Lace Up

Lace Up is the debut studio album by American rapper Machine Gun Kelly. It was released on October 9, 2012, by Bad Boy Records and Interscope Records.^[1] Puff Daddy, who served as the executive producer on the album, enlisted the guest appearances from Cassie, DMX, Planet VI and Avenged Sevenfold;^[1] as well as the production that was provided by Alex da Kid, JP Did This 1 and J.R. Rotem, among others. The album was supported by four singles: "Wild Boy" featuring Waka Flocka Flame, "Invincible" featuring Ester Dean, and "Hold On (Shut Up)" featuring Young Jeezy, along with a promotional single, "Stereo" featuring Alex Fitts.

Lace Up
Standard cover art for the album, deluxe version features the same cover with a red background
Studio album by Machine Gun Kelly
Released	October 9, 2012 (2012-10-09)
Recorded	2010–12
Genre	Hip hop
Length	63:59
Label	Bad Boy Interscope
Producer	Diddy (exec.) MGK (also exec.) Harve Pierre (co-exec.) James McMillan (co-exec.) Alex da Kid Alex Kickdrum Aliby Anna Yvette Boi-1da Dame Grease Snaz Jazzfeezy Drumma Boy Frequency GB Hitz J.R. Rotem J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League JP Did This 1 JRB Rami Beatz Silent Mike Slim Gudz Southside Swirv Syk Sense Woodro Skillson
Machine Gun Kelly chronology
Half Naked & Almost Famous (2012) Lace Up (2012) Black Flag (2013)
Singles from Lace Up
"Wild Boy" Released: September 27, 2011 "Invincible" Released: April 24, 2012 "Hold On (Shut Up)" Released: August 6, 2012

Reviews for the record were generally positive, but critics felt that it was a disappointment, compared to his previous mixtapes. Lace Up debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 57,000 copies in the United States. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting sales of over 500,000 copies.

Singles

The album's lead single, "Wild Boy" was released on September 27, 2011. The song features guest vocals from fellow American rapper Waka Flocka Flame, with production being provided by GB Hitz and Southside. It was initially featured on his fourth mixtape, Rage Pack (2011), and on his debut EP, Half Naked & Almost Famous (2012). The song debuted at number 98 on the US Billboard Hot 100 on the week of January 28, 2012, and number 49 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It serves as his first song to be charted on both Billboard charts.^[2][3]

The album's second single, "Invincible" was released to digital retailers in the United States on April 24, 2012,^[4] and was solicited to rhythmic contemporary radio and contemporary hit radio on May 15 to July 31, 2012, respectively.^[5] The song features guest vocals from American singer-songwriter Ester Dean, and was produced by British producer Alex da Kid. MGK shot a music video for the single, which features an appearance from the singer Ester Dean, and uploaded the video on YouTube under his VEVO account, on June 3, 2012.^[6]

"Hold On (Shut Up)" featuring Young Jeezy, was released as the album's third single on August 6, 2012.^[7] The music video was released on November 19, 2012.^[8]

Promotional singles

On September 20, 2012, "Stereo" was released with an accompanying music video, as the album's promotional single (although this track was formerly part of the mixtape with same title as the album). The song features guest vocals from Alex Fitts. The track would also be included, alongside "Invincible" and "Hold On (Shut Up)", as part of the MGK's Music Unlimited exclusive EP, titled Lace Up - The Prelude (released on October 2, 2012).^[9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	69/100^[10]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[11]
DJBooth	^[12]
HipHopDX	^[13]
Rolling Stone	^[14]
Spin	5/10^[15]
XXL	4/5 (XL)^[16]

Lace Up received favorable reviews but music critics found the record overall uneven, compared to Kelly's previous mixtapes. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received average score of 69, based on 6 reviews which indicates generally favourable reviews.^[10] Adam Fleischer of XXL praised the production throughout the album and MGK for being consistent with his rapid-fire flow concluding with, "though he may no longer be quite the underdog he once was, rapping like it—at least for now—still works."^[16] Fred Thomas of AllMusic also praised the album for its production and putting MGK in the spotlight, calling it "a beast of a debut, and some of the heaviest mainstream-friendly hip-hop happening in 2012, a picture of young energy at its zenith."^[11]

