Originally Self-Published March 28, 2022
Photo courtesy of Unsplash and photographer Matthew Kalapuch
Musician Colson Baker, otherwise known as Machine Gun Kelly or MGK released the album "Mainstream Sellout" on March 25, 2022, continuing his transition from the rap genre into the pop-punk genre. His previous album, "Tickets to My Downfall" was an unexpected conversion for casual music listeners, and several hits from the project led some to say that MGK is bringing back rock music.
That said, traditional rock acts like Turnstile and Black Country, New Road have had recent critical and commercial acclaim. Both WILLOW and Jaden Smith dabbled successfully in rock-adjacent instrumentation before MGK, and bands like Tame Impala and The 1975 have millions of listeners and are some of the most successful acts of the 2010s. Not to mention hundreds of underground rock acts with fanbases across the world. It is clear that MGK did not singlehandedly revive the rock genre from a nonexistent death, so how did the music landscape get to a point where that claim holds weight to uninformed listeners?
That said, traditional rock acts like Turnstile and Black Country, New Road have had recent critical and commercial acclaim. Both WILLOW and Jaden Smith dabbled successfully in rock-adjacent instrumentation before MGK, and bands like Tame Impala and The 1975 have millions of listeners and are some of the most successful acts of the 2010s. Not to mention hundreds of underground rock acts with fanbases across the world. It is clear that MGK did not singlehandedly revive the rock genre from a nonexistent death, so how did the music landscape get to a point where that claim holds weight to uninformed listeners?
In 2017, Nielsen reported that rap music overtook rock music as the most popular genre among music listeners. However, that year the sub-genre of Emo Rap was starting to get mainstream attention thanks to artists like Juice WRLD and XXXTentaction. They brought emotional sensitivity to that were unmistakably hip-hop, but that featured a prominent rock music influence. Thus proving that rock instrumentation could still appear on the charts.
The following year MGK released "Rap Devil," a diss track directed at rapper Eminem regarding a one-off line from Eminem's album "Kamikaze." Soon after, Eminem responded with "Killshot," an entire track directed at MGK specifically. Some posited it killed MGK's rap career, but Baker has not said anything about the track influencing his shift in genres. Regardless, in 2019 he collaborated with YUNGBLUD and Travis Barker for the track "I Think I'm Okay," and in 2021 he released "my ex's best friend," the highest charting single from "Tickets to my Downfall."
Machine Gun Kelly did not revive pop-punk or rock, and in spite of distain from critics and more serious music listeners, he continues to have success and spearhead the current trend of pop music. While many wish that a better artist would be topping charts with a pure-rock sound, the fans seem to be happy. After all, it is not world politics, it is just music.
