Machine Gun Kelly slammed for bold blackout body tattoo
Machine Gun Kelly is making a bold statement with his body art — but social media followers were quick to criticize the new look.
On Tuesday, the 33-year-old hip-hop/rock artist revealed a large blackout tattoo covering his upper torso and arms, resembling a long-sleeve crop-top from the front.
“For spiritual purposes only,” he captioned an Instagram shot of him striking a pose with most of the previous tattoos on his chest and arms covered with pure black ink.
His lower torso meanwhile still bears his original tattoos, including one that says “locals only,” another depicting a man with a sign that reads “I want change,” and the remnants of the anarchy symbol.
MGK, whose real name is Colson Baker, explained that 44 needles were used for the body art designed by Los Angeles-based blackwork artist Roxx.
“Been wearing a turtleneck for 3 months, taking the shirt off tomorrow, idgaf ” the rapid-fire rapper teased in a video on X on Monday.
“Never met a tougher one,” Roxx captioned an image showing another angle of Machine Gun Kelly’s new tattoo.
“Thanks for the joy and the pain,” he replied.
The former “Amatuer Night at the Apollo” champ asked his followers to share their thoughts on his new look — and many reacted with negative feedback.
“Stupidest f—ing thing I’ve ever seen,” read one comment that quickly racked up thousands of likes on Instagram.
“Kells wanted to be accepted by the rap community so he turned black,” another user mused about the Grammy Award nominee.
Popular podcaster Nadav Itzkowitz wrote, “You still can’t say it,” seemingly in reference to the use of the “n-word” by white hip-hop artists, while another follower flatly stated: “Bro wants to say the n word so badly.”
But among the more positive comments — albeit tongue-in-cheek — was one from another polarizing figure: imprisoned “Tiger King” star Joe Exotic.
“A tiger and a bit of meth and you would be mine. Lol,” he wrote.
