This past weekend, the 66th Annual Grammy Awards took place in Los Angeles, California, and while it was a predictable night for most categories, it created some controversy in others. An artist who goes by the name of Killer Mike won best rap album, song, and performance with his album “Michael,” finishing ahead of world-renowned names such as Travis Scott, Drake and Metro Boomin. However, this presented a question for the majority of viewers: who is Killer Mike?Killer Mike, whose real name is Michael Santiago Render, is a 48-year old rapper, songwriter and activist. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, his early years involved him floating between his parents and grandparents until he briefly attended Morehouse College, where he met rapper Big Boi of Outkast. He made his music debut by featuring on Outkast’s album “Stankonia” in 2000 and featured again on their 2001 hit single “The Whole World,” which happened to win the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. Afterwards, his debut album “Monster” was released in 2003, and over the next 20 years he would proceed to release five more albums, with “Rap Music,” “Michael” and “I Pledge Allegiance To The Grind ll” being his most popular albums.
Essentially, “Michael” flew under the radar for many listeners as the album was barely mentioned by online opinionators. Travis Scott’s album “Utopia” was the clear frontrunner to win with 30% of the popular vote (ahead of Drake’s album “Her Loss” with and Metro Boomin’s album “Heroes and Villains”), yet Killer Mike won the award despite having minimal recognition from rap fans around the world. However, a small percentage of people have spoken up about the situation through social media apps such as TikTok and X, where they agree with The Academy’s decision, saying that Killer Mike deserved to win. Nevertheless, the general online consensus is that Travis Scott was robbed by Killer Mike, which mofenyi.gabriel on TikTok summed up beautifully by saying “Put on that new Killer Mike (said no one ever)”.
The rap category was not the only category with drama that night, with many viewers lashing out at Taylor Swift for disrespecting five-time Grammy Award winner Celine Dion when she received the final award of the night for Album of the Year. As Swift made her way to the stage, she seemingly ignored Dion and didn’t acknowledge her presence in the slightest. This was particularly enraging to viewers because Dion made this surprise appearance despite her recent struggles with stiff person syndrome, which she was diagnosed with last year. Swift also failed to mention her during her acceptance speech, while Miley Cyrus made sure to mention Mariah Carey’s incredible career when receiving an award from her earlier during the ceremony. Eventually, Swift realized that her actions were disrespectful, and she attempted to make up for it later that night with a backstage photo that Dion didn’t look especially excited to take.
All in all, the night concluded smoothly with many talented artists receiving life-changing awards.
Some new faces within the music industry have emerged as breakout stars due to the recent Grammy Awards, and many more talents will continue to emerge as time goes on. Although drama or controversy concerning decisions made by the award judges or actions made by celebrities will always occur, it’s ultimately a part embedded within award shows like the Grammys that can make them so memorable for years to come.
