You've got to hand it to rapidly rising Cleveland-born rapper Machine Gun Kelly. Despite the wads of industry hype he's building his buzz the classic way, by dropping mixtapes and hitting the road hard. Luckily, his live performances seem to measure up to the ticket price -- his recent performance in Fort Lauderdale involved rock-style flourishes, like stage-diving and dancing around pants-less while reciting Blink-182 lyrics.
It makes sense, then, that he's set to learn further from one of the best. Starting in March, MGK's hitting the road with Tech N9ne, the Kansas City rapper who's cemented his career largely by touring constantly. Of course, Tech's also the label head of Strange Music, now the home to South Florida act MAYDAY!.
All three are teaming up starting in April -- along with other Strange acts Krizz Kaliko, Prozak, and Stevie Stone -- on the grueling-sounding Hostile Takeover 2012 tour. It entails a trek from the Midwest, to the Southwest, up the West Coast, back through the Midwest, then finally up and down the East Coast again, for a total of 90 shows in 99 days. The package hits South Florida on June 26, at Club Cinema in Pompano Beach.
So how the hell does Mayday plan to survive all that? "Prepare not repair is the motto," says the group's Bernbiz. "Lots of water, healthy food and sleep -- all of which are very hard to come by on tour."
If you didn't grab Mayday's recent new free track, click here to do so. Otherwise, hang tight for specific ticket information; shows at Club Cinema use independent ticketing services, and we're waiting for full price and on-sale date details.
There's also a Strange-sponsored $125 VIP package, which, besides show entry, gets you an hour meet-and-greet with Tech N9ne as well as a bunch of unusual limited-edition swag, including a flag, clock, pillow case, and even a tie (?). Visit strangevip.com for full details on that.