Machine Gun Kelly has spent the last year beaming over his romance with Megan Fox, but has anyone noticed another change in his life? The rapper and actor has been sporting a full head of hair. It’s a major shift from the look he had earlier in his career. Since a receding hairline would have eventually left MGK bald, it appears he took measures to restore his blonde locks. Only one hitch: he’s never confirmed that he underwent a procedure. We’re looking into the MGK hair transplant rumors to see if there’s any truth to it. Check out the evidence and decide whether or not you agree with our verdict.
MGK’s First Song Debuted In 2010
MGK made his big debut in 2010 with the single “Alice in Wonderland.” The track earned him two distinctions: Best Midwest Artist at the 2010 Underground Music Awards and Best Music Video at the 2010 Ohio Hip-Hop Awards. Less than a year later, he was signed to Sean Combs’s Bad Boy Records and shot to national stardom. Check out the music video and take note of the then-20-year-old’s hairstyle at the time.
MGK Doesn’t Want To Be Referred To As “Machine Gun Kelly” Anymore
Around his 30th birthday, MGK decided he wanted to abandon his rap moniker. He told the New York Times in July 2020 that he recently started asking friends to call him by his birth name, Colson.
The decision was influenced by his role in the 2016 Showtime series Roadies. Creator and producer Cameron Crowe encouraged him to use Colson Baker rather than Machine Gun Kelly in the credits.
“People were like, ‘You have a name?’” MGK said. “And even I was like, ‘Yeah, weird, huh?’”
After years of living on the edge, he said it was time to grow up.
“When you’re young, you still have the energy to go through all that stuff,” he said, referring to his hard-partying ways. “Then when you’re grown, you get to a point where you’re like I’m over it. I want to learn how to make roast for my family. And I want to not worry about getting in a bar fight tonight.”
It sounds like MGK was looking to turn a new leaf and take his career to the next level. But a name change wasn’t the only step he took to reach that goal.
MGK’s Hair Looks Very Different Than When He First Started Rapping
Artists as young as MGK inevitably go through changes in their looks over the years. But one particular element of his appearance—his hair—has raised the suspicions of detail-oriented fans.
His hair was bleached and close-cropped when he first hit the scene in 2010. Shots from the “Alice in Wonderland” video show that his hairline was ever-so-slightly beginning to recede.
By 2012, more skin began to show. He switched up his style, growing his hair a little bit longer, but it only accentuated the hair loss on the sides and top of his head.
He was also no stranger to a mohawk between 2012 and 2015, making it difficult to tell if he was hiding a receding hairline.
In 2015, MGK stepped out with an entirely different look. His slick backed hair, often gathered in a man-bun, revealed new growth around the top of his forehead.
MGK has never really gone on record about the subject. At most, there were reports that he once admitted to having thin hair to his stylist, Morgan Pinney. In a 2016 interview with Fashionista, she revealed that the two were aiming to create a “rock star” feel reminiscent of David Bowie or Sid Vicious.
“Eventually we want people to look back on his style and his vibe and think the same thing about him,” said Pinney. “We just try to do things a little bit differently than someone who would just go on stage wearing a bomber and denim, because he is a rock star and we’re really trying to convey that in his looks.”
MGK’s only mention of his tresses was in a now-deleted Instagram post from November 2019. In it, he wrote, “Say goodbye to my hair. I don’t have any in this role. lol. f***.” The rapper was prepping for an acting gig that required him to be bald.
But by February 2020, “The Blonde Don” was rocking a full hairline again.
Did MGK Get A Hair Transplant?
According to the blog Hair Dryer Fair, MGK allegedly confessed that he feared going bald.
So when he stepped out with Fox at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards, it looked like he had done something to address the problem. His shaggy bleached mop appeared fuller than usual.
“Y’all I had no idea machine gun kelly had hair transplant surgery, the poor guy he was so young ? but he looks amazing now,” tweeted one fan.
“@machinegunkelly Not being funny, but who and where did you get your hair transplant surgery??” asked another. “I’m inspired for real. Whoever did it, did an amazing job. Looks great bro!”
A third Tweeter posted side-by-side photo evidence and wrote, “Machine Gun Kelly had a hair transplant and I cant stop thinking about it.”
But people may have taken notice a little later than expected. Multiple hairstyle sites estimate that he underwent a hair transplant between 2014-2015. They also point to photos of the back of MGK’s head that appear to show a scar across his skull.
Experts believe he opted for a procedure known as follicular unit transplantation or FUT. During the surgery, a surgeon removes a strip of skin from the scalp and grafts it onto the affected (or balding) area. The procedure takes between 4 to 8 hours and costs anywhere between $4,000 and $10,000.
Again, MGK has never bothered to go on the record about a surgical hair transplant, but it sure looks like he went under the knife. And why not? If it makes him feel and look better, more power to him. He wouldn’t be the first man to do it, either. Many believe he’s in the good company of stars including Matthew McConaughey, LeBron James, and Gordon Ramsay.