He came in the game to “Show y’all soldier ass niggas I’m murder city’s Sergeant Slaughter” while “Snappin & Trappin” on OutKast’s 2000 release, Stankonia. But in the seven-plus years since The Dungeon Family unleashed their verbal pit bull on the nation, Killer Mike’s burly baritone has been put to use for much more than tales from the trap.

Michael Render (who got his rap moniker not from the street but from the underground Atlanta battle circuit) has evolved into an emcee who can effortlessly mesh street saviness with his own brand of socially-concious content that doesn’t preach at, and therefore alienate, his listener.
Beginning with his solo debut, 2003’s Monster, Mike formally introduced himself as a warrior for the poor, a spokesman for those suffering in American-style squalor who resort to selling drugs solely as a means to and end. But while Monster did debut in the Top 10 upon its release, the album failed to go gold, and much of Mike’s message regarding class in America was overlooked as radio listeners only heard his voice explain how “Heffers call me black-n-decker,” and assumed all he did was dream about sex.

But two years later, Mike was about to inform those who had mistakenly prejudged him that he had more to offer than libido lyricism. Unfortunately, the unparralled truth-telling (see “Blacks ain’t got shit/It’s still 1-9-6-6/’Cause you can buy a car ain’t shit/Jordan can’t buy a team/And that nigga got six rings” from “Bad Day, Worst Day”) featured on Mike’s shelved sophomore album, Ghetto Extraordinary, wouldn’t be heard by the masses until last month when HipHopDX.com blessed the rap universe with this lost gem [click here to download].

But now, the Adamsville, GA native who once proclaimed “Rap Is Dead” (and it should be noted this was three years before Nas did the same) is ironically one of the few acts in ‘08 keeping credible Southern Hip Hop alive, and has returned hot on the heels of a series of stellar mixtape/street releases (Dat Crack, The Killer, and I Plegde Allegiance To The Grind) to remind those who forgot, and introduce those that never knew, that Killer Mike is the most balanced, and arguably the most skilled southern emcee of this era.

Mike’s sharp wit will once again be on display when he unleashes I Pledge Allegiance To The Grind II via Bay Area based label, SMC Recordings, on March 25th. With confirmed appearances from 8Ball & MJG and Trae, tentative appearances from Beanie Sigel, Ice Cube, Scarface (and a few other legends possibly making surprise cameos), and sonics from the beatmakers who helped to make the first edition of Mike’s Grind street album series a critically-acclaimed and award-winning (2007 Ozone winner for Best Street Album) success, including Smiff & Cash (Heatwave Productions), Chaotic Beats, and Drum Major Music, Grind II is guaranteed to be as amazing as its predecessor.

Along for the ride on Grind II will also be Mike’s Grind Time Rap Gang, who will soon be releasing their own crew album Serving Live From The Grindhouse, and Grind Time’s annual Valentine’s Day mixtape for mothers, Skulls & Roses Pt. 2, is due in a few weeks).

But before Mike begins his Grind Time takeover for ’08, he spoke with his good friends here at HipHopDX and gave us the definitive Killer Mike interview. He spoke candidly about past beef with Big Boi (and its reported violent turn), friendship with Pimp C [R.I.P.], lost record deals, his possible return to a major label, and so much other good shit that we couldn’t fit it all into one feature. Enjoy!

HipHopDX: I don’t know if I should begin our interview on this note, but I just wanted to get any words you might have about Pimp C that you wanna share with our readers?
Killer Mike: I can’t do nothing but express gratitude, because Pimp C and Bun B made sacrifices so we wouldn’t have to. I’m eternally grateful, and I’ma make sure that everything I do is gonna be to add to that integrity of Southern Hip Hop or “country rap tunes,” as Pimp would call ‘em.

DX: Do you know personally if Pimp C was a Killer Mike fan?
KM: Yeah, I know personally Pimp C was a Killer Mike fan ‘cause I wrote him in prison. And when he got out, he came and gave me two free verses. And he sat me down and just schooled me on a lot of shit. It’s like Pimp told me, even bigger than just being a Killer Mike fan, Pimp said, “Mike, I’m witcha man, ‘cause you an underdog. And I know how that feels. Bun used to say, ‘Pimp, boys ain’t recognizing us. They ain’t respectin’ it.’ And I used to tell him, don’t worry about it, ‘cause where them boys who doing that bullshit gonna be ten, 20 years from now? Our music gonna last forever!” He told me that at a time when I really felt under-appreciated, and I felt like giving up, and it helped me understand that to give up is to give up on your fans, your supporters, your people. You not just giving up on you. And I don’t have the right to give up. That ain’t my choice. There’s people who get inspired by what I say, and that push them through this sick, sad, cold world. And I’d be arrogant and wrong to try to think that my personal feelings, or let my ego get in the way of doing what I’m supposed to be doing. And what I’m supposed to be doing is making sure that Southern Hip Hop is held to the same standard that it was when Pimp and Bun and [Eightball & MJG] and Suave House and Rap-A-Lot sacrificed everything to make sure that we could even have a say. I realized that my responsibility was bigger than to myself. Continued on page 2 »