Guest Blogger: Jamela 1

Whether you know Machine Gun Kelly as the Wild Boy or the up and-coming hip/hop artist who can spit rhymes with lightning-fast precision, one thing remains true: he has influenced thousands of people around the world. On June 26, 2013 MGK released his free mixtape album, Black Flag, as a gift to his EST fans around the world. This album gives fan a personal look into MGK’s personal life and the struggles he has had to overcome to get to where he is today. Victorious as ever, the album begins with “Raise The Flag”. In this song, MGK proudly talks about struggles he has overcome to reach the platform that he’s at today. He raps about showering at truck stops during his early tours, because he couldn’t afford hotel rooms at the time. The kid from Cleveland has come a long way. “I was just a fool in a room full of Edison’s, look at me now.” The lyrics make fans, including me, empowered to accomplish anything and everything. One reason why Machine Gun Kelly has so many fans is because his music is relatable to everyone. Many artists today sing or rap about the luxuries of becoming famous; it may be a catchy tune, however there isn’t a deep message to the fans. MGK raps about real situations that people go through, including himself. Most of his songs give an inside look to how his life was before he signed his deal and how he was struggling to make ends meet. My favorite song by MGK is “Home Soon”, which is also a track on the Black Flag album. “See it started as a dream, that dream came true. Send a message to my city tell them we’ll be home soon”, these lyrics support how he has come a long way to get to where he is today. I agree that his songs are powered by a combination of passion and precision. As an MC, he could rattle out verses at what seemed like warp-speed, but at the same time, those rhymes also manage to show a world of pain and frustration to his fans. Is MGK worth your time and money? Absolutely! Machine Gun Kelly continuously inspires his fans every day, whether it is to tattoo his lyrics on their bodies or to download his songs. Machine Gun Kelly is an artist who can turn his rough-and-tumble life story into beautiful art.