Back in 2024, mgk recorded ‘El Pistolero’ as a gift to fans to celebrate the fifth anniversary of his beloved Hotel Diablo album and made a fairly bold, but very true, statement: “I could do rap, or country, or punk, or say ‘f*ck it’ and do nü-metal.” He’s taking on that last one with ‘FIX UR FACE,’ an in-ur-face, arena-ready (and arena-tested) track featuring Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit, who he toured with in 2014. They come right out the gate with energetic vocals and fierce lyrics, with Kells’ verses including some clever plays on words and maybe even a sneak diss or two. There’s a satisfying sense of defiance, but we feel that there’s just as much a sense of gratitude and unity.
mgk has been vocal throughout his career about the fact that the main people that matter to him outside of his personal circles are his fans, collectively known as EST (Everyone Stands Together). So while reaching new listeners would be nice, it makes perfect sense that he uses the first single of his long-wished-for upcoming rap album to showcase his loyalty to the fans who have been around for a while. “I heard that they don’t like me. That’s fine, ‘cause we don’t like y’all and we not like y’all,” he declares, setting the stage for an unapologetic new era.
Speaking of eras, several lyrics from ‘FIX UR FACE’ seem to pay homage to some of his past work! Did you catch the possible references below?
- “Eight lives, I used all those, I’m on nine” – “Lived nine lives so I guess I got none left” from ‘9 lives’ (2022)
- “Leaving private schools, tryna be outlaws” – ‘outlaw overture’ (2025)
- “The oldheads always tryna kill the vibe, but rock’s not dead as long as I’m alive” – “Keep the vibe alive forever” from ‘27’ (2017)
- “A hundred gabapentin couldn’t calm me down, boy” – “You a ‘shh, keep it down’ boy,’ and I’m a ‘f*ck you, blow that loud’ boy” from ‘Wild Boy’ (2011)
- “Even with some Altoids, I’mma still talk sh*t” – “Open my mouth, I’m talking sh*t” from ‘PRESSURE’ (2023)
- “P*ss y’all off ‘cause I got nothing to lose” – “What would this generation of hip-hop be without me here to p*ss y’all off?” from ‘FLOOR 13’ (2019)
mgk also purposely references one of the foundational periods of his career, specifically 2020: “Should’ve kept me in the house like it’s 2020, ‘cause I’m back outside and got nothing to do except p*ss y’all off.” He brightened our days so much when we were stuck in our houses because of lockdowns, namely with his Lockdown Sessions series (which took off on the internet after EST passionately supported it) and the kickoff of the Tickets To My Downfall era. So even if skeptics did keep him in a metaphorical house or box, he would still find a way to kick it in and make a colossal impact, with fans right by his side.
Finally, the ‘FIX UR FACE’ music video brings the main messages of the song and Kells’ appreciation for EST to life by literally placing some of his most dedicated fans right by his side! He’d post on his story around select stops of the lost americana Tour and ask local fans to meet up at a certain location to film a secret project. Mixing shots with fans between shots with his touring band and dancers shows just how much he values every part of the community around his music. The lost americana Tour also saw the first-ever live performances of ‘FIX UR FACE’ in Australia and New Zealand, and Colson even teased the “rock’s not dead as long as I’m alive” line while saying goodbye to the audience at the end of certain shows.
We wrote in our lost americana album review that we believed finding americana was about “returning to a time of unity, togetherness, and hope,” and anyone who experienced that era or its tour would probably agree that he brought that feeling to life. That experience and the revival of such feelings is what made the way for ‘FX UR FACE’ being a celebration of Kells and EST’s connection!
What’s your favorite lyric from ‘FIX UR FACE?’ Do you have any predictions for mgk’s new album and era? Let us know in the comments below or hit us up on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! You can also buzz on over to our Reddit community to chat with us.
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