Making a name for yourself as a rap artist outside of a major market like New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago and Miami is easier said than done, but Cleveland, Ohio rep Machine Gun Kelly is one that has been able to transcend his city's limits and gain traction in the mainstream.

Cleveland isn't exactly a hip-hop hotbed, with hometown heroes Bone Thugs-N-Harmony being the most noteworthy group to come out of the blue collar locale, but Machine Gun Kelly put the spotlight and focus back on the city in 2010, with the release of his breakthrough mixtape, Lace Up, which helped establish his brand and would make him one of the more popular prospects on the underground. Securing a spot on the 2011 XXL Freshman cover and a record deal with Sean "Diddy" Combs' Bad Boy Records, MGK would roll out his debut album, also titled Lace Up, which would boast hits like "Wild Boy" and peak at No. 4 on the Billboard 200.

That initial success would help back up the hype that preceded him, but Machine Gun Kelly would get lost in the shuffle by the time his sophomore album, General Admission, arrived, which debuted at No. 4 on the album chart. The project received a huge regression in sales, fanfare and acclaim in comparison to his debut. MGK's successful transition into the world of Hollywood, as well as personal and health issues would also play a part in him being absent from the music scene, but the wait for new material is over, as the rapper's latest body of work, bloom, has been liberated and proves he hasn't lost a step.

Reminding listeners of why he was once highly touted with standout tracks like "Trap Paris" and "Golden God," Machine Gun Kelly steps into what has been a loaded year for rap with a diverse long player that's complimentary of his array of skills and moods.

XXL has picked out 20 of the best lyrics from Machine Gun Kelly's latest effort, bloom, that best represent the thoughts, feelings and emotions.

  • "The Gunner"

    Machine Gun Kelly

    "Ayy, my walk is so cocky the bouncers don't even stop me/Ain't no pat down, no ID, they know me, that shit obvi/Bitch I pack out the lobby just from fans tryna find me/I got daughters and mothers tryna fuck with the gunner/Two tone suit like the Joker, my Harley Quinn wears a choker/Let them suicide doors up, so much smoke, can't photo us"

  • "The Gunner"

    Machine Gun Kelly

    "I'm out West like the gold rush, 1942 poured up/I ain't spent one night sober since I turned 20 years old/But I'm on my Jeezy in 2005 'Trap or Die' shit/The everyday 100, this ain't no facade shit/This that "Look me in my eyes and don't you fuckin' lie" shit/Still don't need no opinions/Bitch, most these artists my minions"

  • "Wake + Bake"

    Machine Gun Kelly

    "Got the homies on the couch, rolling up an ounce right before I bounce/Checking my accounts, ain't no fuckin' doubt, I spent the whole amount cause (Get high)/Shorty pissed I pulled off in the whip and drive/'Sposed to hit the job, but (I get high)/Told my boss I quit ’cause I'm a boss and shit/Fuck this 9 to 5, biotch"

  • "Go for Broke"

    Machine Gun Kelly Featuring James Arthur

    "Look, I started with a dollar and a dream, right/So I could show these people how to dream, right/I could show 'em how to aim for the stars/And take it to the arenas from the streetlights/Damn, oh this is what the top feels like?/I still remember Ramen noodle meal nights" - Machine Gun Kelly

  • "Go For Broke"

    Machine Gun Kelly Featuring James Arthur

    "You could get high or you could get low/You could stay young or you could grow old/Let it go (Oooh)/’Cause I'ma, I'ma go for broke/You could go hard or you could go home/You could live life or you could just fold/Let it go (Oooh)/’Cause I'ma, I'ma go for broke" - James Arthur

  • "At My Best"

    Machine Gun Kelly Featuring Hailee Steinfeld

    "I wrote this song as a message for help/On behalf of anybody findin' their self/I wrote this letter to numb your pain/’Cause every day I wake up, I'm feelin' the same/I got issues just like you got issues/I been hurt, I seen the scar tissue/If I show you, would you run away?/Do I gotta hide ’em for you to wanna stay?" - Machine Gun Kelly

  • "At My Best"

    Machine Gun Kelly Featuring Hailee Steinfeld

    "Life is about makin' mistakes/It's also about tryna be great/Do not let failure scare you away/I know you fed up, you fall, get up/It's all in us, I can speak about it ’cause I did it (true)/Ladies and gentlemen, here's the exhibit/It's my life, look a little closer, you could see the highlight'" - Machine Gun Kelly

  • "Kiss the Sky"

