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Machine Gun Kelly (Colson Baker) has publicly explained only a small selection of his tattoos. The clearest meanings are attached to “Lace Up,” a Red Hot Chili Peppers design, a Tommy Lee “Mayhem” wrist tattoo and the word “anarchy.” In 2024–2026, a large blackout tattoo by Los Angeles artist Roxx covered much of his arms, chest and stomach, turning his body into what MGK described as a physical and psychological reset.
The tattoos MGK has explained himself
The table separates first-person explanations from visual descriptions and records what is known about each design after the blackout. There is no verified public count of MGK’s total tattoos, and no authoritative inventory explains every earlier piece.
| Tattoo or design | Documented meaning | Subject | Status after blackout | Source strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| “Lace Up” (twice) | MGK says it means being ready and able to conquer whatever comes. | Resilience and readiness | Earlier placement is not clearly established in the available reporting; some or all may be covered. | Direct MGK explanation in The Untitled Magazine. |
| Red Hot Chili Peppers imagery | Connected to reading Anthony Kiedis’s memoir Scar Tissue while MGK was dealing with drug problems. | Musical influence and recovery | Not independently documented as visible after the blackout. | Direct MGK explanation in The Untitled Magazine. |
| Tommy Lee “Mayhem” wrist tattoo | A sign of MGK’s Mötley Crüe fandom. | Music and fandom | The wrist design’s current visibility is not established. | Direct MGK identification in The Untitled Magazine. |
| “Anarchy” on the stomach | MGK confirmed the word is tattooed on his stomach and added that he is not a political person. | Identity and attitude | The stomach was included in the blackout area, so the original lettering may be covered. | Direct MGK quote reported by TIME on October 25, 2022. |
| Large geometric blackout | A physical reinvention that replaced a collection of designs tied to life phases MGK no longer wanted to carry or did not recognize in photographs. | Identity and reset | New black-ink work covers most of his arms, chest and stomach. | Media description by Axios Cleveland and detailed first-person account in Billboard Canada. |
What “Lace Up” means as a tattoo
MGK told The Untitled Magazine that he has “Lace Up” tattooed twice. He explained: “It basically just means that you can basically conquer whatever you want. You’re ready to do whatever.” In his own usage, the phrase is a resilience motto rather than a reference with one narrow definition.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstall“Lace Up” is also the title of MGK’s mixtape and debut album, so the tattoo carries a direct connection to his music as well as the personal idea of preparation and persistence. The available interview does not establish the exact locations of both tattoos.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers tattoo and Scar Tissue
MGK said he got Red Hot Chili Peppers imagery during a period when he was dealing with drug problems. He was reading frontman Anthony Kiedis’s memoir Scar Tissue, and said the book helped him. He connected that experience to putting the band’s imagery on his body.
That makes the tattoo more than a band tribute: his explanation links it to a difficult period, a specific book and the influence he found in Kiedis’s account. The interview does not identify which exact Red Hot Chili Peppers image he used or confirm whether it remains visible after the blackout.
Tommy Lee’s “Mayhem” and MGK’s Mötley Crüe fandom
In the same The Untitled Magazine interview, MGK identified a “Mayhem” tattoo on his wrist as a reference to Tommy Lee. He described it as a sign of his Mötley Crüe fandom. This is a documented musical tribute, not a statement that the word represents a political or criminal ideology.
Because the blackout covers much of his upper body and earlier tattoos, current photographs may not show the original wrist lettering clearly. The available reporting does not settle whether it was left visible, modified or covered.
What the “anarchy” stomach tattoo means
TIME reported on October 25, 2022, that MGK said, “I have anarchy tattooed on my stomach. I’m not a political person.” That is the full public explanation available here. It confirms the word and its location, but it does not provide a longer personal history for the design.
The stomach is part of the area MGK later said was covered by the blackout, so the original tattoo’s present visibility should not be assumed.
Why MGK blacked out his tattoos
Axios Cleveland reported on February 20, 2024, that MGK had revealed a Roxx-designed blackout covering most of his upper body and many previous tattoos. Roxx is a Los Angeles-based artist known for large geometric black-ink work. The initial reveal did not include a public explanation for why MGK chose the design.
MGK later gave a fuller account in Billboard Canada’s interview published June 8, 2026. He said he looked at a “mishmash of tattoos” from life phases he did not, or did not want to, remember and sometimes did not recognize himself in photographs. He described the earlier patterns as containing “death and drugs,” alongside “happy tattoos, sad tattoos, holy tattoos, hellish tattoos.”
He framed the blackout as a physical reinvention: a massive “dark-mode” piece covering most of his arms, chest and stomach. The motivation was therefore both visual and psychological. He was not simply consolidating a few small designs; he was replacing a body-wide record of identities and periods he felt separated from.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Who made the blackout tattoo?
Roxx created the blackout. Axios identified Roxx as a Los Angeles artist associated with large geometric black-ink work, while MGK’s 2026 Billboard Canada account described the scope as most of his arms, chest and stomach.
MGK said Roxx estimated the project would take two years, but he attempted to complete it in two months. He reported that after the first week, when the work reached lymph nodes around his armpits and shoulders, he became very sick, his skin turned yellow, could not sleep and had impaired upper-body movement. These are MGK’s reported experiences in that interview, not independently verified medical findings or general guidance about tattoo safety.
How to interpret MGK’s tattoo story without guessing
- Use confirmed meanings first. “Lace Up,” the Red Hot Chili Peppers design, the “Mayhem” wrist tattoo and “anarchy” all have direct statements from MGK.
- Separate symbolism from identification. A photographed shape can be described, but its personal meaning should not be assigned without an explanation from MGK or a reliable source.
- Treat the blackout as a change in status. Many older tattoos are covered, so a pre-blackout photograph does not necessarily show MGK’s current body art.
- Do not infer a complete list. No reliable published statistic establishes how many tattoos MGK has, and the available accounts cover selected examples rather than every design.
What is known—and what remains uncertain
The documented picture is selective. MGK has explained the resilience behind “Lace Up,” the recovery-related context of the Red Hot Chili Peppers tattoo, his Mötley Crüe fandom through Tommy Lee’s “Mayhem,” and the existence of “anarchy” on his stomach. His later blackout is the broadest statement about his tattoo history: it represents a deliberate break from earlier life phases.
What remains uncertain includes the exact placement of both “Lace Up” tattoos, the precise Red Hot Chili Peppers imagery, the present visibility of the older wrist and stomach tattoos, the total number of tattoos he had before the blackout and which individual designs remain underneath or around the new blackwork.
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