Machine Gun Kelly and Jelly Roll released their collaborative single “Lonely Road” back in July. The song became wildly popular among fans, raking in tens of millions of streams. Today (October 1), it sits at more than 46 million on Spotify alone. Last night, they teamed up with Travis Barker to bring the song to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
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Interestingly, Fallon introduces the song saying that it will be on Jelly’s forthcoming album Beautifully Broken. However, on streaming platforms, the song is an MGK song with the title “Lonely Road (with Jelly Roll).” So it could be that it will appear on Beautifully Broken as well as Machine Gun Kelly’s next project. It makes sense that both artists would want to release the song on their respective albums. After all, they’ve been working on it for quite some time. “We Worked on ‘Lonely Road’ for two years, eight different studios, four different countries, changed the key four times,” MGK wrote on social media.
The stage production for their Tonight Show performance matches the downtrodden feel of the song. MGK, Jelly Roll, and their backup singers stand around what looks like a trash fire by which unhoused people have warmed their hands in countless movies over the years.
The performance is also a collision of genres. Both Jelly Roll and Machine Gun Kelly started their careers as rappers. Over time, they drifted away from their original genre while flirting with other styles. Now, they’re both blending everything they’ve picked up over the years with country music. The addition of co-producer and Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker behind the kit for the performance adds another thread in the multi-genre tapestry that is “Lonely Road”
Jelly Roll and Machine Gun Kelly Hated One Another
Today, Jelly Roll and Machine Gun Kelly are musical collaborators and friends. However, more than a decade ago, they were rivals, hurling insults at one another in songs and on the internet. After years had passed, Jelly picked up the phone, called MGK, and apologized.
[RELATED: Jelly Roll and MGK Discuss Their Past Beef and How They Came to Be Friends]
“You answered on the second ring and it was the coolest conversation I’ve ever had. It was so easy and just peaceful,” he told MGK during an interview for the new Spotify original podcast Countdown To.
“It is so funny how much I love you now because, God, I hated you so much back then,” MGK told him, causing both artists to laugh.
Featured Image by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images for Spotify
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