Machine Gun Kelly Has Seemingly Started Changing His Name Online

    The change comes after the public expressed concerns that the rapper was "glorifying" the use of guns.

    Chelsea Stewart
    by Chelsea Stewart

    BuzzFeed Staff

    It looks as if Machine Gun Kelly might not be going by that name much longer.

    Machine Gun Kelly in a suit showing off his sleeves of tattoos posing on the event red carpet
    Mireya Acierto / WireImage

    Calls for him to change his name began in 2022 over concerns that he was glorifying machine guns. Two fans named Chad and JT even protested at one of his concerts in September 2022, holding a sign that said, "Change Your Name!!!"

    View this video on YouTube
    youtube.com

    "We want to take out the 'Machine Gun' so we don't glorify machine guns," they explained, leading the "Wild Boy" rapper to ask what everyone else thought, to much applause.

    Machine Gun Kelly in a vibrant jacket and pants singing into a microphone on stage before an audience
    Duane Prokop / Getty Images for Interscope Records

    Last year at the GQ Men of the Year event, he asked if he could simply be called "machine" — however, it looks as if he's changed his mind about that, too.

    MGK in a mesh top performing onstage with a microphone
    Venla Shalin / Redferns / Getty

    He's now going by "MGK" on streaming platforms, including Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, and YouTube. He also made it his display name on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

    Profile of mgk on a social platform showing 1.5M followers and a link to music
    @machinegunkelly

    His actual social media handles haven't changed, but I noticed that "MGK" is already taken on X and Instagram. We reached out to reps for MGK for additional comment but did not immediately hear back.

    It's not the only major change he's made lately, either. The rapper — who was born Colson Baker — also recently got a blackout tattoo on his torso "for spiritual purposes."

    I guess new era loading!