After two decades in the game, you’d think MGK wouldn’t have much left to say. The first time the world heard of him, he was another white rapper who grew up on the streets and wanted to make a name for himself. Due to his talent, he was quickly pitted against Eminem, resulting in the diss tracks ‘Not Alike’ by Eminem and ‘Rap Devil’ and ‘Kill Shot’ by MGK after MGK commented on Eminem’s daughter, Hailee. Since then, he has explored other genres, pop punk with his 2020 album Tickets To My Downfall, and now mainstream pop with his new album Lost Americana.

This album showcases MGK’s songwriting and lyricism like nothing else, moving past the fun and bold into the emotional and freeing. The album opener ‘Outlaw Overture’ is a powerful one, carrying themes of self-destruction, authenticity and breaking free of conformity. Its first pre-chorus is particularly powerful ‘All the pages are blank ’til my life goes to shit / I know I do that on purpose just to write again’. On a podcast with the New York Times, he talks about having to ruin everything good in his life to write songs, referencing his previous relationship with Megan Fox, his stint in rehab of Christmas of 2024 and scrapping 2 years of work to purse a new genre change in his music.

‘Cliché ‘the lead single, was a surprise to fans. It’s a danceable pop tune, nothing like we expected from MGK. I mean, there is a choreographed dance, performed by MGK. I know I’m not the only one that was completely thrown off by this.

‘Goddamn’ is a country influenced track, much like ‘Lonely Roads’, his collaboration with Jelly Roll earlier this year. ‘Indigo’ is a moody, dream-soaked track that blends airy melodies with raw, almost stream-of-consciousness lyrics, capturing that hazy space between longing and detachment.

‘Treading Water’ is a raw, powerful and emotional track and my personal favourite. He talks about his relationship and his children, his stint in rehab after relapse, and his need to change. I broke this home, and just like my father, I’ll die all alone \ Everything is wrong in me, raised under wings of demons. These are just some of the lyrics from this track. The truth and emotion in his words are incredible, for him to talk about going to rehab and the end of his very public relationship and how he feels about it, is inspiring. I recommend this song if you’re going to listen to one song off the album, let it be this one.
MGK proves he can do it all, weaving multiple genres seamlessly throughout the album. From the hip-hop edge of ‘Tell Me What’s Up’ to the pop-rock punch of ‘Sweet Coraline ‘and the southern rock swagger of ‘Miss Sunshine’, he refuses to stay in one lane. While it may not reach the commercial heights of his most successful record, Tickets to My Downfall, Lost Americana feels like the dawn of a new era, an album made entirely on his own terms: freeing, powerful, and unapologetically different.

MGK: Lost Americana – 8 August 2025 (EST 19XX and Interscope)

?si=ddenLl9SXEwyOLZy”>https://youtu.be/m4DVbm9zeR0?si=ddenLl9SXEwyOLZy