Atlanta Rapper Killer Mike: ‘We’re Gonna Wait a While Before We Reopen’

The prospect of Georgia reopening businesses when the coronavirus is still a major threat has caused objections from many people. One of them just happens to be rapper and businessman Michael Santiago Render, also known as Killer Mike, of the hip-hop group Run the Jewels. He has stated he will not reopen his barbershop when the restrictions are lifted according to BET.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has signed an executive order that will allow certain businesses to reopen after being under a stay-at-home order. Last night, he posted this message on his Twitter account.

This evening, I signed an Executive Order for Reviving a Healthy Georgia with our plan for the safe reopening of specific sectors of Georgia’s economy with limited operations. Read the order here: https://t.co/UA9bDXistu #gapol

— Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) April 23, 2020

Killer Mike, who owns several barbershops in Atlanta named The Swag Shop with his wife, Shay Render, will not risk opening their shops due to the fear of contributing to spreading the coronavirus and not protecting his workers and customers.

Gov. Kemp has been widely criticized, even by President Trump, as he rushes to lift the lockdown restrictions on Georgia barbershops, hair salons, nail salons, and gyms, among other businesses.

Killer Mike appeared on TMZ Live to explicitly state that he will not be reopening his businesses. “Our first concern is the safety of our employees and the safety of our customers. We have an incentive to open, we could use that incentive, and we definitely wanna make money. [But] at this time, as a business, we aren’t comfortable opening. We’re gonna wait a while before we reopen.”

“As a citizen in the community where people look like me, I’m choosing to stay closed because I don’t want to endanger [anybody],” he also stated. “And a lot of times, politicians have different views of things. I think governors and mayors should all get on the phone together because as your constituents, we need you to do that.”

“At this time, as a business, we aren’t comfortable opening,” he continued. “So, we’re gonna wait a while before we reopen because, in our community … there are more of us who are dying, unfortunately. And, it’s because of pre-existing conditions, which makes your immune system weaker, which includes things like diabetes, hypertension, things of that nature. So, we don’t want our customers or our barbers in danger and we wanna wait it out.”