Lace down

BRUNSWICK, OH–Living in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, by now, most high school students who even remotely listen to music have heard of the new “hometown hero” called Machine Gun Kelly, also known as MGK. Throughout Brunswick High School, MGK has gained a positive reputation among students because of the impact he has had on senior Ryan Yex and his constant fight with overcoming his physical disabilities and being able to walk. While it’s clear that MGK is growing in popularity, there are just as many if not more music listeners out there who are sick of hearing about the twenty-one year old and his obnoxious fans telling everyone they come in contact with to “lace up”.

While a some students feel that MGK is talented musician, there are just as many who feel he isn’t. Brunswick senior Dan Mascio is one of these individuals. “A good rapper comes along every once in a while that ends up “changing the game”. Machine Gun Kelly is not one of those rappers. His fast-paced flow seems to attract young crowds along with his “screw the establishment” way-of-life, but he severely lacks in lyrical content,” says Mascio. Much of the lyrical content of MGK’s songs are confusing with many punch lines that more often than not don’t even make sense. “His music is littered with mundane punch lines and lack of substance. If a rapper has to refer to ridiculous and downright offensive amounts of cursing in his music to mask the lack of creativity, there is a problem,” Mascio adds. A lot of students are fed up with MGK’s music being shoved down their throats by his “cult” fan base called EST.

“His voice sounds like he records his music in a basement, I’m sick of hearing the music, and I’m sick of hearing his name,” says senior Lauren Still. Ever since the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year, the Brunswick High School student population has put a lot of hype on MGK’s music and his so-called movement of lacing up, but does anyone actually know what the phrase “lace up” means? “I have not one clue what “lace up” means, and none of his fans know either,” Still comments.

For being such a dedicated fan base, it seems pathetic that these fans shout “lace up” to everyone they can find and don’t even know what it means. These individuals are only riding the latest trends to find some sense of belonging. “It’s annoying how he’s not even that good and people just jump on the bandwagon and are all about him all of a sudden,” says senior Robyn Gailey.

While “lacing up” seems to be the current trend amongst students, it will only be a matter of time before the next trend comes along and MGK will be thrown to the side like an old, misfit toy. Rappers like Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Eminem will always have a solidified position at the top of the rap game where the spotlight shines bright forever. Good rappers are few and far between today and being a “wild boy” is only good for fifteen minutes of fame.