If I told you that Machine Gun Kelly—MACHINE GUN Kelly—was spotted walking into a recording studio with what appeared to be a rifle, wouldn’t that feel a little too on-the-nose?
That seems to be exactly what happened this week, per a report from TMZ. The outlet published images of MGK in all-black clothing walking into a building in Hollywood with what appeared to be a rifle slung over his shoulder. TMZ said it couldn’t determine whether the object was a real firearm or a prop.
If MGK is working on new music, it may be for the follow-up to his 2025 album, Lost Americana. That record saw the rapper-turned-rock-star infuse more pop into his sound with songs like “Cliché” and “Vampire Diaries“.
Around the album’s release date, The New York Times published a podcast interview in which MGK spoke at length about his career. At one point, co-host Joe Coscarelli asked him about how clout and criticism impact his music.
Machine Gun Kelly carrying what looks like a rifle is something I genuinely never considered
“I say it on the first track [‘Outlaw Overture’] of Lost Americana: ‘All the pages are blank until my life goes to [expletive] / I know I do that on purpose just to write again.’ Great bar,” he replied. “It truly sums up the totality of what I do almost before every album cycle.”
“We watched it with this one, you can see it in the news,” MGK continued. “I’ve got to ruin everything so that I can talk about something, because that’s the only truth. I’ve put so much weight on my art that I’ll bleed out and die for this.”
MGK then added, “But I’ve never even thought about kids on the internet associating me with bad music because when I walk the streets, when I sell out arenas — it’s not easy to make some of the vulnerable or bold choices I’ve made.”
He later offered some context on how he sees himself within hip-hop culture these days, saying that his penchant for painting his nails or wearing non-traditional clothing is just something that’s a part of him.
“That will inevitably influence how others are perceiving me,” MGK said. “Because my face will be the same, but something will be different to them. They’ll see someone who’s more grounded and more calm. What I’ve been missing is just a love for myself, and so that’s why I take that broken version of me, and I put my arm around him and I say, ‘Dude, I know we’ve went through the trenches together, but it rains before the rainbow.’”
Photo by Dave Simpson/WireImage
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