Machine Gun Kelly: How White People Stigmatize His Role in Hip-Hop

Machine Gun Kelly has been a prominent figure in the rap industry for over a decade, showcasing his versatility by exploring genres like rock and even country with his single “Lonely Road” featuring Jelly Roll.

The Cleveland native recently appeared on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast, where he discussed various topics, including his belief that white people have given him the most criticism regarding his status as a white rapper in hip-hop.

“I won’t deny that there is a subconscious stigma around that—being white in hip-hop,” he said around the 37-minute mark. “To me, it’s so funny because the streets f**k with me so tough. It’s honestly from other white people that give me the most s**t.”

In discussing his career, MGK made a nod to his rap battle with Eminem. “The crazy thing is there’s only been one who’s done it. There’s only been one who’s done it and crossed that line of acceptance,” he added.

In July, MGK released his John Denver-sampling Jelly Roll collaboration “Lonely Road,” which is currently at No. 74 on the Billboard Hot 100 after debuting at No. 33.

Having worked on “Lonely Road” for two years to perfect it, MGK expressed his concern about potential backlash, fearing people would think he was trying to imitate Post Malone, who had recently ventured into country music with his album “F-1 Trillion,” which topped the Billboard 200 with 250,000 units sold earlier in August.

“In the past two years while I was doing ‘Lonely Road,’ Post did this, and I was constantly worried people would think I was following his footsteps. For years, I’ve been curating this song knowing I’m gonna have to fight against something,” MGK explained.

MGK recounted his nervousness about playing the demo of “Lonely Road” for Jelly Roll, but he ultimately let him hear it while they were driving around Los Angeles looking for a party after the Grammy Awards earlier this year.

“He was driving himself, and I thought, ‘You drove yourself to the Grammys?’ He replied, ‘I’m so white trash I can’t get it out of me,'” MGK recalled. “I got the AUX cord, and something told me to play the demo of ‘Lonely Road.’ I pressed play, and he was like, ‘What the f**k is this?’ I told him, ‘Man, it’s just calling you.’ He responded, ‘I’m on it.'”