Between Rap and Rock: Machine Gun Kelly’s Musical Reinvention

With his rough-exterior image and emo inspired wardrobe, Machine Gun Kelly has tested the waters far beyond the musical world where he began.

Over the course of his seven full-length studio albums, MGK has formed a tribe of devoted supporters who have followed him from the rap world into the pop-punk scene. Since his highly publicized pivot toward pop-punk made headlines back in 2020 with the release of his first pop-punk album, Tickets to My Downfall, the rapper-turned-rockstar has continued to distance himself from the once self-proclaimed “Rap Devil” image that defined an earlier stage of his career.

It has been seven years since the release of Machine Gun Kelly’s last full-length rap-focused studio album before his shift into pop-punk. The 2019 album, notably titled Hotel Diablo, catalogs the singer’s internal struggles with his demons, emotional traumas, and anguish. While hints of pop influences manage to creep their way into a few melodies, the despondent, sorrowful lyrics that follow show the rapper still reverting to his old ways.

The album—which incorporates deeply personal subject matter ranging from the sudden departure of his mother in his early years to his battle for intangible love—uses explicit anecdotes of his life, along with references to mental illness, to successfully convey the hard-edged rapper’s unusual soft side. 

MGK swiftly delves into his world of inner turmoil specifically in his song entitled “Glass House,” which in and of itself incorporates a play on words that displays the rapper’s apparent faults that have led him to external criticism. Overloaded with allusions to mental disorders, this song stands as the crux of the entire album, as it denotes all of MGK’s subtle cries for help and the world’s visible refusals. As elements of suicide, drugs, and living a fast life creep in, lines like “I put my daughter to bed then attempted to kill myself in the kitchen…I passed out with the blood dripping,” present an extremely harrowing tone that may discourage listeners from any form of enjoyment, as elements of the song may be too hardcore—even for a man who calls himself the “Rap Devil.”

While other songs on the album, such as “El Diablo” and “Roulette,” introduce a slightly more upbeat melody, they continue to incorporate components of addiction and hardcore violence to the point where the album almost becomes a cry for help rather than MGK simply aiming to add another rung to his ladder. Such vulnerability is reflected through modern-day elements of pop-rap as MGK combines melodic vocals with aggressive lyrics and tenacity, ultimately magnifying the tone of his work and setting the stage for his saga to continue.

As one of music’s most controversial artists, Machine Gun Kelly does not seem to mind making headlines every chance he gets—even if that includes sparking animosity among fellow rappers, or flipping off the entire industry for their blatant mistreatment of outcast artists. With the release of his 2022 album, Mainstream Sellout, it became apparent that MGK had completely ditched his once hardcore rap image for a more pop-punk depiction. The album, which features artists such as Blackbear and Lil Wayne, and was executive produced by longtime collaborator Travis Barker, made a bold statement as many believed it solidified a permanent genre redirection.

However, while continuing to carry forward themes established on Hotel Diablo, this album continues to explore MGK’s struggles with his fame and internal conflicts, as well as the severe pushback from critics voicing their dismay at his unexpected rise into such an exclusive genre of music. While his introduction into the pop-punk scene expanded his mainstream success in 2020, Mainstream Sellout presents itself as a rebuttal to critics who condemn his so-called “genre-hopping.” The album reboots MGK into an early-2000s pop-punk era, drawing heavily from the sound and attitude that defined the genre at the time.

One of the first songs on the album, “Maybe,” featuring Bring Me the Horizon, includes brief references to his missing soul, but instead pivots toward 2000s punk-rock facets that aid in MGK’s revival of a bygone era, influenced, of course, by the musical punk elements of Travis Barker.

While the album largely revives a past genre, it briefly shifts back toward modern-day rap with Lil Wayne’s appearance on “ay!” The track—which mostly covers topics such as self-medicating to cope with depression—maintains a rather sanguine chorus that, although repetitive due to its lack of word variety, is still, in spite of itself, quite catchy. Here, MGK’s vocals, although practically mechanical, are carried by his fellow rapper’s laid-back, casual delivery, doing away with much of the intensity that is included in most of the other tracks.

Ultimately, the album’s variety and multiple references to addiction and violence are a representation of how MGK has still not completely abandoned his roots and can successfully continue combining the two genres in the face of naysayers. 

As Machine Gun Kelly continues to lean into some of his worst past tendencies, the doleful Hotel Diablo and guitar-heavy Mainstream Sellout both suggest that he has not truly moved on from his rap days, but rather has found his footing in the punk-rap world. Despite the stark sonic differences between both albums, MGK continues to recount his life’s chronicles—some of which he has continued to explore since the creation of Hotel Diablo. Both albums suggest that although MGK has expanded beyond his rap roots, many of the personal struggles and darker themes that defined his earlier work remain present throughout his transition into pop-punk.

Both albums reflect MGK’s determination to unleash his frustration with the superficial world around him, as he remains indifferent to the idea of drawing a veil over such raw emotions. While the inclusion of gentle, moderate vocals following along the many harsh verses seems to serve as a sort of inner peace, it does not seem as though MGK will truly ever do away with his abrasive subject matter that has become prominent in his music, regardless of which genre he chooses.

In a certain sense, Machine Gun Kelly’s rebirth into the pop-punk scene may very well present the opportunity for him to explore the best of both worlds and challenge critics’ opinions that he must choose one genre over the other. Truthfully, Mainstream Sellout hardly represents a complete thematic departure from Hotel Diablo; however, its buoyant sounds and blaring vocals aid in diversifying his work, making it more accessible for a variety of audiences than before. Despite the recurring themes of internal afflictions and severe depression, MGK has truly mastered the art of genre mashups, while his new take on the industry may very well win over critics who have incessantly berated his talents and artistic legitimacy.