Police escorted Atlanta rapper Killer Mike out of the Grammys after he won 3 awards at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday night.
An LAPD spokesperson told The Associated Press that police detained Mike after he got into an altercation.
Mike, 48, won three Grammys (Best Rap Song, Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Album) during the pre-Grammy show that was not televised.
Video shared by The Hollywood Reporter’s Chris Gardner on Twitter/X shows police escorting the rapper out of the arena in handcuffs.
Breaking: Rapper Killer Mike has been taken away in handcuffs in https://t.co/aF2yiyTHol 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. pic.twitter.com/4epfmzqMt8
— Chris Gardner (@chrissgardner) February 5, 2024
Witnesses say the altercation started inside the arena around 4 p.m. A woman snapped at Mike for refusing to endorse President Biden for reelection.
Police released Mike on Sunday evening without charges. He did not return to the Grammys.
In an interview on “Real Time” with host Bill Maher last week, Mike refused to endorse Biden over former President Trump.
“My feeling is pick your policy, not your person,” Mike told Maher.
“This is not the Dallas Cowboys versus your favorite team. This is the policies that will affect our generations for the next 20, 30, 40 years to come. So, close your eyes, listen to the policies that are being pushed,” Mike said.
“I’m for Black people. And Happy Black History Month,” Mike continued.
When asked to explain his rejection of Biden, Mike said, “Can he get himself to apologize for the [1994] crime bill? Can he get himself to get his head out of his a** and say ‘Black people, you are black regardless?'”
Mike seemed to refer to the “You ain’t Black” comment Biden made to “The Breakfast Club” co-host Charlamagne in 2020.
Mike continued: “Can he pick a coalition of former people who were affected by drug law, street gangs, recidivism, and crime and say, ‘I need you as a board to advise me how to fix federal prisons?'”
Fox News noted that Mike’s statements align with others in the Black community.
Other rappers such as Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent recently suggested they might vote for Trump.