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.”
Not for the first time, Moby is speaking out against Donald Trump’s administration with clear frustration.
“The U.S. is collapsing under a deeply corrupt and shockingly ineffective administration,” the longtime electronic musician shared on social media. “These are unbelievably dark times.”
Moby went deeper into his thoughts through a video message, where he explained that people outside the United States keep asking Americans what is actually happening in the country.
“So many of my friends outside the United States keep asking me, ‘what the hell is happening over there?’ And honestly, we don’t even know,” he said. “The country is being controlled by one of the most corrupt, dangerous and incompetent administrations imaginable. Nobody fully understands what’s happening right now. These are very dark times in America.”
Moby joins a growing list of artists publicly criticizing Trump and MAGA politics, including Bruce Springsteen, Jack White, Eminem and Billie Eilish.
Earlier this year, Moby uploaded another statement to social media where he addressed how people should respond following the killing of Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minneapolis. “The real question isn’t whether people should feel horrified or outraged by what’s happening in the United States,” Moby explained in the Jan. 26 clip. “The question is what are we actually going to do about it?”
The musician and activist also encouraged people to protest, saying demonstrations are a constitutional right and something he believes Trump’s administration is attempting to weaken.
In the end, he urged people to vote regularly, “not only during the upcoming midterms, even though those matter, but also in every special election throughout the year.” He also encouraged supporters to “stop giving money to the scumbag corporations backing Trump and ICE. We all know who they are. Boycott them.”
His newest remarks arrive as the U.S. Justice Department unveils a nearly $1.8 billion compensation fund for Trump allies who claim they were unfairly investigated. At the same time, the Strait of Hormuz remains shut down following military action launched by the U.S. and Israel against Iran in late February without approval from Congress, leading to rising gas prices across the globe.
Throughout his independent music career, Moby has earned 10 entries on the Billboard 200 along with two songs on the Billboard Hot 100 and an enormous catalog of sync placements. Overseas, particularly in the United Kingdom, he is viewed as one of the defining artists of his era. He scored two No. 1 albums there with Play from 1999 and 18 from 2002, alongside 18 top 40 singles and two nominations for Best International Male at the BRIT Awards.
Check out Moby’s newest social media post below.
