Watch Killer Mike perform ‘Motherless’ on Jimmy Fallon

Killer Mike performed an arresting live version of ‘Motherless’, a tribute to the rapper’s late mother – check out the video below.

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The Atlanta rapper went on Jimmy Fallon last night (October 5) and brought Robert Glasper and vocalist Eryn Allen Kane to perform with him. The song was dedicated to both Killer Mike’s mother, Druzella Denise Clonts, and Glasper’s mother, Kim Yvette Glasper.

‘Motherless’ is taken off Killer Mike’s sixth solo studio album, ‘Michael‘, which was released September 15. The album featured collaborations with guests such as André 3000, Young Thug, and Future.

Clonts passed away in 2017; Killer Mike has previously opened up about the process of making the song for ‘Michael’. “When I first played Dion (No I.D.) the album he said two things—one of which was that I was essentially holding something back and that was the song ‘Motherless,’” Mike said in a statement.

“It was the last song made for the album because I hadn’t uttered these words [“my momma dead”] out loud since her transitioning. When I tell the story of my mother the tales told include one when I walked in on her attempting to take her own life—it gets to the heart of how deeply sensitive an artist and human she was. She survived, was diagnosed bi-polar and depressed; she fought that until the day she died. She lived a beautifully rich outlaw of a life and I am honored to show her as the total beautiful badass she was.”

Killer Mike recently teased that André 3000 was working on his debut solo album, reportedly playing him “nine, 10 joints”. “Over the past decade, I’ve sent him records for me, Run The Jewels and stuff, and he’d come back like ‘Man, that shit’s hard. I’m just not into rapping right now,’” Killer Mike elaborated. Killer Mike is set to feature on two songs with the Outkast legend.

He also announced an intimate London headline show for this upcoming Halloween, which will be his first solo UK date in 11 years. Find all ticket details here.

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