    Machine Gun Kelly

    "Inspiration back from the beginning/Life's a movie, I can't make revisions/Ate an eighth of shrooms and started trippin'/Had some visions that were nonexistent/I think I just left the solar system/Doesn't matter, I still kept the rhythm/Diamonds still gon' light up like a prism/That's from years of grindin' independent"

  • "Kiss the Sky"

    Machine Gun Kelly

    "Pass all the irrational decisions/Patch up all the passion that was missin'/I think that's enough, I'm feelin' lovesick/Rollin' loud, I'm on some turnin' up shit/Paid a couple hundred for a high that I couldn't get on my own, own/And I've been lookin' for a long time, but I never found home"

  • "Golden God"

    Machine Gun Kelly

    "Made man like Joe Pesci, I need Deniro or I'll Rob her/I had to skate Wayne Gretzky, called an Uber helicopter/Bought a pound from a rasta, bought the yayo from Miguel, though/Award shelf need an Oscar, they need my merchandise on Melrose"

  • "Golden God"

    Machine Gun Kelly

    "David Bowie of my generation/Kill them all we violent with no hesitation/Came from public education/Ramen noodles with the bacon/I was working at Chipotle, I was finna have a baby/Went from stealing out of Walmart to president of operations"

  • "Golden God"

    Machine Gun Kelly

    "I can't stop myself from coughing, $4,000 bong rip/Custom made for the new house, can't believe I never had shit/2012 was a good year, 2017 too lit/20/20 vision, see the future, looks like the crown do fit/I am king of this new shit, seven rings and a pool stick/8 ball, let sway roll, rockstars don't say no"

  • "Trap Paris"

    Machine Gun Kelly Featuring Ty Dolla $ign and Quavo

    "I'm Mr. Miyagi with wax in the sake/And I'm running the streets in the city like Rocky/Who da champ? Who da champ?/Diamond fangs like a vamp, where's the package with the stamp?/Bust it open by the Lamb, roll it up ’til I cramp" - Machine Gun Kelly

  • "Trap Paris"

    Machine Gun Kelly Featuring Ty Dolla $ign and Quavo

    "Pop one off with a kick though, pop one off this endo/Old money like a Nintendo/Bring it back home, this the reload/Crips mights call it a kilo, Bloods might call it a bilo/Put my wrist in a freezer, heat it up, turn it up to beast mode" - Quavo

  • "Moonwalkers"

    Machine Gun Kelly Featuring DUBXX

    "Up in the sky, Jesus, Gave me high fives, Peter/Pan full of yams, trees lit like Christmas Eve/I'm so facetious, so indecent/Fuck the world and leave it speechless/Rock that jacket with the cheetah/Look like Elvis with these sequins, I'm sayin'" - Machinge Gun Kelly

  • "Moonwalkers"

    Machine Gun Kelly Featuring DUBXX

    "Roll up, my nigga, what's the hold up, my nigga?/Smoke until my eyes red as Coca-Cola, my nigga/Where I'm from you get popped, that ain't soda, my nigga/Got a bag full of green like some groceries, nigga" - DUBXX

  • "Moonwalkers"

    Machine Gun Kelly

    "Fast life, hash pipes, lit up like flashlights/Fast cash, back scratch, still off on last night/Super stoned, where is home? I missed the last flight/Aww man, hella saucy, I got the last bite/What you call it when you feel like you're on the moon talkin'?/Michael Jackson with my actions, I call this moonwalkin'" - Machine Gun Kelly

  • "Rehab"

    Machine Gun Kelly

    "Even if you couldn't sleep because you couldn't feel me underneath the covers when your eyes closed/I'm gettin' faded 'cause our love is faded/If I'm a monster then it's ’cause you made him/Beauty and the beast, now that's an ultimatum/Go with what you love, or follow what is gonna save you"

  • "Let You Go"

    Machine Gun Kelly

    "Ayy, I still remember what you wore on the first night/Still remember how that black dress had your curves right/Still remember smokin' just to calm my nerves/’Til you had to leave and grabbed your purse, I grabbed first/Uh, it's no words, yeah, it's just her/Body against mine, makeup on my shirt"

  • "27"

    Machine Gun Kelly

    "Real feelings from past dealings/When people counted me out ’til I grew up to count millions, uh/Like I guess it's good to be different, huh?/I'm a star so the sky isn't the limit, huh/I'm living like it's my last day/Smoke as if there's not already 27 roaches in the ashtray/Smile as if no one hated at all/As if anyone understood anytime I evolved"

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