Richard Colson Baker (born April 22, 1990), p/k/a Machine Gun Kelly or MGK, is an American rapper from Cleveland, Ohio. Baker's stage name comes from his rapid-fire lyrical flow and is also a reference to notorious criminal George "Machine Gun Kelly" Barnes. The son of missionary parents, Baker moved around a lot as a child and started listening to rap in sixth grade while living in Denver. At the age of fourteen, he moved to Cleveland. Machine Gun Kelly first gained exposure on MTV2's Sucker Free Freestyle. His debut mixtape, 100 Words and Running, was released in early 2010. That summer he made his national debut with the single "Alice In Wonderland" on the Block Starz Music compilation, Midwest Block Starz. He released his second mixtape, Lace Up, which featured the hometown anthem "Cleveland", in November 2010. On August 3, 2011, he announced he signed with Sean "P. Diddy" Combs's Bad Boy Records. Machine Gun Kelly's discography consists of one studio albums, four singles as a featured artist, and eight mixtapes. His 2012 single "Wild Boy", featuring Waka Flocka Flame, the first single from his Bad Boy/Interscope release Lace Up, peaked at #98 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Gold.
