Jelly Roll and Machine Gun Kelly’s John Denver-Inspired Collaboration Is 2 Years in the Making: “We Finally Got It Right”

“Kelly Roll” has entered the building. Jelly Roll and Machine Gun Kelly share more than a common hip-hop background. Both artists have also displayed a willingness to step out of their musical comfort zones. After nearly two decades on the hip-hop scene, Jelly Roll pivoted to country music and found tremendous success. Meanwhile, MGK was seemingly at the peak of his rap game when he dropped the pop-punk project Tickets to My Downfall in 2020. It’s no surprise the two have struck up a friendship. And it’s surely not a shock to see them collaborate. After months of dropping hints, the pair will release their first-ever song together.

Jelly Roll, MGK To Drop John Denver-Inspired Single

Over the last few months, Machine Gun Kelly has hinted heavily at a potential pivot to country. Last month, the “bloody valentine” singer got social media buzzing with an acoustic cover of Zach Bryan’s “Sun to Me.” Kelly also took on The Chicks’ “There’s Your Trouble” during his Spotify House set at CMA Fest 2024. And if you’re planning a leap into country, who better to have by your side than Jelly Roll?

Machine Gun Kelly took to social media Tuesday (July 23) to tease his upcoming single. “Lonely Road,” featuring Jelly Roll, will drop this Friday (July 26.) The John Denver-inspired track is the product of “2 years, 8 different studios, 4 different countries” and four key changes.

“and this Friday you’ll hear we finally got it right,” wrote Machine Gun Kelly in the caption.

MGK also previewed the song’s music video in a July 18 post. “countdown to KellyRoll activated,” wrote the genre-bending hitmaker. “thanks to John Denver for paving the way.”

This is clearly huge news for fans of both artists. And with their collective crossover appeal, it’s not a stretch to imagine this collab skyrocketing to the top of the charts. “This is gunna break the internet,” one Instagram user wrote.

[RELATED: Watch Jelly Roll Belt out His Heart and Soul to a Bob Seger Classic With the Help of MGK]

Rivals to Friends

Jelly Roll and Machine Gun Kelly may seem like a match made in genre-bending heaven. But there was a time when the two were enemies, surprisngly.

“We were both just trying to sell 200 tickets to a bar on the Short North in Columbus, Ohio,” Jelly Roll told Taste of Country. “Hip-hop was competitive back then, so of course, we’d beef like two white rappers… ‘There’s only enough room for one white rapper at the time…’ But we’ve turned out to be really, really great friends.”

Featured image via X/Twitter