As he prepares to release his upcoming album Lost Americana, musician Colson Baker, widely known by his stage name MGK, is addressing the ongoing public criticism that has followed his career for over a decade. In a new interview with People, published on August 6, the rapper-turned-rock artist opened up about why he no longer takes the hate personally, suggesting instead that much of it is driven by social conformity rather than genuine critique.

“The hate for me has become so pop culture that it’s almost like that’s automatically what you say to fit in,” MGK told People. “That sh-t doesn’t even mean anything to me. I’ve let it go completely to where I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s a joke.’” He continued, “I’ve realized they're conformists, you don’t even hate me for a reason that you can actually think of, because all I do is entertain, and entertainment can’t be that serious.”

MGK, who first rose to prominence in the early 2010s as a fast-rapping hip-hop artist before pivoting to pop-punk and alternative rock with 2020’s Tickets to My Downfall and 2022’s Mainstream Sellout, has long been a polarizing figure in popular music. He’s drawn both commercial success and intense criticism, often for the very same qualities: his genre fluidity, flamboyant style, and willingness to speak without filter.

In the People interview, MGK suggested that much of the backlash he receives, particularly from male audiences, is rooted in discomfort with non-traditional masculinity. “I think men let their insecurity rule their entirety,” he said. “To them, they’re like, ‘He’s supposed to be like this,’ because of some archaic version of what masculinity is.” He added: “We can be protectors and all these other things that we’re supposed to be, and also be expressive and vulnerable and emotional. We can dress how we want, look how we want.”

This latest chapter in MGK’s career marks yet another stylistic pivot. With Lost Americana, he appears to be moving toward a more roots-inspired sound. While details of the album are still emerging, its promotion has included one particularly unexpected endorsement: a spoken-word trailer narrated by none other than Bob Dylan.

The June teaser, voiced by Dylan, sparked speculation about its authenticity with many fans unsure whether it was truly the rock legend’s voice. MGK confirmed during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon earlier this week that the voiceover was indeed Dylan’s. “To be honest, I have no idea how he even knows who I am to this day,” he told Fallon. “Something’s going on in the stars where, like, good things keep happening … I don’t know how it keeps happening.”

MGK’s evolving discography from early mixtapes and rap records to chart-topping punk releases, is central to his artistic identity. And it's that refusal to stay confined to a single genre or image, he says, that has triggered disproportionate backlash from some audiences.

“I became so hated for what has become apparent to me, no reason,” he said. “Just because I artistically express myself, through fashion, music, whatever.” He concluded by emphasizing that he rejects any attempts to be boxed in by industry or societal expectations. “I choose to not stay contained into a societal box.”

Lost Americana is set for release this Friday.