Interview with Killer Mike on "Jane Elliott Against the World"

This year's Sundance Film Festival was one for the books, not only because it's the last one in Park City, but also because of its particularly strong slate. Among that slate was Jane Elliott Against the World by Judd Ehrlich, a documentary that explores the life and work of one of America's most fierce racial justice activists. At the premiere, we were lucky enough to share a few words with one of the documentary's featured subjects, four-time Grammy winner, Killer Mike of the rap group Run the Jewels. Together we discussed his involvement with the film, his teachers back in Atlanta, IShowSpeed, and what the world still has to learn from Jane Elliott.

Left to right: Editor in Chief, Rua Fay, Killer Mike, and writer, Sam Theriault

Rua: "Hello Mr. Mike, or can I call you 'Killer?'"

Mike: "You gotta pay me a lot of money to call me Killer (laughs), no you can call me whatever you want. How you doing?"

Rua: "I'm great! I wanna thank you for being with us today, I saw you play at Boston Calling back in 2022 so it's really special to be speaking with you. To start off, in the spirit of Jane Elliott, I'd love to ask you: as an artist who has never been afraid to stand up for what's right, do you think others with large platforms have an inherent responsibility to speak up? Especially during this crucial time for the United States?"

Mike: "Well, I've been scared as shit, more than I have not, I've just chosen to push past fear. If you're an artist and you're unqualified to speak socially, or you're not impassioned or pulled to, I don't think you should, because an opinion from a stance of ignorance oftentimes can compound problems. But if you've been made aware, and I encourage artists to meet people who are doing the groundwork. So, in Atlanta, I'm not an organizer anymore, I'm a mobilizer. So, if I get a call from Georgia Youth Build, or Paw Kids, or Bear Strong, or Next Level, I'm there to activate for them, because they do the work on an everyday basis. That's what artists should be seeking to do, we should be seeking the people who are doing the hard work and helping them. Do I think every artist has that responsibility? No, but those who know better should do better."

Rua: "I appreciate how layered that answer was and I agree with you. Oftentimes I will see people begging these TikTok influencers to speak out about crucial global issues as if they're at all qualified to be talking about that. Yes, using your voice is important but these statements need to be coming from the right people; educated people."

Mike: "And then you've got to let people get a chance to discover. I just watched IShowSpeed travel through Africa, going through North Africa and racially getting treated very differently than he was in other parts of Africa. Which extends upon what my history teacher taught me back in Georgia in 10th grade, like the Arab Invasion, Gaddafi being toppled in Libya and slavery was back the next week. So, what we have to understand is that the problems of 400 years ago, a lot of times are still here, and that's something that could be acted on and worked on. To see that kid in Africa making Africans feel proud, to see him redirecting people's thoughts, even racially prejudiced thoughts into other thoughts in North Africa was amazing to me. So, kids like him, I'm always encouraging because he's young, he's just discovering, but he's not being selfish with his discoveries."

The cast and crew of Jane Elliott Against the World at Sundance 2026

Rua: "Great answer, I certainly wasn't expecting to talk about IShowSpeed today. Back to the film, what draws you personally to Jane Elliott and her work as an activist?"

Mike: "She's my teacher, that's how I look at her; She's my educator. I remember seeing her on Oprah when I was a child. My teachers were very firm like her. She was outspoken, she was stern, but she cared. She cared that the people who were in the experiment got it and understood. She cared that children who had been written off as dyslexic and would not be able to read, learned to read. She was an active teacher. She was a teacher like my Miss Potts and my Miss Coleman and my Mr. Murray, my Mr. Arnold. She reminded me so much of the teachers and educators that poured into me. So, I'm forever going to be her student, an ally, a disciple of, because I truly believe in the work she's doing."

Rua: "Thank you, and just one last thing because I'm curious: what's your favorite movie?"

Mike: "My favorite movie? The Godfather Part 1 and 2 as one watch."

Rua: "That's a long watch."

Mike: "It is a long watch, I can just smoke weed and sit on the couch all day."

Rua: "Sounds awesome right about now. Thank you so much for speaking with us today!"

Mike: "Of course!"

We here at Cinemasters would like to thank Killer Mike once again not only for appearing on our publication but for his continued activism in these troubling times. Thank you for tuning into Cinemasters.net and remember to never stop watching!