S. Samuel
Bad Boy Records rapper Machine Gun Kelly recently talked about his reluctance to record "Invincible" and how he nearly lost his career by giving Interscope Records head Jimmy Iovine the cold shoulder.
According to MGK, the way “Invincible” came into fruition was far different than how he crafts most records.
“First off, I hated the song when I first did it, because it was brought to me by corporate America,” Kelly said in an interview “They didn’t even come to me with the song. It was like a contest between the Interscope rappers like Yelawolf, Kendrick Lamar and myself — it took weeks to get me to do the song, then three days later, it was on the Verizon commercial. … I was like, ‘Oh my God. This is crazy. This is nuts. This is cool.’ [But] I told my management, ‘Don’t you dare let them make this into a song.’ A month passes by, all of a sudden, I open up an email. They’re like, ‘Yeah. Jimmy [Iovine] wants you to records a second verse to this.’ And it had the hook on it.’ I don’t operate like that. I hate cookie cutter songs. … You weren’t there making the song with each other in the studio. It was presented to you. I write all my hooks. When I got this hook, I was offended. ‘You guys think I’m a cookie cutter artist?’ I don’t work like that.” (WiLD 94.1)
Kelly went on to explain how he was practically forced to re-do the track after a face-to-face encounter with the song’s producer Alex da Kid.
“He’s like, ‘I hated your second verse. You have to rerecord your second verse and I want you to take out half the first verse and do half the first verse, too.’ I was like, ‘How ’bout you go and screw yourself?’ I basically middle fingered them, the label, and my management, and walked out the studio and had the best sleep of my life. [I was told,] ‘If you don’t do this move for the biggest boss [Jimmy Iovine] in music, your career might be over.’ … That’s one of the best verses I’ve ever heard in my entire life. There’s so much pain and triumph behind that song, because we did all that, and came out on top.” (WiLD 94.1)
Despite his initial reluctance, MGK eventually took part in the single’s new music video.
Machine Gun Kelly may be known for his wild ways, but he shows another side in the dramatic video for “Invincible,” the lead single off his debut album Lace Up, due later this summer. The Bad Boy rapper portrays the struggle and triumph of everyday people in the Isaac Rentz-directed clip, which depicts an unexpected pregnancy and neighborhood brawl. In his scenes, MGK rushes to a hospital to check on his daughter, who happens to reunite him with his ex-girlfriend. Singer-songwriter Ester Dean roams the hospital hallways, providing the powerful hook. (Rap-Up)
Last summer, MGK talked to SOHH about inking a record deal with Bad Boy.
“I think the state of mind right now is I don’t really feel anything until I put music out,” MGK told SOHH. “Once I see my first bullet point, God-willing, on the Billboard charts, then I’m going to freak out. But until then, it’s the new generation of Bad Boy.” (SOHH)
Check out the “Invincible” music video below:
