Machine Gun Kelly

Renowned for his rapid-fire delivery, rapper Machine Gun Kelly scored several US Top 10 albums before carving out a second career as an actor with roles in "Bird Box" (2018) and "The Dirt" (2019).

Born Richard Colson Baker in Houston, TX in 1990, Machine Gun Kelly spent his early childhood traveling across the world with his missionary parents. After settling in Denver with his father and aunt, he became hooked on the hip-hop of Eminem, Ludacris and DMX and began to catch attention with his own quickfire lyrical flow, becoming the first MC to emerge victorious at Amateur Night at Harlem's Apollo Theater in 2009.

After releasing several mixtapes, Kelly performed at the 2011 SXSW where he was offered a deal with Bad Boy Records by Sean Combs. A year later he issued his first EP, Half Naked & Almost Famous, through the label, scored his first US Hot 100 hit with "Wild Boy" and reached No.4 on the Billboard 200 with his debut album, Lace Up.

After dropping his 2013 mixtape Black Flag, Kelly made his first foray into the acting world playing a conceited rapper in musical drama "Beyond the Lights" (2014), made a memorable appearance on "WWE Raw" (USA Network, 1993-) and once again peaked at No. 4 in the US with his 2015 sophomore effort General Admission.

Kelly achieved his first US Top 10 single in 2016 with "Bad Things," a collaboration with ex-Fifth Harmony vocalist Camila Cabello, but spent much of the year focusing on his acting career. He played punk rocker Crash in sequel "Punk's Dead" (2016), Emma Roberts' main opponent Ty in millennial thriller "Nerve" (2016) and ill-fated boyfriend CJ in sci-fi horror "Viral" (2016), took the recurring part of ex-Pearl Jam roadie Wes in Cameron Crowe dramedy "Roadies" (Showtime, 2016) and enjoyed a minor role in "The Land" (2016), the small town drama he also co-produced.

On his return to the hip-hop scene, Kelly scored a third US Top 10 album with 2017's Bloom, entered into a beef with Eminem thanks to diss track "Rap Devil" and issued the 2018 EP, Binge.

Kelly then added to his filmography with the role of foul-mouthed pill popper Felix in Netflix's post-apocalyptic hit "Bird Box" (2018), appearances in alien invasion thriller "Captive State" (2019) and coming-of-age "Big Time Adolescence" (2019) and the portrayal of hellraising drummer Tommy Lee in Motley Crue biopic "The Dirt" (2019).