Rap Devil by Machine Gun Kelly Lyrics Meaning – Decoding the Diss Track’s Multilayered Messages
Lyrics
Ay, somebody grab him some clippers
His fuckin’ beard is weird
Tough talk from a rapper payin’ millions for security a year
“I think my dad’s gone crazy,” yeah, Hailie, you right
Dad’s always mad cooped up in the studio, yellin’ at the mic
You’re sober and bored, huh? (I know)
About to be forty-six years old, dog
Talkin’ ’bout “I’ma call up Trick Trick”
Man, you sound like a bitch, bitch
Man up and handle your shit (ugh)
Mad about somethin’ I said in 2012
Took you six years and a surprise album just to come with a diss
Homie we get it, we know that you’re the greatest rapper alive
Fuckin’ dweeb, all you do is read the dictionary and stay inside
Fuck Rap God, I’m the Rap Devil
Comin’ bare-faced with a black shovel
Like the Armageddon when the smoke settle
His body next to this instrumental, I’m sayin’
I’m sick of them sweatsuits and them corny hats, let’s talk about it
I’m sick of you bein’ rich and you still mad, let’s talk about it
Both of us single dads from the Midwest, we can talk about it
Or we could get gully, I’ll size up your body
And put some white chalk around it
Let’s talk about the fact you actually blackballed a rapper
That’s twice as young as you (let’s talk about it)
Let’s call Sway, ask why I can’t go on Shade 45 because of you (brrt)
Let’s ask Interscope
How you had Paul Rosenberg tryin’ to shelf me (huh?)
Still can’t cover up the fact
Your last four albums is as bad as your selfie
Now tell me, what do you stand for? (what?)
I know you can’t stand yourself (no)
Tryin’ to be the old you so bad you Stan yourself (ha)
Let’s leave all the beefin’ to 50 (please)
Em, you’re pushin’ fifty
Why you claimin’ I’ma call Puff?
When you the one that called Diddy (facts)
Then you went and called Jimmy (facts)
They conference called me in the morning (what?)
They told me you mad about a tweet
You wanted me to say sorry (what?)
I swear to God I ain’t believe ’em (nah)
Please say it ain’t so (no)
The big bad bully of the rap game can’t take a fuckin’ joke
Oh you want some fuckin’ smoke (what?)
But not literally, you’ll choke
Yeah I’ll acknowledge you’re the GOAT
But I’m The Gunner, bitch, I got you in the scope (brra)
Don’t have a heart attack now (no)
Somebody help your mans up (help)
Knees weak of old age, the real Slim Shady can’t stand up
I’m sick of them sweatsuits and them corny hats, let’s talk about it
I’m sick of you bein’ rich and you still mad, let’s talk about it
Both of us single dads from the Midwest, we can talk about it
Or we could get gully, I’ll size up your body
And put some white chalk around it
Hello Marshall, my name’s Colson
You should go back to Recovery
I know your ego is hurtin’
Just knowin’ that all of your fans discovered me (hi)
He like, “Damn, he a younger me
Except he dresses better and I’m ugly
Always making fun of me”
Stop all the thuggery, Marshall, you livin’ in luxury (damn)
Look what you done to me
Dropped an album just because of me
Damn, you in love with me!
You got money but I’m hungry
I like the diss but you won’t say them lyrics out in front of me
Shout out to every rapper that’s up under me
Know that I’ll never do you like this fuckery
Still bitter after everyone loves you
Pull that wedgie out your Dungarees (hey)
I gotta respect the OGs and I know most of ’em personally (ayy)
But you’re just a bully actin’ like a baby
So I gotta read you a nursery (nursery)
I’m the ghost of the future
And you’re just Ebenezer Scrooge (facts)
I said on Flex anyone could get it
I ain’t know it would be you
I’m sick of them sweatsuits and them corny hats, let’s talk about it
I’m sick of you bein’ rich and you still mad, let’s talk about it
Both of us single dads from the Midwest, we can talk about it
Or we could get gully, I’ll size up your body
And put some white chalk around it
Ridin’ shotty ’cause I gotta roll this dope
It’s a fast road when your idols become your rivals, yeah
Never hesitate to say it to your face, I’m a asshole
Bitch-ass motherfucker
We know you get nervous, Rabbit
I see Momma’s spaghetti all over your sweater
I wish you would lose yourself on the records
That you made a decade ago, they were better
Accordin’ to them, you’re a national treasure
To me, you’re as soft as a feather
The type to be scared to ask Rihanna for her number
Just hold her umbrella-ella-ella
“I’m not afraid,” okay, Oscar the Grouch, chill on the couch (fuck)
You got an Oscar, damn
Can anyone else get some food in they mouth? (for real)
They made a movie about you, you’re in everybody’s top ten
You’re not getting better with time
It’s fine, Eminem, put down the pen
Or write an apology
Over the simple fact you had to diss to acknowledge me
I am the prodigy
How could I even look up to you? You ain’t as tall as me
5’8″ and I’m 6’4″, seven punches hold your head still
Last time you saw 8 Mile was at home on a treadmill
You were named after a candy
I was named after a gangster (brr)
And don’t be a sucker and take my verse
Off of Yelawolf’s album, thank you (thank you)
I just wanna feed my daughter
You tryna stop the money to support her
You the one always talkin’ ’bout the action
Text me the addy, I’m pullin’ up scrappin’
And I’m by my fuckin’ self, what’s happenin’?
