El-P Defends Killer Mike Following Controversial NRA Interview

El-P, one half of Run The Jewels, has remained quiet while his partner in rap, Killer Mike, has received backlash for an interview he did with the NRA which was widely publicized on Sat., March 24, the day of the March for Our Lives. Now, the New York rapper has come to Killer Mike's side and revealed why he waited to make a statement.

On Monday, El-P posted a letter on Twitter about Killer Mike's interview, saying he was waiting until the Atlanta rapper made an official statement until he said his piece. "We are our own men and we speak for ourselves individually," El-P wrote. "We are not afraid to disagree with each other and we often change each other's perspectives."

After praising the students of Parkland, Fla. and the students who participated in the 2018 March for Our Lives, El-P praised Killer Mike as a good person, who he would never turn his back on just because of their differences.

"No I can not and will not ever turn my back on this man," he continued. "He wouldn't turn his on me or you. and yet he's a person. he stumbles and he makes bad decisions sometimes and he doesn't always get his messages across or even protect himself and I wanna fuckin' strangle him cause its so stressful to watch when it could have been avoided."

Following El-P's tweet, Killer Mike retweeted the letter, thanking the rapper for his continued support. "I am so humbled to be your friend, brother & group member," he tweeted. "I am so grateful to have an ally always. I apologize for my bull in a china store like tendencies!"

On March 22, NRATV posted an interview with Killer Mike on its YouTube page but it was a reposting on March 24, the day of the March for Our Lives rally, that angered many on social media. The rapper eventually apologized for the interview in a two-part video posted on Twitter, saying he supports the movement and feels his interview was used as a weapon against the youth.

Check out El-P's official statement and Killer Mike's response below.

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