Source: Paras Griffin / Getty
The rapper and activist Killer Mike has drawn criticism for comparing himself to the civil rights leader online in response to pushback for his support of the GOP Governor Brian Kemp.
Killer Mike is facing scrutiny for his meeting with Georgia’s governor, Brian Kemp after being vocal about his less-than-favorable opinions of the Democratic Party. In a recent appearance on Hell of a Week with Charlamagne Tha God on Comedy Central, he criticized Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams for a perceived lack of “Black community involvement” and an “unclear stance on the legalization of marijuana.”
“Whatever white person you got running your Black outreach, fire them,” Mike said. In contrast, he praised Kemp for his campaign, and stated that he “couldn’t have been more proud of Kemp’s work reaching out to the Black community.”
The appearance led to people questioning the Run The Jewels rapper’s true intentions in supporting someone who is actively working to suppress the Black vote in Georgia. The criticisms were fueled when a tweet from Governor Kemp in 2020 featuring Killer Mike meeting with him and his wife resurfaced on the platform.
As Killer Mike defended himself against these claims of supporting Kemp, one user named Anfernee The Don issued their own tweet of support. “Wild that people take a photo of you meeting with the state’s leadership in that moment as you supporting them. We as Americans should be meeting with representatives regardless of affiliation because we are their constituents,” they wrote.
The “Call Ticketron” rapper quote-tweeted the response with the simple statement, “That’s what I thought.” It accompanied a photo of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. meeting with President Lyndon B. Johnson.
He’d then be called out for ostensibly comparing his meeting with Kemp to the meeting in the photo, which was taken as the civil rights leader met with President Johnson to press for the Civil Rights Act to be passed. In response to the increased outrage, Killer Mike fired off a final tweet as a pointed response.
“Don’t waste ya time being mad a 2 year old picture of me. U better get to door-knocking and Canvassing for your side. I have not publicly endorsed any candidate and will be keeping my vote a private matter. Twitter aint real so get yo ass out & cast a vote.”
