Colson Baker, better known as Machine Gun Kelly, was born in Houston, Texas but raised in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio. Machine Gun Kelly began making music when he was in his teens and made the news in 2009 as the first rapper to win amateur night at Harlem’s Apollo Theater. In 2011, Kelly quickly went from producing his own mixtapes to working with large labels and his debut album, Lace Up, was released the same year. Kelly was quick to work with renowned artists such as Waka Flocka Flame who was featured on his first album in song, “Wild Boy.” In 2013, he went to work on his mixtape, The Black Flag, which featured stars, French Montana, Pusha T. and Whiz Khalifa to name a few.
His second album, General Admission, was an autobiographical that shared personal, dark times, which his fans quickly related to and landed him number four on the Billboard 200 as well as topped the R&B/Hip-Hop charts in 2015. Two years later, Kelly released his third full album, Bloom, which featured another set of music icons including Camila Cabello, Quavo, and Ty Dolla $ign. Bloom was another success for Kelly and became Gold-Certified.
Machine Gun Kelly continued to produce and release album after album, having six successful albums under his belt including his first number-one album, Tickets to My Downfall, in 2020. His most recent album in 2022, Mainstream Sellout, proved his success was far from over with it reaching the top of the Billboard 200 and Top Rock Albums Charts, as well as earning him his first ever GRAMMY® nomination for Best Rock Album. Machine Gun Kelly has taken the music scene by storm with his unique, alternative take on music and dedicated fans. His success is far from over and so far, he has earned himself many awards including, two Billboard Music Awards as well as two American Music Awards.
RODEOHOUSTON® APPEARANCES: Debut Performance
TOP FIVE SONGS: “my ex’s best friend,” “Bad Things,” “I Think I’m OKAY,” “Candy (featuring Trippie Redd,” “Rap Devil”