Machine Gun Kelly (musician) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids MGK
MGK in 2023
Born	Colson Baker (1990-04-22) April 22, 1990 (age 35) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Other names	Machine Gun Kelly
Occupation	Rapper singer songwriter actor guitarist
Years active	2006–present
Works	Discography filmography
Children	1
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Origin	Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop pop rap rap rock pop-punk alternative rock
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Labels	EST 19XX Bad Boy Interscope
Signature

Colson Baker (born April 22, 1990), known as Machine Gun Kelly (or MGK), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. He started his music journey by releasing mixtapes. In 2011, he signed with Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Records.

His first album, Lace Up (2012), reached number four on the US Billboard 200 chart. It featured the hit song "Wild Boy". His next albums, General Admission (2015) and Bloom (2017), were also very successful. "Bad Things" with Camila Cabello from Bloom reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 2020, MGK changed his music style from hip-hop to pop punk. His fifth album, Tickets to My Downfall, became a number one album on the Billboard 200. It was the only rock album to do so that year. Its follow-up, Mainstream Sellout (2022), also topped the charts. Besides music, MGK has acted in several movies and TV shows.

About Machine Gun Kelly

Early Life and Start in Music

Colson Baker was born on April 22, 1990, in Houston, Texas. His parents were missionaries, so his family moved a lot. He lived in Egypt for four years and also in Germany. In the United States, he lived in cities like Chicago, Denver, and Cleveland.

He started listening to rap music when he was in sixth grade. He enjoyed artists like Ludacris, Eminem, and DMX. DMX's song "We Right Here" especially got him interested in hip hop.

Early Music Career

MGK's music video "Alice in Wonderland", 2010

In 2009, MGK won several times at the famous Harlem's Apollo Theater. He was the first rapper to achieve this. He recorded music in his home studio, which he called the "Rage Cage." He became more known after appearing on MTV2's Sucker Free Freestyle.

In 2010, he released his second mixtape, 100 Words and Running. This mixtape introduced his famous phrase, "Lace Up." In May 2010, his song "Alice in Wonderland" was released on iTunes. The music video for this song won "Best Music Video" at the 2010 Ohio Hip-Hop Awards.

In March 2011, MGK performed at SXSW in Austin, Texas. There, he met Sean Combs (Puff Daddy), who offered him a record deal with Bad Boy Records.

First Albums: Lace Up and General Admission

Performing in Pittsburgh in March 2013

MGK's first album, Lace Up, came out on October 9, 2012. The song "Wild Boy" was the first single and became a hit. Another song, "Invincible", was used in a commercial for HTC and as the theme song for WrestleMania XXVIII. MGK even performed at WrestleMania.

In December 2011, MTV named him the "Hottest Breakthrough MC of 2011." In 2012, he was featured on the cover of XXL magazine as one of their "Top 10 Freshmen."

Lace Up debuted at number 4 on the US Billboard 200 chart. In 2013, MGK released a mixtape called Black Flag. He said this project was about finding his love for music again.

In 2015, he released the song "Till I Die" and later a remix with Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. He also released "A Little More" featuring Victoria Monet. His second album, General Admission, was released in September 2015.

Pop-Punk Era: Tickets to My Downfall and Mainstream Sellout

Performing at RiP in 2017

On January 14, 2020, MGK announced his new album, Tickets to My Downfall. It was released on September 25, 2020. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, he released daily recordings and covers as part of his #LockdownSessions.

Tickets to My Downfall was a big change for MGK, moving completely from hip-hop to a pop punk sound. The first single, "Bloody Valentine", came out in May 2020. Other singles included "Concert for Aliens" and "My Ex's Best Friend" featuring blackbear.

In August 2020, MGK opened his own coffee shop called 27 Club Coffee in Cleveland, Ohio. In November 2020, he announced that Tickets to My Downfall would become a musical film called Downfalls High. The film was released in January 2021 and starred Chase Hudson and Sydney Sweeney.

In 2021, he released singles like "DayWalker" with Corpse Husband and "Love Race" with Kellin Quinn. On August 9, 2021, he announced his next album would be called Born with Horns. However, on January 31, 2022, he changed the title to Mainstream Sellout. This album continued his pop-punk style.

Musical Style and Influences

MGK's music has been described as hip hop, pop-rap, and rap rock. His album Tickets to My Downfall showed a new sound, leaning towards pop-punk and alternative rock.

He has said that DMX and Eminem influenced his rap music. He also listened to rock bands like Guns N' Roses and Blink-182 when he was younger. He considers DMX his idol and says DMX's music helped him through tough times.

Acting Career

MGK started his acting career in the 2014 romantic drama Beyond the Lights. He played a rapper named Kid Culprit. In 2016, he was in the drama film The Land and had a small role in the adventure film Nerve. He also had a recurring role in the TV series Roadies.

In 2018, he played Felix in the Netflix horror film Bird Box with Sandra Bullock. In 2019, he played drummer Tommy Lee in The Dirt, a movie about the band Mötley Crüe. He also appeared in Project Power (2020) with Jamie Foxx. In 2021, he co-starred with Bruce Willis and Megan Fox in Midnight in the Switchgrass. In 2022, he co-directed and starred in the film Good Mourning.

Personal Life

MGK has a daughter, born in July 2009.

In May 2020, he started a relationship with actress Megan Fox. They met while filming Midnight in the Switchgrass. They announced their engagement in January 2022, but later called it off in March 2024. In November 2024, Megan Fox shared that she was expecting his child.

In 2021, he started using his birth name, Colson Baker, more often.

Backing Band

Current Members

• Steve "Baze" Basil – bass, keyboards (2017–present)
• Brandon "Slimxx" Allen – keyboards, backing vocals (2017–present)
• JP "Rook" Cappelletty – drums (2017–present)
• Travis Barker – drums (2019–present)
• Justin "Jus" Lyons – guitars (2021–present)
• Sophie Lloyd – guitars (2022–present)

Former Members

• AJ Tyus – guitars (2017–2021)

Discography

Studio albums

• Lace Up (2012)
• General Admission (2015)
• Bloom (2017)
• Hotel Diablo (2019)
• Tickets to My Downfall (2020)
• Mainstream Sellout (2022)

Tours

Headlining tours

• Hostile Takeover Tour (2012)
• No Class Tour (2014)
• Alpha Omega Tour (2016)
• 27 World Tour (2017)
• Hotel Diablo World Tour (2019)
• Tickets to My Downfall Tour (2021)
• Mainstream Sellout Tour (2022)

Co-headlining tours

• The Justin Bieber Big Tour (with Young Thug) (2019)

Filmography

Film

For film roles, he is credited as Colson Baker unless otherwise noted.

Television & Video Games

Internet

Audio

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Machine Gun Kelly (músico) para niños