MGK Says His Return to Rap Will Be His Best Yet, Feels No Pressure

MGK is preparing to step back into rap eventually, and he knows eyes will be on him when he does.

In his conversation with Complex at the MGK Day Art + Community Festival, the Cleveland artist says he's ready to deliver what he believes will be his greatest rap record yet, even amid skepticism from fans who may doubt his return to the genre. MGK broke onto the scene as a rapper in the early 2010s, but his last three albums (Tickets to My Downfall, Mainstream Sellout, and Lost Americana) were rock-driven albums.

"I'm aware of how loud that conversation will be when I drop it, which makes me hyper aware of how great it has to be," MGK told Complex about his upcoming rap album. "I'm also far removed from ego and the urge to fit in. I know I have to sonically make something that is out of the now and forever. That means no disguising with 808s or the usual tricks used in rap over the past ten years. I have to make something I can stand on."

According to MGK, in the eight years since he dropped his last rap-centric album, Bloom, people have been talking and counting him out. However, returning to rap isn't just about MGK proving himself lyrically, but delivering production that matches the weight of his words.

"I'm aware of the chatter," said MGK. "Most importantly, I'm aware of how crucial production needs to be and how essential production is to hip-hop, because I was such a wordsmith and came from freestyling, which was a big part of my presence and rapping."

When it comes to fans and critics who won't accept him coming back to rap following his recent pivot to rock, MGK has no concerns, as he's never really left rap alone despite people believing he did. He also warned that all the criticism would only fuel him.

"I've been so present during this entire time of these three albums that people can choose to acknowledge it or look away from it," he said. "Undeniably, in the fine print on the internet, my freestyles, my features, my constant glorification of hip-hop have always been there. If they choose to be loud about it, know that it makes me better. That makes me hungrier. And a hungry MGK is a dangerous MGK."

He added, "All that's going to do is make my bars meaner and make the production colder. I'm refusing anything less than my greatest rap album with this next one. And I'm coming off of Lost Americana, to me, that's my best songwriting album I've ever done, and my best guitar playing, so I can't be messed with right now. I'm too tapped in and I'm too hungry."

MGK's Lost Americana was released on August 8 and comes with no features. Check it out over on Complex Shop along with other albums from MGK's discography and official merchandise.