Machine Gun Kelly says he got Bob Dylan to narrate his album trailer through “pure desperation”

MGK (formerly known as Machine Gun Kelly) has confirmed that Bob Dylan is the narrator of the trailer for his new album.

• READ MORE: Machine Gun Kelly on the cover: “I’ve been jumping up and down on the table, believing in myself, for-fucking-ever”

Earlier this month, the rapper shared a teaser video for his upcoming LP ‘Lost Americana’ – expected to be released on August 8.

In the video, a voice fans assumed to be Dylan is heard calling the upcoming album “a personal excavation of the American dream,” though MGK never confirmed if it really was the singer at the time.

Now, MGK has finally broken his silence on the matter, revealing it is, in fact, Dylan. When asked about how the mysterious cameo came about on Today, he responded, “A magician never reveals his secrets.” He then continued, saying: “Pure desperation. Just knocking on his door relentlessly, not going away.”

The rapper went on to say: “I have been blessed with… I don’t know, maybe it’s just one pioneer seeing something that I am doing that, in the long term, will be looked back [at] and be understood,” before quickly adding: “Not calling myself a pioneer, but him.”

The album trailer sees Dylan say: “It’s a sonic map of forgotten places, a tribute to the spirit of reinvention and a quest to reclaim the essence of American freedom,” over a video montage of MGK looking out into the mountains. “From the glow of neon diners to the rumble of the motorcycles, this is music that celebrates the beauty found in the in-between spaces. Where the past is reimagined, and the future is forged on your own terms.”

It’s not the first time the two have crossed paths. In February, Dylan left some fans confused after he shared footage of MGK performing live on Instagram. It came as a surprise, as, for the most part, the music icon’s social media page has only seen posts relating to his upcoming live shows and an assortment of clips from old movies.

In the footage, MGK is seen performing an acoustic set at the Park Ave CDs store in Orlando, Florida. There don’t seem to be any ties in the set to Dylan, and with no caption included, it never became quite clear why it was uploaded.

Then, last month, the two musicians finally met during the LA stop of Willie Nelson’s ‘Outlaw Music Festival Tour’, where MGK made an appearance onstage with Billie Strings, John Stamos, and Johnny Knoxville.

mgk spotted Hollywood Bowl!

Absolutely love the smiles, and I never thought about it but the maracas work so well with his energy

Would love to know if that was his idea or someone else’s pic.twitter.com/a5J7xTGGam

— xEtherealMGKx (@xEtherealMGKx) May 17, 2025

The following day, MGK seemed to reference the video that Dylan posted, writing on Twitter/X: “i met and had a conversation with someone last night that i never thought i’d get the honor to meet all because of a video of me rapping in a music store 10 years ago. i love music.”

In other related news, a Bob Dylan tribute group called Not Completely Unknown are set to play at Glastonbury 2025, and rumours are circulating that Timothée Chalamet could make a surprise appearance.

The Dylan tribute band will be taking to the stage on Saturday between 3pm and 4pm, and their set has been described on the Glasto page as “a celebration of the songs of Bob Dylan featuring: Paul Carrack, Sid Griffin, Katya, Ralph McTell, Liam O Maonlai”.

The band’s Sid Griffin has taken to his own website to share more details about the festival set too. “I really hope all you Glastonbury Festival goers pop by the Acoustic Stage at 3pm on Saturday June 28th to hear and witness this very special tribute to a great man,” he wrote.

As for MGK, he and Megan Fox have revealed the name of their baby daughter after confusion from fans.

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