Mainstream sellout with a kick

 

Machine Gun Kelly is an interesting animal. At the tender age of 31, he’s already managed to release 6 studio albums, not to mention many more mixtapes and dozens of singles. That is because the man has been at it since the mid-2000’s, i.e. when he was still very much a teenager. And his work has been met with tremendous success too: all of his albums have been top 10 hits with his last one, 2020’s Tickets to My Downfall, actually topping the charts. But what is probably his biggest feat (so far) is that he found success in not one but two musical genres — hip hop first, now rock.

That last part is particularly interesting: very few artists ever find any mainstream success, as it were (sorry to burst your bubble). And, among those who do, far fewer would even attempt to delve into different musical genres for the very reason that it quite simply multiplies the difficulty in finding any sort of recognition. As it happens, rap and rock fans do not quite overlap, meaning you would basically be stuck starting a career all over again. Granted, a few succeeded in doing just that — the name of Ice-T comes to mind — and a few others did manage to create successful stylistic fusions — starting with the great Rage Against the Machine — but still, a very sparse category, especially in these hyper-categorized days…

In comes Machine Gun Kelly. While that 2020 album proved that the singer/guitarist could indeed make it as punk/rock musician, 2022’s Mainstream Sellout proves that a) that was not a one-off, b) it can actually get better. Not necessarily in terms of sheer success, although the album is gearing to top the charts as well; not entirely when it comes to critics, if we’re honest: the album was admittedly met with mixed reviews. But there is a case to be made that MGK is gradually fine-tuning his musical universe and finding his authentic voice in all of this. Which has him seamlessly jumping from hip hop-infused tracks, with interesting featurings by Lil Wayne, Gunna and Young Thug, to more straightforward punk/rock tunes like lead single “Papercuts”.

Let us be clear: the man is a highly capable hip hop artist and his collaborating with such established rappers actually works out well for him. But it is perhaps more surprising to see how efficient his straight up punk/rock material is shaping up to become in this new set of songs. One cannot help but notice the stylistic influence album producer and iconic rockstar Travis Barker is having over here. Again, a welcome influence: “Sid & Nancy”, “EMO Girl” (with a very capable WILLOW as partner) and even the Lil Wayne vehicle “Ay!” are all effortlessly served by eminently well-crafted punk riffs — and a highly efficient rhythmic section.

All we can say is, if that is Machine Gun Kelly selling out, we’re ready to buy in…