Machine Gun Kelly revealed his extensive black-ink tattoo on Instagram on February 20, 2024. The design covered much of his neck, torso and arms, leaving a cross-shaped area of bare skin on his chest. In a 2026 interview, he later explained that he wanted a physical change tied to how he felt about earlier tattoos and different phases of his life.
What did Machine Gun Kelly’s tattoo look like?
The February 2024 Instagram reveal showed broad areas of black ink running from MGK’s neck across his torso and arms. A cross-shaped patch of uncovered skin stood out on his chest, while older stomach tattoos—including “Locals Only” and “I Want Change”—remained visible. The Independent’s February 21, 2024 report credited tattoo artist Roxx, whose account was tagged in the reveal posts.
MGK captioned the post, “For spiritual purposes only,” according to The Independent. The same report said an Instagram Story from him described the work as requiring “44 needles.” That is a figure attributed to the reported Story, not an independently confirmed technical count or a count of tattoo sessions.
Why did MGK say he got the tattoo?
In a 2026 interview with Billboard Canada, MGK said he wanted a change that was physical rather than only musical: “I was looking for a change that wasn’t just a sound wave.” He described looking at older tattoos associated with difficult periods and emotions in his life, and said an extensive redesign appealed to him as a way to reinvent his body. Billboard Canada reported that the new design covered the vast majority of his arms, chest and stomach.
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Contemporaneous lyrics MGK posted alongside the reveal referred to tattooing his body after a breakdown and connected his feelings to a pregnancy loss, as reported by iHeart on February 21, 2024. Those lyrics offer context for what he was expressing at the time, but they do not establish a single or exhaustive explanation for the tattoo.
What did he later say about the process?
In the 2026 Billboard Canada interview, MGK said Roxx initially estimated the project would take two years. He wanted it finished in two months and described going to the artist’s Los Angeles studio each morning. Recalling the warning about the pace and pain, he said: “She warned me that it was going to be near impossible, even from a pain tolerance standpoint,” he says. “I said, ‘yeah, we got two months.’”
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MGK also described feeling very sick after the first week, saying his skin was turning yellow, he could not sleep, and he could no longer move certain parts of his upper body. These are symptoms he reported in the interview; the account does not establish a medical diagnosis or independently confirm their cause.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When was the tattoo revealed?
The reveal was in 2024; the detailed account of the project and its effects came later. MGK posted the image on Instagram on February 20, 2024, and news coverage followed the next day. Billboard Canada’s process interview was published in 2026. That chronology matters: the later interview explains the work, but it was not the tattoo’s debut.
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Billboard Canada identifies him as Colson Baker and says he officially changed his professional name to mgk in 2025. The reveal and much of the contemporaneous coverage used “Machine Gun Kelly” or “MGK.”
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