MGK has opened up about a serious health scare he experienced while undergoing the painful process of getting his now-famous blackout tattoo, revealing that the transformation left him unable to sleep and caused his skin to turn yellow.
Photo credit: Machine Gun Kelly/Youtube
According to People, the rapper discussed the experience in a recent interview with Billboard Canada , where he reflected on the extreme measures he took to complete the body art.
The musician, whose real name is Colson Baker, debuted the blackout tattoo in 2024. The design covers much of his upper body and was created by tattoo artist ROXX.
'My skin was turning yellow'
Speaking to Billboard Canada , MGK said he ignored professional advice that the tattoo should take around two years to complete and instead underwent the process in just two months.
He said complications began after tattoo work around his shoulders and armpits affected his lymph nodes.
"After the first week, we hit my lymph nodes around my armpits and shoulders, and I got really sick," MGK said. "My skin was turning yellow. I wasn't able to sleep. I stopped being able to move certain parts of my upper body."
Despite the physical toll, he said the experience ultimately left him feeling inspired after recovering.
Why MGK chose the dramatic transformation
MGK said he wanted a change that went beyond music as he worked on his recent project, Blog Era Boyz , a collaboration with Wiz Khalifa.
"I was looking for a change that wasn't just a sound wave," he told Billboard Canada. "It had to be something physical."
He also said he no longer recognised himself beneath the collection of tattoos he had accumulated over the years and wanted a complete physical reset.
Reflecting on the transformation, MGK said the mix of tattoos on his body had come to represent different periods of his life, from positive moments to darker chapters.
'The most painful' experience of his life
Fans first got a look at the blackout tattoo journey in 2024, when MGK shared footage showing parts of the process on social media.
The footage included images of blood, recovery treatments and sessions in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber.
At the time, MGK described the transformation as "the most painful" experience of his life.
He later said the project was intended to challenge conventional ideas about body art and what human skin could look like, adding that he completed the process without anaesthesia or numbing treatments.
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