When Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb declared Aug. 13, 2022, as “Machine Gun Kelly Day,” he unwittingly touched off a cottage industry. The Shaker Heights rapper was in town for a sold-out show at Cleveland Browns Stadium. A year later, mgk returned Downtown for an event which also benefitted the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, Greater Cleveland Food Bank and other groups collecting shoes, toys and school supplies.
This year, the third mgk Day has morphed into a five-day party in Cleveland.
Starting Friday, there’s skating in the Flats, a trivia night at mgk’s own 27 Club Coffee and then a showing of his film, “Mainstream Sellout Live from Cleveland: The Pink Era,” at Lago Veranda.
Fans can hit a charity softball game at League Park on Saturday and a Downtown block party on Sunday.
Monday’s events include an evening of mgk-curated anime. On Tuesday, he’ll throw out the ceremonial first pitch as the Guardians take on the Chicago Cubs. The first 10,000 fans at Progressive Field get a bag of 27 Club Coffee.
Although born in Texas, mgk’s parents were Christian missionaries who frequently relocated. He grew up in Egypt, Kenya, Germany, California, Illinois, Colorado and eventually Northeast Ohio, where he attended Shaker Heights High School. Taking his stage name from the Depression-era Cleveland gangster, mgk rose to fame with tracks such as "Cleveland State of Mind," "Still Get It In Ohio" and "107.9 FM Radio Freestyle," a reference to hip-hop radio station WENZ. After playing local venues such as the Kent Stage, mgk’s major label debut, 2012’s “Lace Up,” hit #4 on the charts.
His latest single, "Lonely Road," is a collaboration with Jelly Roll and debuted this week at #33. Informally referring to themselves as “KellyRoll” according to Billboard, the duo wrote the song based on John Denver's 1971 #2 hit, "Take Me Home Country Roads."
