MGK shared that his decision to rush through his extensive blackout tattoo transformation took a serious toll on his health, even turning his skin yellow.
In an interview with Billboard Canada, the artist detailed the physical strain he experienced after choosing to fast-track what was supposed to be a lengthy process spanning about two years. Against his tattoo artist’s advice, he condensed the timeline into just two months.
During this period, MGK underwent an intense schedule, covering most of his body in solid black ink. However, the fast-tracked approach had unexpected consequences, leaving him feeling unwell and regretting the decision.
“After the first week, we hit my lymph nodes around my armpits and shoulders, and I got really sick,” he told the outlet. “My skin was turning yellow. I wasn’t able to sleep. I stopped being able to move certain parts of my upper body.”
The blackout tattoo, designed and completed by artist ROXX, spans a significant portion of MGK’s torso and upper body, becoming a major topic of conversation when he revealed it in 2024. Although the process took a considerable physical toll, MGK expressed that it had a profoundly positive impact on him in the end.
“I came out of recovery extremely inspired,” he explained. “Not just because of what I had done, but because of what I had to overcome.”
The tattoo project came at a time of deep personal reflection and creative evolution. As he embarked on creating fresh music, including the collaborative “Blog Era Boyz” project with Wiz Khalifa, MGK shared that he was seeking a transformation that extended beyond just altering his musical style.
“I was looking for a change that wasn’t just a sound wave,” he said. “It had to be something physical.”
The artist confessed to feeling detached from the array of tattoos adorning his body. Each time he glanced in the mirror, the reflection staring back felt unfamiliar.
“I saw death and drugs in all these patterns that I was literally writing on my body,” MGK said. “There were happy tattoos, sad tattoos, holy tattoos, hellish tattoos. It was like my bipolarity was screaming off my skin.”
This realization led him to embrace the blackout concept, a bold approach that concealed many of his older tattoos under an almost completely solid layer of black ink.
Fans had an up-close view of the intense process through videos MGK posted online. In one video, blood was visible dripping during the tattooing, while other clips showed him recuperating in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber.
At the time, he described the ordeal as “the most painful shit I’ve ever experienced in my life.”
