Rapper Machine Gun Kelly just revealed a new tattoo that covers his arms and his chest, obscuring many of his previous designs in the process. The 33-year-old posted a photo of himself on Instagram with the new ink on full display. The flat black covers nearly everything from his abdomen up to his collar and down to his wrists, with a few gaps showing his older tattoos beneath.
“For spiritual purposes only,” Kelly captioned the photo, which was the only post on his profile as of Tuesday. He thanked tattoo artist R O X X, who shared another photo of Kelly on their profile. They wrote: “Made some art with Machine Gun Kelly. Never met a tougher one.” Many commenters agreed that an all-black coverup like this is one of the most intense and painful tattoos to get.
Kelly – whose real name is Colson Baker – previously had an eclectic tattoo collection covering his entire torso in a variety of colors and designs. It’s unclear why he decided to cover all the old tattoos up, though it is often done when a tattoo enthusiast feels they have outgrown the designs underneath. Notably, the tattoos on Kelly’s torso are still visible, including the words “locals only” and a design resembling a brick wall. A line of the new black ink extends down through his navel, bisecting the anarchy symbol there, but an image of a man holding a sign that says “I want change” was left untouched.
Unsurprisingly, commenters had some strong opinions on Kelly’s cover-up job. Many wanted him to explain why he wanted his old tattoos disguised, or why he left certain designs exposed. Many even said that this came a little too close to blackface for their taste, noting that MGK is already accused of cultural appropriation as a white person in the rap music industry.
Kelly has not responded to these critiques or explained his decision to get this cover-up yet. Comments on his viral post continue to trickle in.