to X, formerly Twitter.
The clip he uploaded has since gone viral, having been viewed 7.4 million times at the time of writing.
People took to the comments to share their sympathies for the rapper.
"I don't care what the misdemeanor offense is. Timing of the arrest is so wrong," one person posted.
Rapper Killer Mike has been arrested at the #GRAMMYs after winning three awards.
— Pop Base (@PopBase) February 5, 2024
pic.twitter.com/GEQKn44c7k
"They arrested this man for a misdemeanor on the night. He won three Grammys ?! They will do anything to tear down black men in America," said another X user.
"Whew, what a way to ruin the night. I hope this doesn't take away from the monumental things he just earned," someone else commented.
A fourth person added: "The timing of the arrest looks as if it was planned."
Another video of Killer Mike being walked away in handcuffs has also gone viral. Uploaded by the entertainment X account Pop Base, it had been viewed 4.1 million times at the time of writing.
According to a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department, Killer Mike, real name Michael Render, was in the process of being released in the early hours of Monday morning.
"On Sunday, February 4, just after 4pm, a male adult was detained and handcuffed for a physical altercation that occurred at the 700 block of Chick Hearn Court. The suspect was placed under arrest and was transported to LAPD Central Division," a statement said.
"The suspect has been identified as 48-year-old Michael Render and booked for Misdemeanor Battery 243(A) PC, and is in the process of being released."
This was the first time Killer Mike had won a Grammy in over 20 years. The rapper had been celebrating several wins on stage during the pre-telecast ceremony before his arrest.
"This is for all the people who think you're too old to rap ... we keep hip hop alive. Never ever stop doing what you do," he said.
"The only thing that limits your age is not being truthful about your age or what you're doing.
"At 20 years old, I thought it was cool to be a drug dealer," he added. "At 40, I started to live with the regrets and the things I've done. At 45, I started to rap about it. At 48, I stand here as a man full of empathy and sympathy for the things I've done."
Killer Mike is known for speaking out on the topics of social justice issues, including race relations and the treatment of Black people in the United States.
He was the host of Netflix's documentary series Trigger Warning with Killer Mike in 2019, which looked at issues impacting the Black community.
Update 2/5/24, 3:05 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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