After three years of waiting, Killer Mike’s son Mikael ‘Pony Boy’ Render has finally received a kidney transplant.
TMZ reports that the Grammy-winning rapper is with his son, 21, today as Mikael undergoes surgery, with the rapper later telling the outlet after the surgery that he was “doing really well.”
He added that his son will need to recover for a few hours before returning to his hospital room. “It looks like the kidney is already working.”
Mikael suffers from kidney disease and has been waiting for a transplant for three years.
It comes after his father received three Grammys before being led away from the awards ceremony in handcuffs following a ‘physical altercation’.
After a three-year wait, Killer Mike’s son Mikael ‘Pony Boy’ Render is now receiving a kidney transplant
His son, Mikael, in the photo
Mike – born Michael Santiago Render – recently spoke about his son’s kidney disease and how he was recently put on the waiting list for a new organ.
The rapper reflected on the symptoms his son – who is also a rapper and musician – first exhibited before finally receiving a diagnosis.
“Looking back on it, there were telltale signs where he said his feet were hurting him, but one time he swelled up and we didn’t understand what was going on,” he explained during an interview with Graham Bensinger back in November 2023.
“It was his kidneys that stopped working and his body retaining fluid,” he continued.
Mike said he had received the good news about the waiting list a few weeks earlier and that the operation would allow his son to finally live a “full life.”
“A few weeks ago I got a call that he was on the kidney transplant list, and that my child would have the opportunity to live a full life as a young man,” he said.
“I just want my child to have that kidney and be as free as a bird,” he also said.
It comes less than 24 hours after Killer Mike, known for his work as a member of rap duo Run The Jewels, won the Grammy Awards for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance for his solo song “Scientists & Engineers,” and Best Rap Album for Michael.
However, controversy erupted after his victories: he was led away from the awards ceremony in handcuffs after a ‘physical altercation’.
Mike – born Michael Santiago Render – recently spoke about his son’s kidney problems and how he was recently put on the waiting list for a new organ
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department told DailyMail.com that a man was being questioned but they could not confirm his identity. TMZ reported that he was arrested for the arrest of a citizen.
“At 4 p.m., an adult male was taken into custody following a physical altercation that occurred in the arena,” the spokesperson said, explaining that the “altercation” occurred moments before the individual was arrested. TMZ reported that Killer Mike had an altercation with a security guard.
“At the moment the preliminary investigation is: he is being investigated for battery,” the spokesperson said.
“He will not be identified until he is arrested and charged, if that.”
The LAPD eventually confirmed through X that Killer Mike had been booked on misdemeanor charges and was “about to be released.”
Citing police data, Entertainment weekly reports that the rapper was arrested at 3:20 PM PT and booked at 7:30 PM PT. He was eventually released just over an hour later.
Video obtained by TMZ showed the rapper appearing to get into an altercation with security guards while walking outside in the rain – while someone carried an umbrella over his head.
Killer Mike is handcuffed and taken away by the LAPD during the Grammys
The rapper is taken away by the LAPD on Sunday evening
The 48-year-old rapper, star of Run The Jewels, is pictured with his three Grammys on Sunday night, moments before he was arrested
TMZ reported that just before the clip was filmed, Killer Mike punched a security guard as he tried to leave.
According to TMZ, the security guard did not get out of the way of Killer Mike quickly enough. The video obtained by the outlet appears to show what reportedly happened immediately after the altercation.
In the footage, it appears that the rapper is trying to get past the security team, and security appears to be blocking him. There appeared to be a heated dispute, and the rapper pushed a security guard on the shoulder while trying to walk around him.
As the rapper was brought into the arena for questioning, someone shouted, “Free Mike!”
The rapper has not yet responded to the arrest.
Killer Mike is known for his political activism. He was an outspoken supporter of Bernie Sanders and endorsed Democratic Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock for his home state of Georgia.
Before he was handcuffed, the Atlanta-born star reminisced backstage about his path to Grammy stardom.
“The only thing that limits your age is not being honest about your age or what you do,” he told the assembled media.
‘When I was twenty, I thought it was cool to be a drug dealer.
‘When I was forty, I started living with the regrets and the things I did.
‘I started rapping about it when I was 45.
‘At the age of 48, I stand here as a man full of empathy and sympathy for the things I have done.’