Edwin Ortiz of HipHopDX gave a mixed review of the album, praising tracks like "Edge of Destruction" and "D3mons" for their intensity but found "Invincible" and "All We Have" put MGK into "industry purgatory." He concluded with, "Lace Up is an imbalanced project that fails to establish MGK’s grand message. His debut is decent at best, with hope that his following projects yield better results."^[13] Phillip Mlynar of Spin felt that the special guests throughout the album were more of a hindrance to the main artist saying, "Instead of turning this debut proper into an expansive listen, the guests seem like they're papering over holes in both the music and the message."^[15]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 4 on the US Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 57,000 copies.^[17] It slid down to number 22 in its second week giving it a total of 65,000 copies.^[18] Sliding down to number 37 in week three it sold 10,000 more copies.^[19] As of September 2015, the album has sold 263,000 copies in the United States.^[20]

Track listing

Album credits adapted from official liner notes.^[21]

Lace Up  — Standard version

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Save Me" (featuring M. Shadows and Synyster Gates)	Richard Baker Brinton Ewart Rami Eadeh Matthew Sanders Brian Haner, Jr.	Woodro Skillson Rami Beatz	3:12
2.	"What I Do" (featuring Bun B and Dub-O)	Baker Joshua Scruggs Irvin Whitlow Bernard Freeman Eric Allen	Syk Sense Swirv	4:32
3.	"Wild Boy" (featuring Waka Flocka Flame)	Baker Juaquin Malphurs Joshua Luellen Jarrett Mines De'Andre Langford	GB Hitz Southside	3:51
4.	"Lace Up" (featuring Lil Jon)	Baker Christopher Gholson Jonathan Smith	Drumma Boy	3:02
5.	"Stereo" (featuring Alex Fitts)	Baker Alex Fitts	Alex Kickdrum	3:55
6.	"All We Have" (featuring Anna Yvette)	Baker Bryan Fryzel Anna Masone	Anna Yvette Frequency	3:27
7.	"See My Tears"	Baker Erik Ortiz Kevin Crowe Kenny Bartolomei Armin van Buuren Adrian Broekhuyse Marinus de Goeij Raz Nitzan	J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League	4:10
8.	"D3MONS" (featuring DMX)	Baker Damon Blackman Rene Hill Earl Simmons Klaus Badelt Lisa Gerrard	Dame Grease Snaz	4:21
9.	"Edge of Destruction" (featuring Tech N9ne and Twista)	Baker Michael Brascom Whitlow Aaron Yates Carl Mitchell	Silent Mike Swirv	5:08
10.	"Runnin" (featuring Planet VI)	Baker Matthew Samuels Jazz Singh Tyler Williams Timothy Thomas Theron Thomas	Boi-1da Jazzfeezy^[b]	2:47
11.	"Invincible" (featuring Ester Dean)	Baker Alexander Grant Ester Dean	Alex da Kid	3:07
12.	"On My Way"	Baker Jon Bishop Whitlow	JRB Swirv	4:10
13.	"End of the Road" (featuring blackbear)	Baker Brandon Allen Matthew Musto	MGK Slim Gudz	4:04
Total length:				49:41

Lace Up — Deluxe version (bonus tracks)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
14.	"Half Naked & Almost Famous"	Baker Allen Fitts Thom Powers Alisa Xayalith Aaron Short	MGK Slim Gudz Alex Kickdrum	2:51
15.	"La La La (The Floating Song)"	Baker Jesse Woodard IV Aaron Harry Trevor Bastow	Chase N. Cashe	3:54
16.	"Hold On (Shut Up)" (featuring Young Jeezy)	Baker Earl Johnson, Jr. Jay Jenkins	JP Did This 1	3:30
17.	"Warning Shot" (featuring Cassie)	Baker J.R. Rotem Peter Ring Jack Bevan Edwin Congreave Walter Gervers Yannis Philippakis Jimmy Smith	J.R. Rotem Aliby^[a]	3:21
Total length:				63:16

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies a co-producer
• ^{^[b]} signifies an additional producer
• "Save Me" features additional vocals from M. Shadows.
• "La La La (The Floating Song)" features additional vocals from Betty Idol.

Sample credits, taken from liner notes.

• "See My Tears" contains a sample of "Rain" written and performed by Armin van Buuren and Cathy Burton.
• "D3MONS" contains a sample of "Sorrow" (from the Gladiator soundtrack) written and performed by Lisa Gerrard and Hans Zimmer.

