Richard Colson Baker was born on 22 April 1990, in Houston, Texas USA, and is a noted rap artist known by his stage name of “Machine Gun Kelly” or MGK, named after the infamous gangster of the prohibition era, George Barnes, who went by the same nickname. MGK has gathered a lot of fame mainly due to the release of his mixtapes, namely “Certified” and “Homecoming”.
So just how rich is Machine Gun Kelly, as of late 2017? Sources state that Kelly’s net worth is estimated to be over $1.2 million, the majority of his wealth earned through his rapping career which began in 2006.
Machine Gun Kelly Net Worth $1.2 Million
As a child, MGK traveled with his missionary parents all around the world, including Egypt where he spent four years, and Germany, before they moved back to the United States, to Chicago and Denver. When he was fourteen, Baker’s family moved to Cleveland, where he studied at Shaker Heights High School, and later in Denver at Thomas Jefferson High School while living with his aunt.
Inspired by Ludacris and DMX, Richard Baker decided to pursue a rapping career in his teenage years, initially releasing the mixtape “Stamp of Approval” in 2006. In 2009 he made his first appearance in the Apollo Theater, where he gathered multiple credits in competitions, such that his performance led him to participate in “Sucker Free Freestyle” show on MTV, in which he made a name for himself as a talented rap artist. In 2011, Baker took part in the “South by Southwest” (SXSW) festival, where he was noticed by fellow rapper and record producer Sean Combs, who signed him to his “Bad Boy Records” label. Richard Baker then changed his name to Machine Gun Kelly – suggested by his rapid delivery – and some time later released his debut album “Lace Up”, which brought him more public exposure. The album was released in 2012 and featured guest appearances from such artists as Synyster Gates, Lil Jon, DMX, Waka Flocka, Flame, Young Jeezy and M. Shadows. MGK’s album received rather mixed reviews from critics, some of whom felt that “Lace Up” did not do justice to MGK’s previous mixtapes, which were generally appreciated by the public. However, the album spawned four singles, namely “Wild Boy”, “Invincible” – which was featured as the official song of the WrestleMania XXVIII event – “Hold On (Shut Up)” and “Stereo”. In addition to that, the album peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200 chart. In total, Machine Gun Kelly’s debut album has sold more than 176,000 copies to date, and made a significant contribution to his overall net worth.
Machine Gun Kelly released his eighth official mixtape under the name of “Black Flag” in 2013, which featured appearances from Wiz Khalifa, French Montana, Kellin Quinn, Pusha T and others. Numerous projects followed, including his involvement at and in various sporting events, especially with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), before MGK released his second album in October 2016; entitled General Admission, it entered the Billboard 100 chart at #4, but at #1 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop chart, with sales of 50,000 in the first week. His net worth was certainly boosted.
In addition to his rapping career, MGK has managed to increase his net worth by appearing in the romantic drama film entitled “Beyond the Lights”, with Minnie Driver and Nate Parker, as well as signing a deal with the clothing line called “Young and Reckless”.
In his personal life, MGK’s girlfriend had his daughter Casie in 2008, then after their separation he dated Amber Rose, a hip-hop model, but they also split. MGK has spoken openly about his use of drugs – formerly heroin, now cannabis, apparently still smoking the latter – which he has used to elaborate lyrics in several songs.
