Killer Mike's NRATV Interview

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Overview

Killer Mike's NRATV Interview refers to a controversial discussion between rapper Killer Mike and NRATV correspondent Colion Noir that aired on the National Rifle Associate (NRA) television station.

Background

On March 24th, 2018, rapper Killer Mike appeared on the NRATV television series Noir to discuss gun control, the Marjory Douglas Stoneman school shooting and the March for Our Lives. That day, NRATV tweeted^[1] a clip of the video (shown below) with the caption "'I told my kids on the school walkout, I love you, if you walkout that school, walkout my house…we are not a family that jumps on every single thing an ally of ours does because some stuff we just don’t agree with.' -@KillerMike #MarchForOurLives" Within two days, the post received more than 4,900 retweets and 10,000 likes.

"I told my kids on the school walkout, I love you, if you walkout that school, walkout my house…we are not a family that jumps on every single thing an ally of ours does because some stuff we just don’t agree with.” -@KillerMike #MarchForOurLives pic.twitter.com/Gx8JLntmZ8

— NRATV (@NRATV) March 24, 2018

Development

Online Reaction

Many online reacted with surprise and disappointment. That day, Twitter ^[2] @BritiniDWrites posted a gif of Oh No, Baby, What Is You Doing? with the caption "Killer Mike was on NRAtv?" The post (shown below, left) received more than 1,100 retweets and 5,000 likes in two days.

Others were surprised that Killer Mike would appear on NRA TV, which has been accused of having racial bias in the past. Twitter^[3] user @tariqnasheed tweeted, "I love Killer Mike.Thats my brother. He made some excellent points about Black gun ownership. The problem is, he is talking about it on the NRA platform & the NRA could give LESS THAN A DAMN about protecting Black people's 2nd Amendment rights. Ask the family of Philando Castille." The post (shown below, center) received more than 7,400 retweets and 32,000 likes in two days.

Others, however, did agree with Killer Mike's views. That day, Twitter^[4] user @diviroxx tweeted, "While I'm no fan of the NRA I get where @KillerMike is coming from. Who do you think will be affected the most by gun control, black folx will be denied the right more frequently and until they stop killing us in the street, I'm keeping my gun." The post (shown below, right) received more than 140 retweets and 670 likes.

That day, Twitter^[6] published a Moments page about the interview.

On March 25th, Redditor posted about the interview in the /r/The_Donald ^[5] subreddit. The post received more than 4,500 points (93% upvoted) and 100 comments.

Killer Mike's Apology

The following day, Killer Mike released an apology for the interview, stating that he did not mean to disparage or demean the March for Our Lives and was not meant to be used in contrast of the March. He said, "I sat with people I might not always agree with […] I did an interview about black gun ownership in this era. That interview was used a week later by NRATV to disparage a very noble campaign that I actually support […] I want to say first I'm sorry guys. I do support the March -- and I support black people owning guns. It's possible to do both."

The apology (shown in two parts below) received more than 5,000 retweets and 15,000 likes collectively.^[7]

That day, Killer Mike's bandmate El-P tweeted^[8] his thoughts on the controversy. In the statement (shown below) he addressed the difference the two share, but "can not and will not ever turn my back on this man." The post (shown below) received more than 2,900 retweets and 15,000 likes in 24 hours.

Additionally, that day, Twitter^[9] published a Moments page regarding the apology.