‘Scientists and Engineers’ key to freedom for Killer Mike

Rolling out caught up with three-time Grammy winner and social activist Killer Mike, whose real name is Michael Render, during a stop in New York, where he was doing a brief residency. He set aside a little time to talk with rolling out‘s publisher and CEO, Munson Steed. They discussed a wide range of topics in which the 49-year-old star looked back over four decades of his life and talked about his regrets, including a brief stint at Morehouse College, but also about the potential that education carries for each of us.

Where are we right now?

I’m in New York City right now, doing big-time stuff.

So what’s happening in New York City now? And how does it feel for that young man that’s on that cover?

I’m doing a three-night residency at the Blue Note, two shows a night, at 8 and 10:30. It’s the fulfillment of a 9-year-old kid’s dream from the west side of Atlanta. All I wanted to be was an MC. I wanted to be like Run-DMC, the Fat Boys, the Beastie Boys, EPMD, and Rakim. Those dreams of that 9-year-old kid have fueled me 40 years later. For the man sitting here now, it’s a dream come true. Coming off a three-time Grammy win in February and a BET Album of the Year win, I’m having a whole reset, setting up the next decade or two of my life.

Why talk about science and engineering? Why should hip-hop understand that?

“Scientists and Engineers” is the title Kevin Kane and Dre came up with when we were working on it. According to my beliefs, Black people are the original people on Earth. … Everywhere in the world, we were, we are, and we will always be. For me, the term “scientists and engineers” takes me back to the teachings of people like Marcus Garvey, Elijah Muhammad, Noble Drew Ali, and John Henrik Clarke. We are the original scientists and engineers.

How long did you study at Morehouse?

I did a year at Morehouse and decided to leave to pursue music. I always tell people, that’s the one decision I regret because I didn’t get a record deal until the same year I would have graduated. So, I should have stuck it out. But with that said, I think I’ve brought enough acclaim to the school and kept my integrity. Morehouse had a significant effect on my life. My uncle Carlton went to Morehouse, my cousin Keith went to Morehouse, and my homeroom teacher, Mr. Arnold, who didn’t think I could get in, went to Morehouse. My grandmother wanted me to go to Tuskegee, and I loved Tuskegee University, but I was very excited to attend Morehouse. … Morehouse gave me lifelong friendships. … I had opportunities to go to Morris Brown, Jackson [State], and SCAD gave me a partial scholarship, but I’m really glad I chose Morehouse.

Why do you give validation to intellectual pursuits in hip-hop?

I mean, hip-hop is an art form. Some of my greatest teachers have been practitioners in that art form. When you think about what brings a 15-year-old kid in the South to the knowledge of 5% ism, Nation of Islam, or the Egyptian mysteries, it comes straight out of Chuck D, straight out of KRS-One, Big Daddy Kane, [acronym for] King Asiatic Nobody’s Equal; and later, groups like OutKast and Goodie Mob. Intellectual pursuit in the Black community, to me, is that my grandmother and grandfather valued education above all. Money wasn’t better, bigger houses weren’t better; what was prominent to them was education. You should be focused on education because it opens the doorway to everything else.

In that collaboration on this Grammy Award-winning project, you took a whole bunch of voices and made brotherhood seem like it was a conversation about how not to con people through hip-hop. Why should we understand that there are hip-hop cons, and why did you call them out?

I mean, there are cons everywhere. There are cons in hip-hop, but the hip-hop cons aren’t the dangerous ones. The dangerous cons are politicians, religion, and the people who rule society. Hip-hop does what music does — it gives you an emotion, a feeling. The more dangerous con is the kind of education that tells Black boys, because they’re disinterested in reading, writing and arithmetic, that somehow trades don’t matter. The real con is convincing kids to take out exorbitant loans for college when they aren’t ready. They should take a year off and travel so that they will appreciate the education. The real cons are politicians who will say anything to get elected and then forget about you. … It worries me that their parents aren’t smart enough to know that politicians are lying and stealing.

Because you mentioned your creative family, how has being in Atlanta and having a Grammy Award-winning musical family affected you?

We’ve seen what happened to entertainers and athletes, you know. We’ve seen our predecessors be robbed — robbed of their publishing, robbed of business opportunities. We’ve seen athletes mishandle fortunes chasing fame and women. But when you have a Hank Aaron in your circle, and you see him not only invest in good businesses but run a successful auto dealership, it changes things. When you learn that the Blanco family has successful car dealerships, or you see athletes do it right by reinvesting in their communities, it sets an example. Look at Grant Hill, who’s a minority owner in the Hawks.

When I see Tip and Future having hit records and taking advantage of that from the business side, it lets me know that even if I haven’t had a top 10 hit, I can leverage my celebrity into something meaningful.

Bankhead Seafood, a 50-year-old restaurant on Bankhead Highway [renamed Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway after famed civil rights attorney], is another example. Two weeks before buying it, my wife and I were there picking up some fish. I mentioned to Tip that we should do a business together, and two weeks later, he called with an opportunity. Over the next three and a half years, we, along with my wife Shea, Crystal Peterson, and Doug Peterson of the Grand Hustle family, worked hard to bring it to fruition. It will open in 60 days.

You’re supposed to reinvest in what created you. The west side of Atlanta created me, so why wouldn’t I want to own apartment buildings and single-family homes there? Tip bought $4 million worth of property to build 143 affordable housing units. We’re doing what you’re supposed to do, and I hope other rappers and athletes emulate this in other cities.

If we do this, we’re laying the cornerstone for the next 20, 50, and 100 years of African Americans having true economic power. We’re following in the footsteps of John Wesley Dobbs, Alonzo Herndon, Magic Johnson and Shaq. I believe it’s my responsibility to continue this legacy.

Photos by Collis Torrington for rolling out