Who was Machine Gun Kelly’s dad, James Colson Baker – who went on trial for murder at age 9? MGK’s father was a missionary who lived overseas and was ‘extremely religious and extremely strict’
- In a new interview with Jelly Roll’s wife Bunnie XO on her podcast, MGK tells how his dad watched his own father die from a self-inflicted gunshot wound – then had to stand trial for his alleged murder
- The Bloody Valentine singer spent the first few years of his life in Egypt, and spoke Arabic before he spoke English; he also lived in Germany, Kuwait, Denver and Ohio
Machine Gun Kelly has been candid about his life experiences in his songs and in interviews for years. Most recently, he’s been opening up about his father, and how his dark past influenced who the musician is today.
“The story that was always told to me was that their dad dropped the gun and his head essentially blew off. All happened in the room with my dad at nine years old. So him and my grandmother were tried for the murder. They were both acquitted,” the rapper, 34, said on the show.
Here’s what we know about Machine Gun Kelly – and his relationship with his late father, James Colson Baker, up until his death.
Where did Machine Gun Kelly grow up?
MGK was born in Houston, Texas, but lived in almost a dozen places throughout his childhood, including overseas. According to CapitalXtra, his parents were missionaries so they moved around a lot, living everywhere from Egypt and Germany to Chicago and Cleveland – where he began MCing and releasing mixtapes. Per Cleveland Magazine, due to his stint in Egypt, a young MGK spoke Arabic before he spoke English.
According to MGK’s interview with First Avenue, his father moved to Kuwait to work for the army while his son stayed behind and went to Denver’s Thomas Jefferson High School. At some point in ninth grade, MGK also lived in Kuwait, according to his post on X.
What did Machine Gun Kelly’s father do for work?
