MGK says his blackout tattoo made him sick after he pushed a project that was supposed to take about two years into roughly two months.
The musician, born Colson Baker, spoke about the process in a new Billboard Canada cover story. People reported that MGK said his skin turned yellow, he could not sleep, and he temporarily lost movement in parts of his upper body while getting the tattoo done.
The blackout design was created by celebrity tattoo artist ROXX and covers most of MGK’s arms, chest, and stomach. Billboard Canada reported that ROXX told him the amount of work would normally take two years.
MGK said he did not have that kind of time. He wanted the tattoo finished while he was working on a new music chapter, so he kept returning for sessions until the work was completed in about two months.
ROXX Warned the Tattoo Would Take About Two Years
Billboard Canada reported that MGK went to ROXX after deciding he wanted to cover much of his older tattoo work. ROXX is known for large geometric pieces and coverups, and MGK said he immediately connected with her design.
The size of the piece created the problem. ROXX told him the blackout tattoo would take around two years to complete, but MGK wanted it done on a much tighter schedule. He described the plan as “near impossible” because of how much ink had to be packed into the upper body.
Instead of spacing the work out over years, MGK said he compressed the process into two months. The design eventually covered the majority of his arms, chest, and stomach.
He Said the Health Scare Began Near His Lymph Nodes
MGK told Billboard Canada that the first major physical problem came after tattoo work around his armpits and shoulders. People and E! News both reported that he said the tattooing hit the area around his lymph nodes and that he got “really sick” afterward.
He said his skin turned yellow, he could not sleep, and he stopped being able to move certain parts of his upper body. The reports did not cite a formal medical diagnosis, so the story should stay with MGK’s own description of what happened during the tattoo process.
People reported that MGK kept going despite the reaction. He said the experience became the most painful thing he had done physically and emotionally.
The Blackout Tattoo Covered Older Ink
MGK said the blackout design was not only about changing how he looked. In the Billboard Canada interview, he said his older tattoos felt connected to old emotions, drug references, and different parts of his life he no longer wanted displayed across his body.
The tattoo also lined up with his new music. Billboard Canada framed the interview around MGK’s work on Blog Era Boyz, his collaborative mixtape with Wiz Khalifa, and his renewed focus on hip-hop.
MGK had already discussed the blackout tattoo publicly before this interview. People reported last year that he described the work on The Jennifer Hudson Show and said it involved 44 needles without numbing.
He First Revealed the Blackout Tattoo in 2024
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MGK debuted the blackout tattoo on Instagram in 2024 with the caption “for spiritual purposes only,” according to E! News. The post showed the upper-body design after much of his previous ink had been covered.
People reported that he also shared recovery footage from the tattoo process and called the experience extremely painful. He later added new tattoos over and around the blackout work, including ink connected to his daughter Saga.