Hollywood Whore

CLEVELAND, Ohio – We’ve watched Machine Gun Kelly grow up before our eyes.

The 29-year-old Cleveland rapper has gone from “Wild Boy” to conquering the pop charts with “Bad Things” to a highly publicized feud with his former idol Eminem. But MGK’s latest song and video for “Hollywood Whore” is on another level.

It’s not just that Kellz gets introspective. The song tackles several mature topics, from betrayal to the toll fame can take on you. Fans across the web and Genius.com have speculated on who exactly the lyrics refer to.

It’s that more than any other song he’s ever released, “Hollywood Whore” finds Machine Gun Kelly taking the darkness in his soul (which he’s never been shy about revealing) and giving it a universal feel.

The vagueness of the lyrics makes this an anthem for the broken and the fallen. It’s a compelling and relatable song for anyone who has ever felt lost even when, from the outside, it looks like you’re on top of the world.

The song opens with a sample of Linkin Park’s “Numb,” which is fitting. MGK has said it’s a nod to LP singer Chester Bennington, who committed suicide in 2017.

Kellz has often cited Linkin Park as an influence and even toured with the band not long before Bennington’s death. The video for “Hollywood Whore” features the words “R.I.P. Chester Bennington.”

Machine Gun Kelly may never silence his haters. But “Hollywood Whore” is the closest he’s come to giving them a reason to back off. While it’s a rock song, it also puts his lyrical prowess on display (The chorus’ “first place…two-faced…third-degree…what for?” play on numbers is actually quite clever).

“Hollywood Whore” also confronts those haters head on. MGK recounts getting beaten up and ridiculed for being a white rapper growing up, before earning a reputation as a skilled lyricist (See his BET cypher). And the video backs that up by putting an emphasis on Kellz’s thrilling performance abilities.

“Hollywood Whore” is the first single from “Hotel Diablo,” which is set to arrive sometime next month. MGK will once again headline EST Fest in Butler, Ohio on Aug. 2 and 3.