Machine Gun Kelly Describes How Mac Miller And Chester Bennington Influenced His New Album

Anticipation for Machine Gun Kelly's fourth album, Hotel Diablo, reached a fever pitch on Thursday (June 6) with the release of the rapper's latest single. On "I Think I'm OKAY" — yes, the last word is all-caps for dramatic effect — MGK joins forces with British rocker Yungblud, and the two make an intensely potent blend.


Right after trading verses in which they mirror on a vapid life fueled by alcohol and illegal substances, they come with each other for the brutally straightforward chorus: "Watch me, take a good thing and fuck it all up in one night / Catch me, I'm the one on the run away from the headlights," they sing/scream. "No sleep, up all week wasting time with people I don't like / I think that something's fucking wrong with me." Tying it all with each other is blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, who lends his thunderous skills to the genre-bending track, before Yungblud closes it out with an a cappella finale.


After "I Think I'm OKAY" premiered on Beats 1, MGK discussed up Hotel Diablo, describing it to host Zane Lowe because the album I routinely wanted to put out." As soon as Lowe asked if starring in the Mötley Crüe biopic The Dirt made MGK wish to reconnect with his more rock-influenced sound, the rapper mentioned, "I think that did, and I think [Linkin Park frontman] Chester [Bennington] passing did that for me, too."





MGK also described the back-to-basics approach he's taking for the new album, explaining, "I got rid all of the bells and whistles on this project. It's all about being an artist more than a celebrity. ... This time around, the music's also good and I'm not doing anything although being myself. There's no added chains, there's no added statement jackets.


"You know who did a wonderful job with this? Mac Miller," he continued. Any time I looked at Mac, I just seen a talented young man. I didn't hate on the thing that he did. I was so impressed all of the time, by his musicality, by his mental, by him as a friend. And that's the ultimate objective for me, is to walk around and have that respect and to not have all this additional stuff follow me. Because additional stuff and drama and alpha male hate has followed me for a long, long time."


Hotel Diablo — the follow-up to Machine Gun Kelly's 2017 album, Bloom — doesn't have a release date although, although is expected sometime this year.