Machine Gun Kelly said a full-body blackout tattoo across his chest and arms caused him to become seriously ill [1].
The experience highlights the potential medical risks associated with large-scale tattooing, where the volume of ink and skin trauma can trigger systemic physical reactions.
Colson Baker, known professionally as Machine Gun Kelly, pursued the dramatic visual transformation in 2024 [1]. The process took place over a two-month period [2], with ink applied to his shoulders, armpits, chest, and arms [1].
Baker said he was warned about the difficulty of the project before beginning. "She warned me that it was going to be near impossible, even from a pain tolerance standpoint," he said [3]. Despite the warning, he proceeded with the timeline, stating, "I said, ‘Yeah, we got two months’" [3].
The physical toll manifested quickly after the procedure began. Baker said his skin began turning yellow after the first week [1]. This discoloration was accompanied by severe sleep deprivation. "My skin was turning yellow after the first week and I wasn’t able to sleep," he said [3].
Blackout tattoos involve saturating large areas of the skin with solid black pigment, which requires multiple passes of the needle. The resulting inflammation and the body's response to the foreign pigment can lead to significant health complications, ranging from localized infections to systemic stress.
“My skin was turning yellow after the first week and I wasn’t able to sleep.”
This account underscores the systemic impact that extreme body modification can have on the human body. While tattoos are common, 'blackout' work involves a massive volume of pigment and prolonged skin trauma, which can overwhelm the immune system or lead to toxicity, potentially explaining the jaundice-like skin discoloration described by the artist.
