Some have mentioned that beef with Eminem drove Machine Gun Kelly out of the rap sport and into the pop-punk world. To commemorate his return to hip-hop, MGK (Colson Baker, 33) seemingly picked a combat with Jack Harlow. In the “Renegade Freestyle” video that MGK dropped on May 6, the “Emo Girl” singer seemingly dissed Jack, 25, with the traces, “I see why they call you Jackman/ you jacked man’s whole swag / Give Drake his flow back / I eat rappers like Pac-Man.”
The “Jackman” line is an obvious reference to Harlow’s just lately launched album, Jackman. That album contained the music “They Don’t Love It,” during which Jack proclaims himself the most effective white rapper since Eminem, 50. “The hardest white boy since the one who rapped about vomit and sweaters,” rapped Harlow, per Genius, referencing Eminem’s “Lose Yourself,” the hit observe from 8 Mile. Harlow additionally added. “And hold the comments ’cause I promise you I’m honestly better than whoever came to your head right then.”
Jack Harlow in contrast Drake with the discharge of his 2022 album, Come Home The Kids Miss You. “From the sidelines of Louisville, he’s watched Drake’s dominance proliferate since he was 11 years old – studying the ultimate crossover artist’s transformation and taking notes,” author Larisha Paul wrote for The Fader. “Now, he has access to the oracle himself, and we’re seeing the Drake-ification of Jack Harlow play out in real-time.”
It stays to be seen if “They Don’t Love It” would be the alabaster model of Kendrick Lamar’s verse on Big Sean’s “Control.” The 2013 music noticed Ok.Dot name out eleven rising rappers by title, which noticed them drop their very own songs in response to the call-out.
MGK additionally seemingly referenced his feud with Eminem within the “Renegade Freestyle,” rapping how “The Crosshair’s a little shaky, they missed me by two inch.” Genius signifies that this may be a nod to Eminem’s “Killshot,” a 2018 diss observe whose art work put MGK’s face within the heart of the crosshairs. “So before you die, let’s see who can out-petty who / With your corny lines (“Slim, you’re old”)—ow, Kelly, ooh / But I’m 45, and I’m nonetheless outselling you,” rapped Em.
Eminem and MGK’s feud stems from a 2012 tweet during which MGK mentioned that then-16-year-old Hailie Jade was “hot as f***, in the most respectful way possible cuz Em is King.”
In 2018, MGK threw slightly shade at Eminem on Tech N9ne’s “No Reason,” dissing Eminem’s “Rap God” music (“You just rap, you’re not Gods.”) Eminem responded on his music “Not Alike” (“But next time you don’t gotta use Tech N9ne / If you wanna come at me with a sub, Machine Gun / And I’m talkin’ to you, but you already know who the fuck you are, Kelly / I don’t use sublims and sure as fuck don’t sneak-diss / But keep commenting on my daughter Hailie.”)
MGK responded with “Rap Devil,” Hello Marshall, my title’s Colson / You ought to return to Recovery (Wouh) / I do know your ego is hurtin’ / Just knowin’ that all your followers found me (Hi) / He like, ‘Damn, he a younger me / Except he dresses better and I’m ugly / Always making enjoyable of me’ / Stop all of the thuggery, Marshall, you livin’ in luxurious (Ayy).” Less than two weeks after MGK launched “Rap Devil,” Eminem put out “Killshot.”
Though Kelly would say that Eminem “missed” with the diss observe, he referenced how the viewers sided with Slim Shady. “Hotel Diablo…as a hip-hop album, it’s flawless front to back, and also a hint at the evolution of how I went into a pop-punk album,” MGK mentioned to Dave Franco in 2020 when discussing his 2019 album. “But it was coming off the tail-end of that infamous beef [with Eminem]. So no one wanted to give it the time of day.”
In 2020, MGK launched his first pop-punk album, Tickets To My Downfall. MGK’s rock profession wasn’t with out controversy, as he feuded with Corey Taylor of Slipknot. In 2022, MGK launched Mainstream Sellout, indicating that he was leaving rock to return to rap.
“There have been some people in the rock community who have called me a tourist, but they’re wrong. I’m a rocket man,” he mentioned through the 2022 American Music Awards. “These last two rock albums were me going to the moon, but I’m not done exploring the universe yet, and I am all genres. I’ll see you on Mars.”