Machine Gun Kelly and Jelly Roll took home a People’s Choice Country Award for their musical collaboration, but they weren’t always so tight.
“We went from 10 years ago hating each other to elevating each other,” Kelly, 34, said in his acceptance speech at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville on Thursday, September 26. “Comparison is the thief of joy. There is enough room on the couch for everybody. We found camaraderie in the chaos.”
He continued, “Last year, I was right there, sitting in that seat, watching my boy rock on that stage. And I was like, ‘Man, I hope one day we’re up there.’ And we’re here!”
Kelly and Jelly Roll, 39, walked away with the trophy for Crossover Song of 2024 for their hit “Lonely Road.” The pair were nominated alongside collabs by Zach Bryan and John Mayer, Kelsea Ballerini and Noah Kahan, Post Malone and Morgan Wallen and Beyoncé and Miley Cyrus.
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Jelly Roll did not attend the awards ceremony on Thursday as he had a concert in Boston the same night.
Earlier this month, Kelly and Jelly Roll appeared on Spotify’s “Countdown To” podcast and disclosed the rivalry they initially felt a decade ago.
“I was just a little spiteful, bitter f—ing dude,” Jelly Roll recalled. “We were kind of automatically forced against each other anyways. I explained this to people and they don’t understand the concept because of our age. Now, whenever I talk to my daughter, I’m like, ‘You got to understand there was only, like, seven white rappers on earth at this time.’”
He continued, “So it was so competitive when you [were] in that pool that we were kind of automatically forced against each other anyways.”
Kelly concurred, noting that it felt like the two singers were “bred to hate each other.”
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Jelly Roll also attributed the tension to Kelly’s physical appearance.
“You were just skinny and handsome. I was just a hater,” Jelly Roll quipped. “You know what I’m saying? I was just a hater, dude!”
Jelly Roll even publicly dissed Kelly at one point, stating, “F— Machine Gun Kelly and his mohawk.” He later apologized in a heartfelt phone call.
“That call was great,” the “Save Me” singer recalled. “And you answered on, like, [the] second ring. It was the coolest, coolest conversation I’ve ever had. It was so easy and just peaceful.”
Kelly, meanwhile, stressed that now he’s “very proud to know” Jelly Roll and watch his continued success in the music industry.
“I’m proud of you and I love listening to the album, Beautifully Broken,” Kelly gushed at the time.
