Hotel Diablo/ Machine Gun Kelly - hip-hop

By Narendra Kusnur

Album: Hotel Diablo
Artiste: Machine Gun Kelly
Genre: Hip-hop
Label: Bad Boy/ Interscope
Rating: ***

The hip-hop world has been keenly awaiting the latest release of Corson Baker, better known as Machine Gun Kelly because of his superfast tapping. Over the past few years, the American has made more news because of his spat with star Eminem, specially on the song ‘Rap Devil’.

Kelly’s fourth album Hotel Diablo was released on July 5, and the talk has been on how he again got back at Eminem on the song ‘Floor 13’. Full of venom and vengeance, he sings, “I spent too many minutes watching little videos of shitty rappers dissing me, I spent many winters living after someone tried to hit a kill shot, missing me.”

In typical hip-hop fashion, Hotel Diablo is laced with expletives, with each of the 14 songs being marked explicit. Most of the songs are angry and resentful, subjects being professional animosity or love affairs gone wrong.

Kelly sings most of the rap portions in his trademark high-speed style. Here, he offers little new. However,  guest appearances by rhythm ‘n’ blues singers Naomi Wild (on ‘Glass House’ and ‘Death In My Pocket’), Madison Love (on ‘Waste Love’) and phem (on ‘5.3666’) slow down the tempo and lend variety.

One also finds a bit of Linkin Park-influenced rap-rock on ‘I Think I’m Okay’, featuring alternative rock musician Yungblud, and the much-publicised ‘Hollywood Whore’. The latter, which gets back at an old professional associate, has lines like, “It’s time to tell the truth to every fan who doesn't understand, that it’s because of you that they had to wait, while you left me here to deal with all the hate, I still smile but feel so fake.”

Hotel Diablo begins with the short tone-setter ‘Sex Drive’, and Kelly bursts into his rapping on ‘el Diablo’, characterised by the clear diction that’s typical of him. A perfect example of his vocal skills is the vitriolic  ‘Roulette’. While fans will identify with Kelly’s frustration and bluntness, there are some weak and predictable portions like ‘Burning Memories’, featuring American rapper Lil Skies, and ‘Candy’, with singer Trippie Reed. Short interludes like ‘A Message From The Count’ and ‘Truck Norris’ sound like forced fillers.

Overall, this may not be a landmark album, but it has quite a few moments to satisfy young hip-hoppers. After being inconsistent for a while, this is a comeback of sorts.