Killer Mike will not be charged following his arrest in February at the 2024 Grammy Awards.
After coming out of the Grammys pre-telecast victorious with three awards — best rap album for MICHAEL and best rap song and best rap performance for “SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS” with André 3000, Future and Eryn Allen Kane — Killer Mike was arrested outside of Peacock Theater (where the pre-telecast was held before the main ceremony at Crypto.com Arena) due to an altercation between him and a security guard over his credentials. The rapper was initially booked for misdemeanor battery and was released without bail.
“There was a lot going and there was some confusion around which door my team and I should enter. We experienced an over-zealous security guard but my team and I have the upmost confidence that I will ultimately be cleared of all wrongdoing,” read part of a statement he issued shortly after his arrest.
TMZ reported on Wednesday (June 26) that the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office said it would not be filing charges against the rapper (real name Michael Render). After completing his city attorney hearing, he agreed to do community service with a non-profit organization of his choice, according to TMZ.
“All of my heroes have been in handcuffs – Malcolm, Martin, Mandela, Medgar,” he said during a Feb. 12 appearance on The View, eight days following his arrest on Music’s Biggest Night. “I walked out with the same dignity and respect that I walked in with, and I would implore people to just take that from it.”
Metallica bassist Jason Newsted says he is now “free and clear” after facing throat cancer.
The 63 year old musician, who played with the Enter Sandman legends from 1986 through 2001, has shared details of his diagnosis publicly for the first time. He explained that doctors discovered it early, and on May 8, 2025 he “underwent a procedure” to treat the condition.
Speaking on the Let There Be Talk podcast, he said: “They took a bunch of s*** outta here and then they went in with lasers this way and took a bunch of s*** out.
“So the cavern inside my head is different than it was, but we got it early. And I got my ‘free and clear’ about three weeks ago. So I beat it.”
Jason contributed to several of Metallica’s most iconic releases, including 1988’s ...And Justice For All, their self titled 1991 album, 1996’s Load, the 1997 follow up Reload, and 1998’s Garage Inc.
After going through his cancer experience, the bassist made a point to slow down and actually give himself time to recover instead of constantly pushing forward.
He explained: “I promised myself I was going to rest, and that was the first time I’ve done that in my life.
"I’m usually just on or off. And so I promised myself I was gonna take the gravity off and lay down for the right amount of hours."
The health scare also led Jason to give up smoking weed and drinking alcohol, something he admits he likely would not have done otherwise.
He added: “The great spirit got my attention and said, ‘That’s not good right now, man.’ And so it pulled me off it.
"And so now I’m more clear-headed than I’ve been in my entire adult life. And so there’s blessings within everything. The lemonade I’m making this summer, bro — mm. Sweet. Ooh.”
Jason has previously said that his unexpected departure ultimately helped Metallica continue moving forward, while James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich later admitted they struggled to process his decision at the time.
Lars told Apple Music in 2021: “Jason is the only member of Metallica who has ever left willingly. And that in itself is a statistic.
"And the resentment from James and I was just so… 'You can’t do that. You can only leave if we want you to leave'.
"And then we weren’t equipped at the time to do a deep dive into why he was leaving. So of course, now you can see 20 years later, it makes complete sense.”
