Killer Mike will continue his fight for free speech as the keynote speaker at the forthcoming ‘Free Speech Makes Free People’ gala.
According to SPIN, the black-tie optional event will take place in New York City on April 18, and will mark the advancement of First Amendment advocacy group Foundation of Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) from defending free speech and books on college campuses to now defending it throughout the sweep of America.
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“If you don’t believe in freedom of speech for those people you don’t agree with, you don’t believe in freedom of speech at all,” Mike said in a statement. “I encourage people to make sure that you’re strict about making sure your Constitutional rights are protected and covered.”
Kmele Foster will serve as host for the night, while law professor and American Council for Civil Liberties veteran Harvey Silverglate is confirmed as another speaker.
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Last fall, Killer Mike sparked criticism following the recirculation of a photo of the Run The Jewels rapper with Georgia Governor Brian Kemp. In response, he released a song and video addressing the uptick in commentary and asserted his rights to say what he wants to.
“First rule you gotta understand/ You dealing with a real Black man/ If I said it I meant it/ I meant it like I said it, ’cause I said what I said, understand.”
Outside of the political realm, Killer Mike is among a number of artists confirmed to appear in the forthcoming third season of Lil Dicky’s popular FX comedy series, Dave. Along with Rick Ross and Usher, other names set to make a cameo include Don Cheadle, Machine Gun Kelly, Megan Fox, Demi Lovato, Travis Barker and more.
Discussing the growth of the show, Dicky told Consequence: “I remember Season 1, it’s like, ‘Take my word for it. This is gonna be great. We had rappers who were supposed to be in Season 1 not even show up, you know, and I’m just sitting there on the day like, ‘What’s going on this season?’ To say we’re in the big leagues now would be an understatement as far as the talent we were able to bring.”
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Celebrity cameos are commonplace on Dave with the likes of Trippie Redd, YG, Lil Nas X, J Balvin, Doja Cat, Rae Sremmurd, Kourtney Kardashian, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kendall Jenner and Justin Bieber all showing up in previous seasons.
The latest season is set to premiere via FX and Hulu on April 3.
