Where Machine Gun Kelly's Stage Name Really Comes From (& Why He's Ditching It)
The name Machine Gun Kelly, often shortened to the initials "MGK," is perhaps most familiar for being the stage name of musician and actor Colson Baker. Baker once told First Avenue that he received the moniker when he was a teenager, which is when he first started out as a rapper. "I got the name Machine Gun Kelly because of my rapid-fire delivery when I was 15 and started doing shows," he shared, illustrating that the name has been associated with him for quite some time.
There's a chance the name "Machine Gun Kelly" might be familiar to the public for another reason, though. That has to do with where the name originated, and it wasn't actually with the rapper who has since branched out into other genres. What's more, Baker has expressed that he's shedding the stage name by which he has become best known — and he has his reasons for making that bold decision.
The first Machine Gun Kelly was a gangster
Long before Colson Baker became known by the name, there was a different Machine Gun Kelly on the scene. The original Machine Gun Kelly was actually George "Machine Gun" Kelly, whose legal name was George Kelly Barnes. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) writes that Barnes was a criminal who was active in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century, but he's become most famous for the 1933 kidnapping of oil magnate Charles F. Urschel and his friend Walter R. Jarrett.
Fortunately, the FBI reports that both men were later released, and Barnes was among 21 individuals who were ultimately convicted in association with the case. The Tennessee-born criminal died in 1954 while imprisoned at the Federal Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas. Decades after his death, Barnes's name has lived on in a way we doubt he could have ever imagined, but even the rapper now known as Machine Gun Kelly is leaving the moniker behind. Well, sort of.
Colson Baker is getting rid of the name Machine Gun Kelly
Musician Colson Baker has decided to say goodbye to the stage name Machine Gun Kelly, at least in terms of how it relates to his pursuit of an acting career, anyway. Instead, as Baker explained to the Hollywood Reporter, he's decided to use his given name for his on-screen endeavors. In part, the 32-year-old commented to the publication, "I think it's more just out of respect for the art." By this, he clarified that he didn't want people to perceive his work in a certain way because of its association with the "Machine Gun Kelly" name rather than his own.
Baker added that he wants to separate the stage name and persona he uses for his music career from his acting career because he likens his music career to playing a character already. He said, "I don't feel like being 'Inception' in a person. Like there's a character inside of a character inside of a character inside of a character. I'd rather it just be me playing a character in one world and then me playing a character in another world." In relation to his music, though, the Cleveland native assured the Hollywood Reporter he'll continue to use the name Machine Gun Kelly for the foreseeable future.