EST captain, salute me or shoot me
That’s what he’s gonna have to do to me
When he realizes there ain’t shit he could do to me
Everybody always hated me, this isn’t anything new to me
Yeah, there’s a difference between us
I got all of my shit without Dre producin’ me (ayy)
I know you’re not used to me
Usually one of your disses should ruin me
But bitch I’m from Cleveland
Everybody quiet this evenin’, I’m readin’ the eulogy (shh)
Dropped an album called Kamikaze
So that means he killed him
Already fucked one rapper’s girl this week
Don’t make me call Kim
I’m sick of them sweatsuits and them corny hats, let’s talk about it
I’m sick of you bein’ rich and you still mad, let’s talk about it
Both of us single dads from the Midwest, we can talk about it
Or we could get gully, I’ll size up your body
And put some white chalk around it
In the pantheon of hip-hop feuds, few have captured the zeitgeist quite like Machine Gun Kelly’s blistering takedown of Eminem in ‘Rap Devil.’ More than a mere response to a few lines of shade, this track is a full-throttle assault, a David-meets-Goliath moment where rap’s anarchic spirit stares down its own Mount Olympus.
Fiercely audacious, MGK’s track doesn’t just talk tough; it dissects the facade of a rap titan with surgical precision. What might initially seem like just another diss track unfolds into a complex narrative, rich with context, mirroring the power dynamics in the music industry and indeed the ever-evolving nature of fame itself.
Unearthing the Beast: When Idols Become Rivals
Machine Gun Kelly doesn’t just open old wounds in ‘Rap Devil’—he crafts an entirely new narrative that forces us to examine the relationship between mentor and protégé. Anchored in the cruel irony of a fan-turned-foe dynamic, MGK frames himself as an ascendant David taking up arms against a once-untouchable Goliath. The song resonates with anyone who’s ever found their heroes unworthy of the pedestal on which they were placed.
The crux of Kelly’s argument isn’t just about pointing out Eminem’s perceived hypocrisies, but also about the shifting sands of cultural relevance. Em once symbolized the anti-establishment; now, as MGK suggests, he’s morphed into the kind of industry gatekeeper he once railed against.
Peeling Back the Curtain: Deconstructing Eminem’s Persona
‘Rap Devil’ feels as though Kelly has unlocked a forbidden tome, exposing Eminem’s humanity for all to see. He pokes at Eminem’s age, his image, and his isolation, stripping away the Slim Shady bravado to reveal the man Marshall Mathers has become. It’s an intimate demolition job, one that underlines how the armor of fame can become a prison, even as it protects.
Beneath the explosive bars lies a keen analysis of Eminem’s figurative ‘fall from grace.’ With unforgiving clarity, MGK suggests that Eminem’s lately less acclaimed work is the result of the rapper losing touch with what once made him revolutionary.
The Hidden Meaning Behind the Title ‘Rap Devil’
Echoing Eminem’s own ‘Rap God,’ the title ‘Rap Devil’ is brimming with connotations. It’s a deliberate inversion, a role Kelly gleefully assumes to counterbalance Eminem’s claim to divinity in the genre. As the self-proclaimed Rap Devil, MGK is both hell-raiser and truth-teller, an insurgent rocking the boat to snap his idol back to reality—or at least to provoke a worthy exchange.
The satanic imagery portrays Kelly not as the antithesis of Eminem’s greatness but as its shadow side—a reflection of ambitions gone awry and a commentary on the rap industry’s lust for drama over substance.
Memorable Lines with Hard-hitting Implications
One devilishly clever line, ‘I’m sick of them sweatsuits and them corny hats, let’s talk about it,’ delves deeper than a jab at fashion choices. It’s a swipe at the comfort zone Eminem seems to have settled into, a metaphor for the stagnation Kelly perceives in his former icon’s career—a challenge to step outside and reignite the fiery spirit that once defined Eminem’s work.
Meanwhile, ‘The big bad bully of the rap game can’t take a fuckin’ joke’ is perhaps the track’s most incisive commentary, presenting Eminem as a symbol of rap’s toxicity—a far cry from his original stance against censorship and sensitivity.
Clash of Titans or Generational Smackdown?
‘Rap Devil’ is more than just another page in the beef chronicles; it’s a generational confrontation. It’s about what happens when the guard changes, when the new challenges the old. Eminem’s very persona was established on generational conflict, yet here, he’s the establishment being railed against. Kelly utilizes this role reversal to suggest that the Eminem he once idolized has fallen into the same trap of complacency and underestimation that Eminem once accused others of.
And so, ‘Rap Devil’ becomes a mirror and a prophecy: a bold statement from a younger artist promising to push the genre forward while simultaneously declaring that he won’t fall victim to the same pitfalls as those who came before him. It’s a vow to evolve rather than recycle, to be self-made rather than shaped by the industry’s heavy hands.
