Machine Gun Kelly

Colson Baker chose his stage name well. The American delivers his lyrics with the speed of a... machine gun. He entered the world of music as a rapper. His performance at the showcase festival South By Southwest (SXSW) in 2011 led to a meeting with Sean Combs, a.k.a. Puff Daddy. That night he signed with his label, Bad Boy. Critics praised Machine Gun Kelly (MGK) for his clever use of rap and rock in telling his introspective stories. He loves Eminem and Guns N’ Roses in equal measure. Recently, his music has been more punk than hip-hop. In the last few years, Baker has been working closely with Travis Barker, of blink-182 fame. Tellingly, he appears on the covers of ‘Tickets to my Downfall’ (2020) and ‘Mainstream Sellout’ (2022) with a guitar around his neck.