Machine Gun Kelly, whose real name is Colson Baker, is a punk rock and hip-hop artist who is known for switching music genres abruptly 2-3 years ago. Machine Gun Kelly - also called MGK - began his music career back in 2009 at the age of 19. He began in the hip-hop genre, creating 5 full albums and numerous mixtapes until he abruptly dropped a punk rock album in September of 2020. His last two studio albums have been exclusively punk rock music and a new image of 'MGK' is beginning to form. How then did this artist go about doing a complete 180 in the music that he produced and have his sources of creativity shifted as well?
The new punk rock music that Machine Gun Kelly released was met with some early criticism. In the same interview with Kerrang, MGK notes that he knows that he had angered existing punk rock bands with his music. However, he has embraced it. He claims "I know it kills certain bands in that community that I got the success that I got, but I deserve this sh*t".
Given that he has made a very successful career in music, Machine Gun Kelly is deserving of the pro-C title. He is definitely a professional in his field and has lots of success as well (in 2 genres too!). He is not quite to the level of a Big-C creator, but one day he may get there. Confident, unwavering, and open to adventure, MGK will continue to be a pioneer in music despite what other may think or say about him.
Sources:
https://www.kerrang.com/how-machine-gun-kelly-became-the-most-important-rock-star-on-the-planet
https://loudwire.com/machine-gun-kelly-pop-punk-success-earned-interview-mainstream-sellout/
https://images.complex.com/complex/images/c_fill,dpr_auto,f_auto,q_auto,w_1400/fl_lossy,pg_1/zuluyusih4jrosvyq1oq/machine-gun-kelly-responds-to-critics-who-think-hes-new-to-rock-scene?fimg-ssr-default
This was a really interesting post! I haven't listened to a lot of MGK in the past, but since he's switch to punk rock, I've been hearing a lot more of his music on the radio and Spotify. Personally, I think his new music is better than his old music, but it was interesting transition to watch and listen to. I also think where he addressed the criticism coming from already existing punk rock bands further showed his intrinsic motivation for creating music.
ReplyDeleteIts fascinating to hear that MGK's best work comes after he goes out and parties all night and comes back with ideas in the morning. If only everyone could be most successful in their work via the same method. Another thing I enjoy about this post is how even though it may upset others that MGK has been successful in his punk rock career, his intrinsic motivation helps him say that he does deserve the success and he will not listen to others opinions of him.
ReplyDeleteI have heard MGK's work before and after he switched genres and it is clear with how popular his punk rock music is that he made the right choice in switching. It is interesting to see how the public's perception of him has developed along with his changing music style. He has risen in popularity but also has faced increasing criticism. His immediate success in the punk rock scene speaks to his incredible talent as an artist and his ability to adapt to a different audience.
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