Machine Gun Kelly recently addressed the criticism he received for his controversial cover of System of a Down’s “Aerials” on The Howard Stern Show. He shared his perspective in a candid interview on the Garza Podcast.
The rapper explained the circumstances surrounding his widely criticized performance and his mindset at the time.
“I’ll never forget, people won’t let me live down when I went on Howard Stern, and sang ‘Aerials,'” Machine Gun Kelly said. “And it’s like, ‘Bro, this is at 6:00 in the morning.’ I’m off two Percocets and however many bottles of red wine and however many joints of weed. That’s just how I was feeling in that moment. I was just like, ‘F*ck everything.'”
He revealed that his emotional state was affected by discussing a serious topic that he felt was overlooked.
“I had just talked for two hours. I had just a rant about something that was close to my heart and it was for these native people in South America,” he continued. “And I just remember it kind of got blew over, and I was a little bit sad because it kind of made me be like, ‘Man, why can’t we focus on an issue that I just talked about that should hurt our hearts as humans?’ And I just remember that starts sinking my energy, because I’m also at that point, I’m on downers, dude. So I’m just sinking more.”
Machine Gun Kelly also described how the cover song choice was made spontaneously without preparation.
“And I just remember by the time it got to, like, ‘OK. Well, it’s time to perform.’ And then we were in the kitchen at like 3:00 in the morning before we went, we were in my friend’s Slim’s kitchen, and we were like, ‘Oh, they asked us to do a cover. I forgot about that. What should we do?’ We were like, ‘I don’t know.’ We just like went to a playlist and just clicked the song, it was ‘Aerials’, we were like, ‘Oh, I like this song. Just do that one.’ And, like, no rehearsal,” he explained.
Despite the backlash, the artist defended his approach to performing and expressed no regrets about his authenticity.
“But I don’t care because that’s the fun of music. I don’t need to be perfect for nobody,” he said. “Like, I’m going to go and be how I feel at that moment, because I have plenty of other moments where shit, I might be on and I might look like a f*ckin’ rock god. I have plenty of those moments where I’m like I’m standing there, and I’m like, ‘Oh, I just killed that.’ And then I have a bunch of moments where I’m like, ‘That sucked.’ You gotta swing. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
The controversial performance has become a defining moment in Machine Gun Kelly’s career. It highlights his transition between musical genres and his willingness to take creative risks.
The Howard Stern Show reported that the “Aerials” cover happened during MGK’s appearance while he was promoting his pop-punk album “Tickets to My Downfall.” This marked a significant shift in his musical direction from rap to rock. The performance became even more scrutinized by fans and critics alike.
During that same interview, Machine Gun Kelly also opened up about other personal topics, including his past feud with Eminem. HotNewHipHop noted that he told Stern he prefers to “put my arm around people” rather than stay angry. He added that he never wants to be “an angry legend.” This perspective reflects his evolving approach to both music and public conflicts.
The spontaneous nature of the cover choice has become part of the story’s folklore. Ultimate Guitar confirmed that MGK made the song selection around 3 a.m. in a friend’s kitchen with absolutely no rehearsal beforehand. This impromptu decision-making process explains much of the raw, unpolished quality that drew criticism from System of a Down fans.
The incident continues to follow Machine Gun Kelly years later. It serves as both a cautionary tale about live performance preparation and a testament to his commitment to authentic self-expression, regardless of public opinion. His recent comments suggest he remains unapologetic about the moment. He views it as part of his artistic journey rather than a career misstep.
