Machine Gun Kelly to kick off Animal House beach club party

The first time Machine Gun Kelly performed in Las Vegas, he was thrown out of the venue.

“I threw my drummer and his drum kit into the pool during our last song. We had a dirt bike in the hotel room. Stayed up for four days straight,” the rapper said. “Long story.”

He would return with a vengeance and continue to slay the stages of Las Vegas Boulevard.

On Sunday, he’ll kick off the Animal House beach club party at Drai’s — warning: there’s a pool.

“I take pride in putting on unforgettable performances, and take even more pride in converting nonbelievers into fans,” he said, alerting everyone to come ready to “lose their (expletive) minds.”

It’s not the first time “MGK” has stood on that stage, but it’ll be the first time he performs there.

“I’ve already been on that stage multiple times (with 50 Cent, Trey Songz, the Weeknd, et cetera),” he said.

His hip-hop throne was earned by standing out.

“Offering a different perspective on how to treat performances, fans and where you come from” are some of the ways MGK says he got his big break.

The Cleveland rapper got his start when he was just a teenager, and the industry has changed “immensely” since then.

“I made my mark in the streets as an artist right before the social media boom came, and I’m forever grateful of that because ‘making it’ that way, is the true test. ‘Making it’ from some random video clip going viral isn’t as admirable.”

What is admirable to Machine Gun Kelly? The “next level” creativity of late artists Prince, David Bowie and Glenn Frey, who have all had an impact on his career, he says.

“I’ve recently taken a lot of time to appreciate the music genius of some greats who’ve just passed,” he said.

He’s taken a lot of time to do whatever he wants, too.

The best thing about being him, he says, “you can do whatever the (expletive) you want.”

And, he’s not breaking any rules, because, well, there are none.

“Someone came up with rules out of thin air a long time ago and somehow made us obey them,” he said of a freeing realization.

If things go well, Sunday’s performance at Drai’s won’t be Machine Gun Kelly’s last, and there is the potential for more dates to be added.

Since he says most of his Vegas experiences over the years were like his first, it’s likely the rapper won’t mind.

“What’s not to love about it,” he said of performing in Sin City.

Contact Kimberly De La Cruz at kdelacruz@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5244. Find her on Twitter: @KimberlyinLV.