On Thursday, June 25 Machine Gun Kelly (MGK) celebrated the reveal of his sophomore album “General Admission” at Samsung Studio in Los Angeles. A few days before he took to social media dropping the news to his 1.4 million Instagram followers, but this was a private and intimate event­–featuring a live performance, sit down interview and an introduction to the #GalaxyLife.

Samsung Studio is a beautiful and serene digital oasis. Straight ahead there is a stage set up with full band gear in front of a huge high definition screen that stretches from the floor to the ceiling. A montage of footage plays on a loop showcasing MGK’s outrageous energy at various festivals and tour stops. His logo flashes on and off the screen reminiscent of an EKG reading on a heart monitor. There is an assortment of other TV’s and screens running music videos, behind the scenes clips and aerial views of Cleveland, OH with interjections of the cities landmarks. MGK is born and raised in Cleveland and has always represented despite his catapult to global fame. A live DJ mixed sounds for the crowd to enjoy while exploring the digital experiences Samsung Studio had to offer.

Virtual reality was one of those experiences. In a secluded room reminiscent of the matrix, three rotating chairs sat in a line with goggles and headphones attached. Jurassic World: Apatosaurus is a fascinating experience with the potential to be quite scary. Dinosaurs roam freely, get close enough to stare you straight in the face then give off a deep bellowing noise similar to a horn. Right outside this room was a trivia challenge where you could flex your competitive muscles and play to see who could answer the most random world questions. Your score was aggregated amongst the other players of the night and displayed of course on a flat screen high definition Samsung TV.

MGK unexpectedly walked onto the stage dressed in his signature rock star attire and took a seat next to Steve Baltin who would be conducting a live interview about the new album. “This is the album I really wanted to make,” exclaims MGK. “In the age of electronic music I wanted to show how sick it is to play with live instruments. When I grew up, musicianship and artistry were the thing.” In this moment a more laid back passionate side of the hip-hop artist shines through. “A Bad MF is not afraid of the slow climb and they show love to people that were there from the beginning. To wake up in the morning and be yourself is a bad MF,” he explains.

One thing MGK promised is that this album is a full experience that will highlight storytelling and plague a return to genuine music. He Performed “Till I Die” the leading two part single off General Admission and “Make It Happen” a heart felt record that booms with bass and madness. Delivering on his ode to live musicianship a USC music student was picked to join MGK onstage. He played the violin along with MGK’s band of drums and guitars. Despite the intimate and digital space MGK jumped on speakers, threw chairs and turned out the performance like the wild boy you know him to be.