Fighter: Machine Gun Kelly
Trainers: Sean “Diddy” Combs, Harve Pierre (Bad Boy, Interscope)
Cut Men: J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Drummer Boy, Boi-1Da, Alex da Kid, Alex Kickdrum, Aliby, Anna Yvette, Dame Grease, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Frequency, GB Hitz, J.R. Rotem, JP Did This 1, JRB, Rami Beatz, Silent Mike, Slim Gudz, Southside, Swirv, SykSense, Woodro Skillson, Chase N. Cashe and MGK
Weight Class: Rising Star
Notable Fire: Wild Boy (Feat. Waka Flocka Flame), See My Tears, On My Way, What I Do (Feat. Bun B), Invincible (Feat. Esther Dean)
Notable Trash: End Of The Road, Half Naked & Almost Famous
Tale of the Tape: Passion. Off all the attributes he possesses, it is the one that permeates the music of Machine Gun Kelly the most. Like the author of this review, MGK hails from Cleveland, Ohio, a place where the people are as passionate as any place in this country, sometimes to a fault. Perhaps this is why MGK signed with Bad Boy Records when so many pleaded with him not to. After all, Bad Boy is known for subjecting their artists to the same treatment Ozzie Smith got on The Simpsons.
But Machine Gun Kelly just doesn’t give a damn.
You learn this quickly while listening to his major label debut Lace Up. MGK, along with some assistance from Bun B, Lil Jon, Flocka and Dub-O (among others), brings some heat on the first four tracks of Lace Up, which included the lead single “Wild Boy”. It probably hurt MGK’s sales a bit that “Wild Boy” dropped nearly a year ago; and that song, along with several others, were a part of his EP Half Naked & Almost Famous, which dropped in March. It’s always better for an artist, especially a new artist, to capitalize on the momentum of a hit single asap. But Diddy & MGK decided to bide their time, and the finished product that is Lace Up was well worth the wait.
The production value of the album was solid across the board, however very few, if any of the tracks contained truly memorable beats. Lyrically, MGK’s wordplay was on par with what we’ve heard from him before on his previous mixtapes. That being, tolerable, even very enjoyable at times, but not enough to wear out the rewind button.
The beauty of Lace Up and MGK on the whole, though, is that’s not who he is as an artist and it doesn’t seem to matter. What Kells may lack in consistent lyrical technique, he more than makes up for in sincerity and conviction. You believe every word he spits on this album, which is why he is a true Clevelander to the core. You hear it on songs like “Runnin’” where he beings by saying:
“I’m so tired of running that I’ve worn my soles out/To the point that my toes is out/To the point that I can’t look back/And even if I did, couldn’t see where I started out/Can’t see home for miles/Lost like another orphan child/I’m only grinning cuz I’m supposed to smile/So I do it for the ones that are down and out/Proud one of us is gonna be a spokesman now.”
You hear it again on the heartfelt “See My Tears“, (which is arguably the best track on the album) where he simultaneously addresses his fans and haters at the conclusion of the first verse, “This for the ones that had it hard/The ones like me, the underdog/This for the ones that waited for them clouds to form”. Again, at the end of the first verse of “On My Way“, MGK paints the vivid picture of his struggle, “Cuz he the underdog, went from flipping patties at a Fuddruckers, to living lavish than a muh-fucker.”
You find lines just like these all over this album. To call it appropriate would be a massive understatement….
It’s so Cleveland.
Kells often refers to Cleveland as “Underdog City”; there has never been a more appropriate nickname for this town. His struggle mirrors those of so many individuals in this particular city (including yours truly in some respects). It’s reminiscent of songs like “Rock Bottom” and “If I Had” off Eminem’s debut album. MGK’s work has the ability to connect with fans in the same manner in which those songs connected with listeners back in 1999.
Sidebar: I don’t draw this comparison because both of these rappers are white. In actuality, a more accurate comparison is bred out of both being emotional artists from blue collar, Midwest cities.
Even though Cleveland has struggled with its economy, school systems, crime and sports teams (!!!!!!!), it has produced many famous and successful people, but you’d never know it based on how those individuals choose not to rep the city properly once they leave. However, nobody has embraced the role of championing Cleveland, Ohio more than Machine Gun Kelly.
Fight Night: Ninth Round KO
You can’t help but admire the fight in this kid, which doens’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Just check out this exchange with Charlamagne Tha God on The Breakfast Club two weeks ago. This brash emcee REFUSES to accept someone saying his music is not hot. That same energy that he brought to the radio station is the same energy he brings to every performance, which is the same passion that is found on Lace Up.
His flow, as always, was undeniable on this project, and in a lot ways (speed, cadence, etc.), harkens back to Cleveland’s forefathers of hip-hop. Lace Up is a complete album, with the only weaker songs coming towards the end. Going forward, there is some concern as to what MGK will rap about in the future. It’s typical to learn of one’s struggle on their debut, a topic that has attracted enough fans to validate an album on a major in the first place. Kells leaned on this struggle almost exclusively this time around. Now that he’s had some success, what will he talk about on his second album (assuming there is one, provided Bad Boy doesn’t pull a Bad Boy move)?
MGK may be fighting an uphill battle down the road. But this guy is undefeated against adversity, and Lace Up is a hot album. So who are we to doubt him?