Portrait of MGK

Birthday profile

MGK

Machine Gun Kelly, American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor

Born
April 22, 1990
Age in 2026
36
Zodiac sign
Taurus
Birth year
1990

About MGK

Colson Baker (born April 22, 1990), known professionally as MGK (stylized in all lowercase) and formerly Machine Gun Kelly, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, producer, and actor. His original stage name "Machine Gun Kelly" was derived from the nickname of Prohibition-era gangster George Kelly Barnes. MGK self-released four mixtapes from 2007 to 2010 before he signed with Sean Combs' Bad Boy Records, an imprint of Interscope Records, in 2011. His debut studio album, Lace Up (2012), peaked at number four on the US Billboard 200 and was led by the single "Wild Boy" (featuring Waka Flocka Flame), which marked his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 and received triple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His second and third albums, General Admission (2015) and Bloom (2017), were both met with critical praise and similar commercial success; the latter was supported by the single "Bad Things" (with Camila Cabello), which peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. His 2018 single, "Rap Devil", was a diss track aimed at fellow rapper Eminem, and peaked at number 13 on the chart despite mixed critical response. His fourth album, Hotel Diablo (2019), experimented with rap rock and saw a critical incline. MGK's fifth album, Tickets to My Downfall (2020), waived any semblance of hip-hop in favor of a pop-punk sound and aesthetic, with its production entirely helmed by Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker. It debuted atop the Billboard 200—becoming the only rock album to do so that year—and was supported by the single "My Ex's Best Friend" (featuring blackbear), which peaked within the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100. Its sequel, Mainstream Sellout (2022), served as his sixth album and matched its commercial success, although critical reception was mixed. In 2024, he released the collaborative extended play, (EP) Genre: Sadboy, with fellow Ohio-based rapper Trippie Redd, and delved into pop-rock with his seventh album, Lost Americana (2025). MGK had his first starring role in the romantic drama Beyond the Lights (2014), and since appeared in the techno-thriller Nerve (2016), the horror Bird Box (2018), the comedy Big Time Adolescence and portrayed Tommy Lee in the Mötley Crüe biopic The Dirt (both 2019). In 2022, he and Mod Sun made their directorial debuts with the stoner comedy film Good Mourning, which they also wrote, produced, and starred in. MGK released four mixtapes from 2007 to 2010 before he signed with Sean Combs' Bad Boy Records, an imprint of Interscope Records, in 2011.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

The world when MGK was born

MGK was born in 1990. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1990

  • #1 song"Hold On" – Wilson Phillips
  • Top movieDances with Wolves
  • Top TV showRoseanne
  • Best-selling bookJurassic Park – Michael Crichton

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentBuster Douglas knocks out Mike Tyson in biggest upset ever
  • Top headlineNelson Mandela freed after 27 years
  • Technology milestoneHubble Space Telescope launched
  • Defining fadNinja Turtles mania
  • Notable inventionWorld Wide Web goes public
  • World population5.28 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderGeorge H.W. Bush
  • Sports championCincinnati Reds (World Series)
  • Also wonDetroit Pistons (NBA)
  • U.S. population249.6M

1990 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in MGK's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19902026
Gas$1.16$3.45/gal
Average home$95,500$435,000
Average income$35,353$67,500
Minimum wage$3.80$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$4.23$11.95
Postage stamp$0.25$0.73
Population249.6M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, IMDb, MusicBrainz. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.