Killer Mike is a multi-faceted personality who defies categorization. He’s a political activist who supported Bernie Sanders, yet he’s also a rapper who celebrated Ronald Reagan’s death. He advocates for gun ownership, yet he praises Georgia’s Republican governor, Brian Kemp. He’s left behind the Christian faith he was raised with, yet his latest solo album, Michael, is rich with gospel choirs and biblical references. In a Zoom interview, Mike acknowledged his contradictions and invited others to embrace them. “You don’t have to pick a side with me,” he said. “You’re going to church with me. You’re going to the Blue Flame with me.”
Mike’s willingness to reach across political divides has sometimes drawn criticism. Last year, a HuffPost column dubbed him “more politically dangerous than Kanye West” because he praised Kemp’s outreach to Black voters while the governor supported policies that many Democrats view as voter suppression. While some of Mike’s songs envision violent revolution, he called for restraint during the George Floyd protests, asking protesters not to burn buildings. Mike’s new album, Michael, ventures into the culture wars that often pit one ideology against another. But the album is more than just a political statement. It’s a personal memoir that delves into Mike’s complex identity as a rebellious artist and a Black man from a traditional family in the South.
In the early 2000s, Mike was best known as an associate of OutKast, Atlanta’s signature rap duo. In the 2010s, he teamed up with Brooklyn’s El-P to form Run the Jewels. Their anthems are both rude and righteous, evoking the spirit of Rage Against the Machine. After four critically-acclaimed albums, Mike feels secure in his place as part of “arguably one of the best rap groups ever.” Yet, he now wants to tell his own story and reconcile his disparate images. “They see you as half superhero of Run the Jewels,” he said. “They see you as… Killer Mike the liberal… They see you as Killer Mike the pro-Second A guy. These weird groups of people like you for different reasons. But this album gives it all to them in one, and it helps you understand I’m simply a human being.”
Michael blends holy choirs with militaristic beats, boisterous bass, and Mike’s commanding voice. Yet, the album is also vulnerable and introspective, with Mike rapping tenderly about lost love, his mother’s death, and the fear of failure that has long driven him. The album pays tribute to Mike’s grandmother, whose devotion to Christ inspired its churchly sound. The track “Run” features a sermon by comedian Dave Chappelle, who likens being Black in America to storming the beach at Normandy. Chappelle urges Mike to run for office, telling him that people trust him not because he’s perfect, but because he’s honest. Mike demurs on running but acknowledges that he might someday hold public office.
While he believes in some form of “wokeness,” Mike rejects the liberal notion of it, as espoused by the “woke-ass” crowd that he lambastes on the album. Instead, Mike advocates for staying vigilant and paying attention to the details. He urges everyone to resist the urge to retreat into their own ideological bubbles and to seek out uncomfortable relationships to effect change. “Because if all of us are paying attention, then all of us could see the details, and we can get in the room to figure out how to overthrow all of our masters.”
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