About Machine Gun Kelly

Machine Gun Kelly (MGK), born Colson Baker on April 22, 1990, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, producer, and actor from Cleveland, Ohio. His stage name, derived from the nickname of Prohibition era gangster George Kelly Barnes, reflects his rapid fire delivery style. After releasing several mixtapes and building a local following, he signed with Sean Combs' Bad Boy Records and Interscope Records in 2011. His debut studio album Lace Up (2012) peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, led by the triple platinum single "Wild Boy" featuring Waka Flocka Flame. His following albums General Admission (2015), Bloom (2017), and Hotel Diablo(2019) continued his hip hop career with growing commercial success, including the Top 5 hit "Bad Things" with Camila Cabello. His fifth album Tickets to My Downfall (2020), produced entirely by Blink-182's Travis Barker, marked a dramatic shift to pop punk and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, making it the only rock album to top the chart that year. His sixth album Mainstream Sellout (2022) matched its commercial success. His seventh album, Lost Americana, was released in 2025. MGK is also an active actor, with notable roles in Bird Box (2018) and portraying Tommy Lee in the Mötley Crüe biopic The Dirt (2019).