Has anyone asked Corey Taylor what Machine Gun Kelly is up to? No? Bueller? Okay, then we’ll tell you. MGK is apparently leaving pop-punk music and returning to hip-hop – on his next album, anyway. He discussed such in a new interview on Audacy’s “Check In” podcast with Kevan Kenney.
You likely know the story, but the musician, who’s seemingly always in the news for something, gained popularity in the hip-hop world before chart-topping success a couple years ago. Since then, he’s feuded with Corey Taylor, Slipknot fans, and even called out other pop-punk musicians who apparently are jealous of his success.
As Metal Injection noted and helpfully transcribed, MGK said the following about the upcoming genre shift (again):
“I’m going to make a rap album for myself. For no other reason, no point to prove, no chip on my shoulder… If I keep doing things to prove things to people, I’m going to, one, drive myself crazy and, two, not make a good product.”
“I made Tickets and Mainstream Sellout because I wanted to make them. I need to now also make people miss that sound because Tickets and Mainstream Sellout are companion albums, I don’t think making a third that’s so [similar to those] is going to be exciting unless it’s missed.”
It should be noted, of course, that he’s collaborated with rock and pop-punk musicians previous to his original shift to the genre. Said shift happened almost immediately after a highly publicized feud with Eminem a few years back. In fact, he previously collaborated with Sleeping With Sirens earlier in the last decade. The genre-hopping chart-topper could go country next, for all we know.