Michael Santiago Render (born April 20, 1975) is an American rapper, actor, and activist better known by his stage name Killer Mike. Mike first debuted on Outkast’s Stankonia album in 2000, and later on their Grammy-winning single “The Whole World” from their greatest hits collection Big Boi and Dre Present… Outkast (2001).
As a solo artist, he has now recorded five full-length albums. Grind Time Official Records, which he created through SMC and Fontana Distribution, is his brainchild.
Mike joined T.I.’s Grand Hustle Records in December 2008, which is owned by fellow Atlanta rapper T.I. He released R.A.P. Music in 2012, which was totally produced by American rapper and producer El-P. In 2013, Killer Mike and El-P established the band Run the Jewels, which was signed to Fool’s Gold Records and released their self-titled debut in June.
Mike is also a social and political activist who campaigns against issues such as social injustice, police brutality, and systematic racism. He has offered multiple talks at colleges and universities, written on social justice topics for publications like Billboard, and been the subject of interviews regarding police misconduct and race relations, in addition to tackling themes of racism and police brutality in his music.
He was a visible and loud supporter of Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign in the United States, refusing to support Hillary Clinton when Sanders dropped out and supporting Sanders again in his 2020 candidacy.
Mike may be seen in movies including Idlewild, Baby Driver, and ATL. In January 2019, Netflix released the documentary series Trigger Warning with Killer Mike, in which he explores issues affecting the black community in the United States. In Season 4 Part 2 of the Netflix series Ozark, he appears as himself in an episode.
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Killer Mike’s Net Worth
Killer Mike has a net worth of $5 million as an American hip-hop recording artist and actor. In April 1975, Killer Mike was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Grind Time Official Records was founded by Killer Mike. On OutKast’s 2000 album Stankonia, he made his debut on the track “Snappin’ and Tappin’.”
OutKast’s Grammy-winning tune “The Whole World” from their greatest hits album featured Mike afterward. In 2008, Killer Mike signed with T.I.’s Grand Hustle Records. Monster, his first studio album, was released in March 2003 and peaked at #4 on the US R&B charts and #10 on the Billboard 200.
He’s released six solo studio albums, the most recent of which was R.A.P. Music in 2012. With rapper-producer El-P, Killer Mike released the albums Run the Jewels in 2013 and Run the Jewels 2 in 2014. He’s also put out four mixtapes.
Mike’s most well-known track is “A.D.I.D.A.S,” which charted in the United States, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom and features Big Boi and Sleepy Brown. Graffiti’s SWAG Barbershop was founded by Mike in 2011. He is known for his roles in the films 20 Funerals, Idlewild, and ATL.
How did Killer Mike amass so much wealth?
The talented rapper became a millionaire by focusing on music while working as an actor in films and television series. Killer Mike signed a recording deal with Columbia Records in early 2002 and 2003 after releasing multiple singles such as “Akshon” and “A.D.I.D.A.S.”
He released his debut studio album (as a solo artist) titled “Monster” through the label in March 2003. The album received excellent reviews and charted in the top ten on numerous US Billboard charts. Mike was able to make an estimated $50,000 from the sales and advertising of his album by the end of the year.
Killer Mike continues to make studio albums and compose music for other artists for the next nine years. After leaving Columbia Records in early 2006, he started his own label, “Grind Time Official Records,” with the help of SMC and Fontana Distribution. “I Pledge Allegiance to the Grind,” his sophomore album, was his first to be published through his record label and the first to be a commercial success.
His subsequent three solo albums (“I Pledge Allegiance to the Grind II”, “PL3DGE”, and “R.A.P. Music”) were significantly more successful, earning him around $250,000. At the same time, the rapper continued to work with other well-known hip hop artists, like Three 6 Mafia, Shawty Lo, T.I., and Bun B.
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Why is he so famous?
Killer Mike first gained notoriety in the late 1990s when he began producing songs for himself as well as other musicians. Michael was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on April 20, 1975. He is the first child of a police officer father and a florist mother. Sarah, his younger sister, is his only sibling. Because their parents were both teens at the time of their birth, they were reared by their grandparents in the Collier Heights neighborhood.
Michael briefly attended Morehouse College in 1995, where he met “The Beat Bullies” producers and Big Boi of the duo “Outkast.” After dropping out of high school to pursue a music career, he began developing projects a few years later. OutKast’s song “Snapping and Tripping” off their album “Stankonia” marked his musical debut. He co-wrote and was a featured performer in OutKast’s song “The Whole World,” which won a Grammy Award for “Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group” a year later, in 2001. Killer Mike had been his stage name by that time.