MGK, a New Rapper on the Rise

by Hélène Deconinck.

At almost 22 years-old, Richard Colson Baker a.k.a Machine Gun Kelly belongs to the next generation of rappers. His stage name is a reference to a notorious criminal George ‘Machine Gun’ Kelly.

MGK dedicated himself to rap, his true passion early. Right after graduating in 2008, the artist from Shaker Heights, Ohio, started his career releasing three mix-tapes: Homecoming (2008), 100 Words and Running (2010), Lace Up (2010). Hyper productive, he recorded his debut mix-tapes at home in the ‘Rage Cage’ as he called it. In March 2009, he made an unmistakable entrance at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem. The MTV2’Sucker free Freestyle allowed him to meet his public and gain his first fans. Then, 2011 was the year of recognition, when he was named Hottest Breakthrough MC of the year.

With his rapid-fire lyrical flow, MGK is as openly provocative as Eminem was in his beginning years, with his motto ‘Half naked and almost famous’. On stage, he is energetic, moving and jumping from one side to another. He is one of those young artists who have something to say, a message to deliver. MGK message might be to believe in yourself. From his very beginning, when no one felt his potential, he still kept faith in his music and in his fans support. That same faith led him to Sean Combs, at SXSW event in Dallas in March 2011. The latest perceived the potential and made him signed with Bad Boy Records. Now exposed, MGK is starting to weight on American rap musical scene. The young MC is currently working on his first and so long awaited album, which will be released this year under the title Half Naked and Almost Famous. Until then, his song “Invincible” featuring the singer Ester Dean, was used in HTC ReZound commercial and more lately, in the USA, as the official musical cover for Wrestlemania XXVIII last April 1^st in Miami.

His first album could show if MGK is an updated copy of Eminem or if he is the new rap revelation of 2012. Until then, let’s keep both eyes on his nervous sound, following him on his official Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/machinegunkellymusic and on his YouTube page http://www.youtube.com/machinegunkellyak.