Liputan6.com, Jakarta - Machine Gun Kelly (MGK), whose real name is Colson Baker, shared his experience to Billboard Canada on June 8, of experiencing serious health impacts due to a rushed blackout tattoo.
The decision to complete the massive tattoo in a short timeframe triggered severe physical trauma, causing yellowing of his skin and difficulty moving.
Advertisement
The musician first unveiled this dramatic blackout tattoo in 2024.
The design was created by renowned tattoo artist ROXX, with the goal of marking a new chapter in MGK's life and career.
MGK explained that he wanted a tangible physical change, not just sound waves, to cover up old tattoos he no longer identified with.
"I see death and drugs in the patterns," he said, referring to his previous tattoo motifs.
An Extreme Process and the Artist's Warning
ROXX, the artist behind this monumental work, initially suggested completing the extensive blackout tattoo in stages over two years.
However, MGK insisted on expediting the process, aiming for completion in just two months.
ROXX had warned that completing the tattoo so quickly was "nearly impossible," even from a pain tolerance standpoint.
Despite this, MGK refused the use of anesthetics or numbing creams, opting to endure the pain fully consciously.
Severe Health Impacts of Accelerated Tattooing
MGK's decision to accelerate his tattoo schedule resulted in serious physical health complications.
After the first week, when the ink reached the lymph nodes in his armpit and shoulder area, MGK began to experience excruciating pain.
His symptoms included yellowing of his skin, an inability to sleep, and difficulty moving his upper body.
“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," he revealed.
His immune system went into absolute hyperdrive due to the massive physical trauma, triggering massive internal inflammation, systemic stress, and toxic overload.
His lymphatic system struggled to process the massive amount of tattoo ink pigment.
MGK described how, at the peak of the two-month tattooing phase, his body began to "structurally shut down," and he felt as if his soul was separating from his physical form due to the unbearable agony.
To expedite his tissue recovery between tattoo sessions lasting 6 to 7 hours straight, MGK relied on advanced medical therapies, including consistently placing himself in a high-pressure hyperbaric oxygen chamber.
Inspiration Behind Physical Suffering
Despite the toll it took on his body, MGK said he came out of recovery "extremely inspired."
He added, “Not just because of what I had done, but because of what I had to overcome.”
“I was looking for a change that wasn't just a sound wave,” he shared. “It had to be something physical.”
This physical transformation coincided with a broader creative shift, as he worked on the "Blog Era Boyz" mixtape with Wiz Khalifa.