‘The City Loves Him’: Inside MGK’s Emotional Homecoming, As Cleveland Celebrates MGK Day and His ‘Lost Americana’ Album

“I think, truly, there were two destiny lines,” MGK tells Billboard outside of a hotel in downtown Cleveland. “And one of those destiny lines was that this ended a long time ago.”

The year did not start off promisingly for the multi-hyphenate star: MGK spent Christmas and New Year’s in solitude at a rehabilitation center, where he was only afforded 15-minute phone calls with his teenage daughter. Seven months later, however, he has rebuilt himself, after recording an album in his living room with his longtime friends. Today, he is far from over — he is celebrating a weekend in the city dedicated to him.

“For whatever reason, our wheels got on the right rail,” he continues, “and we kept riding this motherf—r to whatever destination we’re at now.”

With his newly released Lost Americana album — a free-spirited petri dish of alt-pop, heartland rock, punk and hip-hop — MGK has extended his artistry, with his first album made completely sober. In addition to celebrating its release last Friday (Aug. 8), MGK also kicked off his annual MGK Day weekend in Cleveland, giving back to the city that raised him. 

Backstage at XXCon, following an acoustic set from MGK, the Terminal Tower across from Jacobs Pavilion — a building where Kells once worked in an airbrush store with dreams of rap stardom — is lit up in Lost Americana red. He recalls performing at the same venue in front of 20 people, which he now sells out in minutes. 

“They actually got to see him grow and see him rapping outside airbrush stores,” says MGK’s right-hand producer SlimXX. “Back then, nobody knew us, so we couldn’t get in anywhere, so we’d play in the parking lot. That’s why, when we pull up out here, it’s a million people, because everyone feels like they’re a part of it. The city loves him. Everybody feels like a big family.”

MGK moves and a crowd of people follows — a popular theme for the weekend. He’s hosting a karaoke afterparty at his 27 Club Coffee shop, and in the chaos of fans performing MGK’s hits or belting Backstreet Boys anthems, Kells’ creative fuse is lit as he throws on a pair of wired headphones and attempts to finish a verse for an upcoming track, hiding in plain sight in the corner. 

The main takeaway from MGK Day weekend is MGK’s accessibility. There is nary a barrier separating him from fans at many of the events, as he walks among the people as their hometown superhero.

“I feel like one of the last artists [that’s] of the people,” he says. “Because I don’t do the mysterious lore, I don’t dissociate and not let them in.”

Beyond the countless selfie and hug requests, some interactions are much heavier. One fan vulnerably admits that MGK’s music prevented her from committing suicide. Kells also receives a Navy SEAL patch from a soldier, who credits his catalog with helping him get through deployment. 

He credits The Land with helping him stay grounded. “That’s just why I stay outside,” he explains. “I like it because s—t happens out here. I also know what it’s like to watch my favorite artists lose their edge. I will die before I [lose it]. I feel like it’s my job to be unscripted, controversial and walk around with one hand ready to shake someone’s hand, and the other hand with the middle finger.”

Day two of the weekend brings Street League Skateboarding’s SLS Championship tour to Cleveland, with skating legend Ryan Sheckler entering the party. Sheckler, who has been friends with MGK since they were 17, adds to his ink with a Lost Americana tattoo.

Sheckler and Kells have used the parallels in their turbulent journeys in the spotlight to lean on one another, making their bond stronger over the years. “It’s been rad watching both of our journeys from going too hard, figuring it out, calming down and being dads,” Sheckler explains. “It’s been fun watching him grow. He’s always supported me, I support him.”

Many of the people who grew up around MGK are still on his team to this day. Andre “Dre” Cisco, who hails from the same neighborhood as Kells, has served as MGK’s manager for the last eight years.

“People in Cleveland are special and have a light fighting through a lot of hardships, and I think Kells embodies that,” Dre says. “That’s why they connect with him so much and root for him, and it’s reciprocated by him because he roots for them. We love Cleveland, as a group, and it represents everything we stand for.”

Sunday (Aug. 10) is MGK Day, and it is a marathon. Kells surprises his 16-year-old daughter, Casie, with her dream car, a brand new Acura TLX. But before forking over the keys, he has one specific request: “Don’t drive like me.”

Embracing his Wild Hogs side, Kells hops on a Harley Davidson and leads 2,000 bikers from across Ohio on an epic motorcycle ride into Downtown Cleveland on the balmy Sunday afternoon.

The 35-year-old heads from his Harley to the hardwood, where he throws some shorts over his jeans to suit up for the Celebrity Shootout basketball game, which includes former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic, ex-Cleveland Brown star Joe Haden and professional streetballer “The Professor.” Then, Cleveland mayor Justin M. Bibb presents Kells with a 10-foot guitar featuring artwork of his face that will live in the halls of the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport forever. 

Less than two hours later, 30,000 fans gather on the Mall C lawn for Kells’ free performance. With co-signs from Bob Dylan and Mick Jagger in his back pocket, MGK delivers a riveting 25-track set that lasts well over an hour and spans his discography. He invites superfan “Machine Gun Emily” onstage to perform “Alpha Omega” — it goes better than 99 percent of the usual fan-rapping moments — and says he’ll be announcing a tour in September, along with releasing a pack of songs celebrating the 5-year anniversary of Tickets to My Downfall.

Along with a stripped-down version of 2020’s “My Bloody Valentine” Kells weaves in and out of Lost Americana cuts like “Vampire Diaries” and the Third Eye Blind-sampling “Starman.” “This will be the one where I feel like on the day of my funeral, my fans can press play on this and have a different understanding of why I was writing these words, and feel a different type of connection with it,” he says of the new album, in between cigarettes.

At one point in the show, Kells responds to a headline from a recent New York Times article claiming he “doesn’t want to be cool anymore.” “I think I’ve finally given grace to the press of just being like, maybe I’m just not one to be loved by the media,” he suggests. “As long as I’m loved by the people, which I witness in my everyday life over and over again.”

MGK believes the press will ultimately come around. “[There will] be people that champion this s—t in the media one day, but I’m okay with [being] me,” he says. “They keep making the name more relevant. They keep making the conversation louder.”

MGK Day is also a reunion for the rapper-turned-rocker, who reconnects with a pair of friends for the first time since they finished serving decade-long prison bids. “I was super fulfilled,” he says, “for them to get to see me in this light, because I’m not the same artist I was 10 years ago or 17 years ago. So for them to come out and be like, ‘Damn bro, the little homie just glowed up.’” 

It’s a poetic finish to the weekend’s headlining performance, with fireworks lighting up the Cleveland skyline following MGK’s single “Cliche.” Taking it all in, Kells is overcome with emotion, and appears to be on the verge of tears looking into the festival crowd. Time stands still, and for once, it appears that the chaos surrounding MGK has vanished.