Machine Gun Kelly Is Frustrated That Art Is Not Rising to Meet the Moment

Machine Gun Kelly says the world is “masking its anger,” and he’s frustrated that art is not rising to meet the challenge. The rapper, singer, songwriter and actor spoke to TIME at the TIME100 Next Gala 2022.

He emphasized the need for art that “counts,” rather than escapist entertainment, and he believes that artistic expression, from music to comedy, is too censored. “The world’s angry, and, in the 90s, they had their soundtrack to it. Same with in the 60s,” Kelly says. “Every decade has their own soundtrack to what’s going on.”

But now, he worries, “we all become a little lazy” when it comes to making and interpreting art.

The musician also commented on other social issues, bringing up the unstable economy and saying he comes from the lower and middle classes who are always “fighting to know if tomorrow is going to exist for them.”

He added, “I come from that. So I’m here to unmask that and be the soundtrack to it.”

However, when asked whether he plans to vote in the upcoming midterm elections, he said, “I have anarchy tattooed on my stomach. I’m not a political person.”