Personnel

Credits for Lace Up adapted from AllMusic.^[22]

Klaus Badlet — composer Kenneth Bartolomei — composer Chris Bellman — mastering Jon "JRB" Bishop — producer Blackbear — featured artist Snaz — producer Boi-1da — producer Dame Grease — producer Michael "Silent Mike" Brascom — composer, producer Leslie Brathwaite — mixing Adrian Broekhuyse — composer J Browz — bass, guitar Bun B — featured artist Sean "Diddy" Combs — executive producer Kevin "KD" Davis — mixing M. De Geoij — composer Ester Dean — composer, featured artist Aubry "Big Juice" Delaine — engineer Steve "Rock Star" Dickey — mixing Alexander Diliplane — assistant DMX — featured artist Drumma Boy — producer Dub-O — featured artist Rami Eadeh — composer, producer Briton "Woodro Skillson" Ewart — composer, producer Alex Fitts — featured artist Frequency — engineer, producer Frequency — engineer, producer Brian "DJ Frequency" Fryzel — composer Synyster Gates — featured artist, guitar GB Hitz — producer L. Gerrard — composer Stephanie Hsu — creative director Anthony "DJ Xplosive" Jackson — scratching Jazz Feezy — producer J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League — producer Alex Kickdrum — producer

Alex Da Kid — producer Byron Kirkland — management Lil Jon — featured artist Livvi Franc — background vocalist for "Warning Shot" MGK — primary artist Juaquin Malphurs — composer Jonathan Mannion — photography Fabian Marasciullo — mixing Manny Marroquin — mixing A. Masone — composer Justine Massa — creative coordinator Matthew "Spordy" McMahon — photography James McMillan — executive producer, management MGK — engineer, executive producer, primary artist, producer Mat Musto — piano R. Nitzan — composer Raz Nitzan — composer T-Minus — producer Harve Pierre — executive producer Planet VI — featured artist Justin Sampson — assistant, engineer Ben Schigel — mixing Phil Schlemmer — engineer M. Shadows — featured artist, vocals Slim Gudz — engineer, producer Southside — producer SykSense — producer Tech N9ne — featured artist Twista — featured artist Armin van Buuren — composer Ashleigh Veverka — management Waka Flocka Flame — featured artist Irvin Whitlow — composer, producer Anna Yvette — featured artist, producer, vocals

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (2012) Peak position Canadian Albums (Billboard)^[23] 14 US Billboard 200^[24] 4 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[25] 2

Year-end charts Chart (2012) Position US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[26] 64

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)^[27]	Gold	500,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label
Germany^[28]	October 5, 2012	CD, digital download	Bad Boy, Interscope
Canada^[29]	October 9, 2012
United States^[30]

References

1. Harling, Danielle (August 8, 2012). . HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
2. "MGK Album & Song Chart History – The Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
3. "MGK Album & Song Chart History – Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
4. "Invincible (feat. Ester Dean) – Single by MGK". iTunes Store (US). Apple. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
5. . FMQB. Friday Morning Quarterback Album Report, Inc. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
6. "Video: MGK f/ Ester Dean - 'Invincible'". Rap-Up. Devin Lazerine. June 3, 2012. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
7. "iTunes - Music Videos - Hold On (Shut Up) by MGK". iTunes Store (US). Apple. January 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
8. "Video: Machine Gun Kelly (Feat. Young Jeezy) - Hold On (Shut Up)". WorldStarHipHop. December 4, 2012. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
9. . Music Unlimited. Sony Entertainment Network. Archived from the original on December 21, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
10. "Reviews for Lace Up by MGK". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
11. Thomas, Fred. "Lace Up - Machine Gun Kelly". AllMusic. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
12. Slavik, Nathan (October 9, 2012). . DJBooth. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
13. Ortiz, Edwin (October 25, 2012). . HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Archived from the original on October 28, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
14. Dolan, Jon (November 9, 2012). "MGK Lace Up Album Review". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
15. Mlynar, Phillip (October 17, 2012). "MGK, 'Lace Up' Review". Spin. SpinMedia. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
16. Fleischer, Adam (October 11, 2012). "Machine Gun Kelly, Lace Up". XXL. Townsquare Media. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
17. Caulfield, Keith (October 17, 2012). "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Score Top Billboard 200 Debut, Mumford Still No. 1". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
18. Jacobs, Allen (October 21, 2012). . HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Archived from the original on November 23, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
19. Paine, Jake (October 28, 2012). . HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
20. . Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on September 17, 2015.
21. "Digital Booklet - Lace Up". DocDroid. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
22. "Lace Up - MGK - Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved October 12, 2012.
23. "MGK Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
24. "MGK Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
25. "MGK Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
26. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2012". Billboard. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
27. "American album certifications – Machine Gun Kelly – Lace Up". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
28. "iTunes - Musik – "Lace Up" von MGK". iTunes Store (DE). Apple. January 2012. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
29. "Lace Up (Deluxe) by MGK - Preorder Lace Up (Deluxe)". iTunes Store (CA). Apple. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
30. "Lace Up (Deluxe) by MGK - Preorder Lace Up (Deluxe)". iTunes Store (US). Apple. Retrieved October 5, 2012.

External links

• Lace Up at Discogs (list of releases)