Am I wrong for bein' lost?
The pressures of bein’ boss exhausted every bone in my body
I can't walk, I don't talk, I scream, I don’t stop to think
I'm so close to the dream that I can't go to sleep
Ironic, I know, so I need more chronic to roll
Tryna find what's more important, the money or my soul
It's cold, I'm low, I'm caught between the roads
Under the Hollywood sign, you get blinded by the glow, uh
Yo, how could you look me in the face?
You sat at the table with my daughter
Promisin' you got us right after you finished sayin’ grace
Why don’t you tell her what you're hiding in the bank?
It’s time to cut my lawn and see the snakes
It's time to tell the truth to every fan who doesn't understand
That it's because of you they had to wait
While you left me here to deal with all the hate
I still smile but feel so fake
It’s no sun, the clouds are opaque
So much shade I read on one page
I can't even look at your name without gettin' the shakes
What a mistake, uh, look how you take, uh
What doesn't belong to you, this was a rape
And if fate send us both to Heaven
I'ma keep a blade in my leather so I can kill you at the gate, uh
(First place)
Isn't worth it when you see it's all (Two-faced)
Tryna fit into a world with no (New space)
Commit third-degree murder (What for?)
Tryna play me like a Hollywood whore
(First place)
Isn't worth it when you see it's all (Two-faced)
Tryna fit into a world with no (New space)
Commit third-degree murder (What for?)
Tryna play me like a Hollywood whore
[Verse 2]
I woke up sweatin', tryna forget I'm in a mansion
'Cause fans are mad at my expansion
And my friend I thought was family
Who'd always understand me
Got offended 'cause he jealous
We supposed to be at the GRAMMYs
I'm askin', when did pride and passion
Get mistaken for handouts and ass-kissin'?
The fact is I made it from trailer trash to Saks Fifth
Took it from underground to massive and the come up was classic
Back when white boys rapped, they gettin' they ass kicked
I was battlin', puttin' these rappers in caskets
I was walkin' home, gettin' jumped after classes
Tell me, why don't my haters mention that shit?
Now my rent is due and I'm a tenant gettin' by with no credit
Got residue from a sedative I ain't get from the medic
My schedule is so fuckin' hectic, but still I'm in debt
I'd be better off dead so life insurance keep my family fed
It's because of y'all I couldn't separate from my career
'Cause of y'all I hated myself for so many years
'Cause of you, you ain't never gonna see me trust
Even if I got a wife, she just somebody I fuck
(First place)
Isn't worth it when you see it's all (Two-faced)
Tryna fit into a world with no (New space)
Commit third-degree murder (What for?)
Tryna play me like a Hollywood whore
(First place)
Isn't worth it when you see it's all (Two-faced)
Tryna fit into a world with no (New space)
Commit third-degree murder (What for?)
Tryna play me like a Hollywood whore
[Outro]
The City of Angels, danger
The City of Angels, danger
About
On “Hollywood Whore”, Machine Gun Kelly addresses a former business partner who betrayed him. It’s also a general commentary on his experience in the music industry and how record companies manipulate artists, much like a prostitute on Hollywood Boulevard. It was the first song he wrote for Hotel Diablo.
The song samples Linkin Park’s “Crawling” as a tribute to lead singer Chester Bennington, who died by suicide in July 2017. MGK is an avid Linkin Park fan, and he was even set to join the band on their 2017 tour, although it was cancelled after Bennington’s death. The song’s music video includes a frame that reads “R.I.P. Chester Bennington” at 2:50, and MGK also mentions Bennington on “Glass House.”
The artwork for the single depicts a devilish Baphomet puppeteer, implying that artists are controlled by malevolent forces. This imagery coincides with the overall theme of Hotel Diablo.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
MGK told ALT 98.7 FM:
I had been through something business-wise that hurt me deep inside, a different type of hurt that I didn’t know. Someone so close to me just did me really wrong, and I just wrote the song ‘Hollywood Whore’ about it.
He also told Cleveland that it was the first song he wrote after scrapping the album that came before Hotel Diablo:
I realized I wasn’t making the music I want to make and it was definitely not getting the reactions I wanted to from the people whose opinions I respect. I write my best stuff when I’m sad. So I just let the sadness in. The first song was ‘Hollywood Whore.’ I had to come clean with that.
- 1.Sex Drive
- 2.el Diablo
- 3.Hollywood Whore
- 4.Glass House
- 7.FLOOR 13
- 8.Roulette
- 11.Candy
- 12.Waste Love
- 13.5:3666
- 14.I Think I’m OKAY
- 15.El Pistolero
- 20.5,3666 (v1 Demo)
