With the release of his new album bloom, along with the collaboration tracks we’ve constantly been hearing on the radio, Machine Gun Kelly has been taking the world by a storm!
27 year old Richard Baker, who goes by Machine Gun Kelly (MGK), is a solo hip hop/rap artist. How did he get this stage name, you may wonder? Apparently, it is because of his crazy fast lyrical flow! And truth be told, MGK has some FIRE bars.
MGK started writing lyrics while in school, as an escape to being bullied. Looks like some good came out of the bad because fast forward to 2017 and he has released a total of five mixtapes and three studio albums. He has even collaborated with Mike Posner, French Montana, Lil Jon, Waka Flocka Flame and most recently, Camila Cabello, Hailee Steinfeld, Quavo and even Ty Dolla $ign! Talk about some quality features.
TRAP PARIS ( video coming) #bloom pic.twitter.com/lNCPotJtdb
— Young Gunner (@machinegunkelly) April 18, 2017
In 2006, still attending middle school, MGK released his first mixtape and had a breakthrough, leading him to start performing live at local Cleveland venues. A few years later, in 2009, he performed at the Apollo Theatre, and was the first rapper to ever claim a victory there. It was 2011 when he inked his first recording contract, signing to Bad Boy & Interscope. In 2012, he released his first debut album, Lace Up, which debuted at #4 on the US Billboard 200.
Most recently, MGK has been very busy on tour. He had a little bit of a slow down when he broke his sternum one night in Florida back in mid-April, 2017. He powered through the show, and even though his doctor instructed him to stay off the stage for an entire month, he was performing through the pain in order to please his fans! Dedicated to the craft, MGK!
for those who saw the TMZ post, here is what happened last night: i took some serious damage to my chest plate/ribs this week and during our 6th song last night I collapsed backstage and thought i was having a heart attack. what they didn’t report, was that i went back out and finished that show cuz we’re fuckin champions and it was my 27th birthday and nothing can take me away from the stage. #AlphaOmega #EST #XX #YoungGunner
A post shared by young gunner (@machinegunkelly) on
PS – was that Halsey above?
MGK was also seen performing at Wango Tango 2017, where friends (and collaborators) Camilla Cabello & Hailee Steinfeld took the stage with him to perform their respective collaborative tracks!
when u nail the guitar solo in front of 25,000 people and @haileesteinfeld is literally your mood ‘At My Best’ was so fun today!!! pic.twitter.com/9XgwkKEW6y
— Young Gunner (@machinegunkelly) May 14, 2017
the era. pic.twitter.com/lhpocHZ78A
— Young Gunner (@machinegunkelly) May 14, 2017
Last Friday, MGK released bloom, featuring hit tracks “At My Best” (feat. Hailee Steinfeld), “Bad Things” (feat. Camilla Cabello) & “Trap Paris” (feat. Ty Dolla $ign & Quavo). MGK revealed that this studio album was much inspired by Radiohead, and that “Bad Things” was actually the first love song he has ever written! … We think it’s working out alright for him!
Check out the full album below!
Let us know what you think of MGK by tweeting us @umusic.