As we all have heard by now, Killer Mike finally received his overdue flowers at this year’s Grammys. The legendary Atlanta emcee took home trophies in three categories including Rap Album Of The Year for his extremely vulnerable and undeniably stunning album Michael and his André 3000-assisted single “Scientists & Engineers” won for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance. A clean sweep as they say and a well-deserved victory lap for an artist whose tireless creativity is finally being recognized by the world.
In the world of hip-hop, Killer Mike has done it all. His booming verse and poisonous verses were first heard on Outkast’s Stankonia. He signed to Big Boi’s record label shortly after where he released his properly named debut album Monster in 2003. The commercial success came early with his debut reaching ten on the Billboard charts and garnering critical acclaim. He then went the independent route for his next two albums I Pledge Allegiance to The Grind and its follow-up I Pledge Allegiance to The Grind II. His creativity took a turn in 2012 with the release of his artistically ambitious R.A.P Music LP. The album was produced by the other half of Run The Jewels, El-P, and the creative partnership that spawned from this album would change the trajectory of Killer Mike’s career.
The four projects Killer Mike released with Run The Jewels put him in front of audiences and had him working with outside artists like Pharrell Williams and Mavis Staples. This leads us to Michael, his collaboration-heavy gospel-inspired opus. Killer Mike’s Grammy-award-winning solo album sums up the many styles and eras Killer Mike has lived through. From his upbringing in Atlanta to the world stages he has performed on, Michael showcases the dedication he has shown to hip-hop, and seeing it celebrated in such a way brings a smile to the world of hip-hop.
For this week’s Golden Age Thursday we’re going back to before Killer Mike had even released his debut record. The amount of legendary freestyles that came out of BET’s Rap City makes old footage of the TV show feel like a museum through the history of hip-hop. In 2002, Killer Mike entered Rap City with his labelmate Big Boi to drop a vicious freestyle that showcases his natural talents. Along with a quick verse from Big Boi himself, Killer Mike drops an otherworldly rhyme scheme and the similarities to his writing style on current projects are jaw-dropping to witness. Check out Killer Mike’s Rap City Freestyle below.
