Machine Gun Kelly

MGK, born Colson Baker on April 22, 1990, built an early rap career before turning toward pop-punk and pop-rock across the 2020s. Formerly known as Machine Gun Kelly, he took the name from Prohibition-era gangster George Kelly Barnes. He self-released four mixtapes between 2007 and 2010, then signed with Sean Combs' Bad Boy Records, an imprint of Interscope Records, in 2011.

His 2012 debut album Lace Up reached number four on the Billboard 200. Its Waka Flocka Flame collaboration “Wild Boy” became his first Billboard Hot 100 entry and earned triple-platinum certification from the RIAA. He followed it with General Admission in 2015 and Bloom in 2017, both of which received critical praise and comparable commercial results. “Bad Things,” his collaboration with Camila Cabello from Bloom, peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 2018, MGK released “Rap Devil,” a diss track aimed at Eminem that reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 despite mixed reviews. His fourth album, Hotel Diablo (2019), moved further into rap-rock territory and drew stronger critical response. He made a more complete stylistic break on Tickets to My Downfall in 2020, a pop-punk album produced entirely by Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker. The record debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and was the only rock album to top the chart that year. Its blackbear-assisted single “My Ex’s Best Friend” reached the Hot 100 top 20.

Mainstream Sellout, released in 2022, continued that pop-punk direction and matched the commercial success of its predecessor, though reviews were mixed. In 2024, he teamed with fellow Ohio rapper Trippie Redd for the EP Genre: Sadboy. His seventh album, Lost Americana, arrived in 2025 and explored pop-rock.

Alongside music, MGK has worked extensively as an actor. He made his first starring appearance in the 2014 romantic drama Beyond the Lights, followed by roles in Nerve (2016), Bird Box (2018), and Big Time Adolescence (2019). He portrayed Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee in the 2019 biopic The Dirt. In 2022, he and Mod Sun made their directorial debuts with Good Mourning, a stoner comedy they wrote, produced, and starred in.