Machine Gun Kelly has revealed the gruesome side effects of his blackout body tattoo. The American rapper, whose real name is Colson Baker, has a large tattoo across his chest and arms of entirely black ink, save for a few places that show his previous tattoos underneath.
Despite being initially pleased with his bold new look, the singer has been hit with some disturbing side effects. Speaking to Billboard Canada in a new interview, he said: 'After the first week, we hit my lymph nodes around my armpits and shoulders, and I got really sick. My skin was turning yellow, I wasn't able to sleep. I stopped being able to move certain parts of my upper body.'
Despite his ordeal, MGK said his illness left him 'extremely inspired' by what he 'had to overcome'. He also shared what made him decide to get the tattoo in the first place. When he first unveiled the body inking back in February 2024, the musician told fans he had undergone the painful procedure 'for spiritual purposes only'. The 36-year-old father of two had designed the solid black ink tattoo so that the areas left uncovered made it look like he had a cross on his chest.
The idea first came to him after he made a mixtape collaboration with Wiz Khalifa, called Blog Era Boyz. After working on the mixtape, which was released last month, he felt he needed 'a change that wasn't just a sound wave'. He continued to say that he couldn't recognise himself in the mirror. He said that tattoos he already had made him see 'death and drugs' all over his body. He added that while there were 'happy tattoos, sad tattoos, holy tattoos' and 'hellish tattoos' there, he felt like his battle with his bipolar diagnosis was 'screaming off my skin'.
His tattoo artist, Roxx, later told TMZ that MGK had taken part in a 'spiritual consultation' prior to getting the tattoo and told her that his old tattoos no longer resonated with him, as they were 'chaotic'. She also told the outlet that he was the 'toughest client' she had ever had. Shortly after showing off his blackout tattoo, MGK welcomed his daughter Saga to the world. He shares the now one-year-old with his ex-fiancée Megan Fox. Saga was born four months after their relationship ended, which followed claims that MGK had been talking to other women. Though they broke up, Megan and MGK have been able to co-parent their daughter amicably. MGK also has another daughter, Casie, who is 16. He shares the teen with his ex Emma Cannon.
