Michael Render – you may know him as Run the Jewels MC Killer Mike – is born and bred in the Capital of the South. Born just four miles from where Mercedes-Benz Stadium now stands, he’s seen this city grown into the booming cultural center that it is. But standing in the tunnel preparing to drive home the Golden Spike for the first time, he says he won’t soon forget his first encounter with Atlanta United’s famous fanbase.
“So I’ve been gone, I’ve lived on a tour bus, touring actively for five years. I heard we were getting a Major League Soccer team, I was excited about it, and one day I woke up in the middle of the best traffic jam since Freaknik. There were people filling up the sidewalks, dressed the same, yelling and screaming."
"I said I’ve got to get in one of those games and here I am today.”
But as he holds his hammer and prepares to take the capo stand, he says there’s plenty of stories that led up to this moment. But it all comes back to Atlanta, the city that helped form him into the man he is today.
“[Atlanta] was probably the greatest city I could have grown up in. I grew up full of confidence, seeing people who looked like me in leadership, in politics and the business community, as well as on and off the field. I love this city because as corny as our motto sounds – the city too busy to hate – I really grew up like that. We grew up like that, all kinds mixing together, with all types of friends.”
And it’s fair to say the city helped guide him toward his destiny as a hip hop artist. Now a Grammy-winner with platinum records to his name, he traces many of his influences back to his predecessors in Atlanta and the South, the ones that broke through the Los Angeles/New York hip hop duopoly.
“Outkast, Sammy Sam, Raheem the Dream, The Goodie Mob, all these people made me know that anything was possible. Record stores like Super Sounds over at Greenbriar, I grew up in a scene where bands came through and played. And my mom was open to it – I went to my first concert at 10 years old. Music has been a part of my life and a part of the Atlanta way for a very long time.”
But just as integral as the city’s musical past is its connections to sports. To Killer Mike, who grew up in and around Atlanta’s iconic sports stadiums, the teams have always had an impact that stretches well past the chalk of the sidelines.
“Whether it was the Braves of the 90’s, the Hawks of the late 80’s, the Falcons or now Atlanta United, this city always had something to rally around, some boys and girls to cheer on. The athletes in Atlanta have always been special, they’ve been unifiers. Dale Murphy, Chipper Jones, Deion Sanders, Dominique Wilkins –– if it wasn’t for those players and their activity in the community, I don’t know if this community would be as great as it is.”
While those players paint a glorious history of sports in the city of Atlanta, Atlanta United is radiating an undeniable energy in the present. With more than 70,000 fans cheering in anticipation for him to drive in the Golden Spike, Killer Mike calls the team the next step for a city that has grown into a cultural powerhouse, a place that will forever hold a special place in his heart as home.
“I never doubted this could happen,” he says with a smile.
“Honestly. Atlanta fell in love with Atlanta United because of the melting pot of a city we are. You’re looking at some of the most international places in the country right here in this city. From the Ethiopians, to the people from the Caribbean, to people from West London, we are truly a world city. Everyone in Atlanta gets together for certain things –– food, sports –– so I expect to see different Atlanteans from different regions coming in and I’m a big fan of that.”
And just as he’s about to take the stage, he lays out his hopes for the future of his home city –– and how he wants to help get it there. He laughs to himself and notes a lot of what he’s saying applies to Atlanta United too.
“Keep being a gem in the south, and keep doing what that phoenix does on our city’s logo, rising from the ashes to be better and better.”
© 2026 Atlanta United FC
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