Back in April, Machine Gun Kelly kicked off a new series dubbed “The Cypher,” which began with a dope freestyle alongside Cordae over Central Cee’s “Doja.” On Saturday (May 6), MGK returned with some additional bars over the Eminem-produced instrumental for “Renegade,” a standout from JAY-Z’s sixth studio LP, The Blueprint. As such, the Cleveland emcee used the iconic beat to send shots at his competition, including a relative newcomer from Louisville. “I see why they call you Jackman, you jacked man’s whole swag, give Drake his flow back, man, I eat rappers like Pac-Man,” he raps.

For the past few years, fans have watched MGK evolve from a hip hop artist into a full-blown rock star. His most recent body of work, 2022’s mainstream sellout, was a mix of pop and punk vibes with assists from Lil Wayne, WILLOW, iann dior, blackbear, Young Thug, and more. Prior to that, the equally experimental Tickets To My Downfall kept with the same guitar-driven themes. Both albums catapulted to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 following their respective debuts, with 2020’s Tickets earning MGK a platinum certification.

Shortly after mainstream sellout‘s arrival, MGK took to the podium after winning an award for Favorite Rock Artist during the 2022 American Music Awards (above). During his acceptance speech, he made it clear that he isn’t tied to just one genre.

“There have been some people in the rock community who called me a tourist, but they’re wrong, I’m a rocket man,” he stated. “We weren’t born on the moon, but we looked at it, and we were curious, and then we went there, supposedly, and these two rock albums were me going to the moon. But I’m not done exploring the universe yet, and I am all genres.”

Press play on Machine Gun Kelly‘s “Renegade” freestyle below.