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With a rapid fire delivery and boundless energy some people may be quick to compare Cleveland's Machine Gunn Kelly with another white mc, Yelawolf.

But the 6-3 lanky rapper says he got his inspiration from Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, the 1st rappers to put his city on the map.

"They were the reason I tried rapping fast," MGK tells Cleveland.com

Kelly, born Colson Baker bounced around for much of his younger life.  Living in Houston, Egypt, Chicago, Los Angeles and Denver, MGK planted his feet firmly in Cleveland six years ago and plans to bring the city back to hip hop prominence.

"I waited a long time to feel like I was part of something," he says. "Cleveland is just like me -- an underdog. To be able to do something here and to be appreciated so much, it's nuts."

The 20 year old describes his rhyme style as "raging... which is basically nonstop energy,"

With his newly released mixtape "Lace Up" and a rapidly growing fan base, MGK is making all the right moves, although he's suffered a couple of bumps and bruises along the way.

"I didn't listen to hip-hop until I moved to Denver. In fourth grade, I moved to a predominantly black school. I got my ass whupped," he says.

He started to earn his stripes through battle rapping: "I was a skinny boy. Whose ass was I gonna whup? But I found out that words are more powerful than anything, and I ran with that."

Check out his music video for "Cleveland" below. You can grab his "Lace Up" mixtape from his website  www.mgklaceup.com.