Machine Gun Kelly's 'Spiritual' Tattoo Took 13 Six-hour Sessions & 44 Needles

Machine Gun Kelly has a new identity, thanks to his latest incredible tattoo!

The musician unveiled a jaw-dropping photo of his new inking that covers most of his upper body in black ink while ushering in a new era of music.

MGK took to social media to surprise his 8.9 million followers with a new, bold look. The rapper cleared his Instagram page for the unveiling, which got tongues wagging.

The "Emo Girl" artist had most of his upper body covered completely in black ink including his arms, his upper torso, and back. The design was pretty uniform, with a few lines on his arms and a cross-shaped design in the middle of his chest.

The ink ran down to MGK's wrists while showing glimpses of his previous tattoos. "For spiritual purposes only," the 33-year-old wrote in the accompanying caption. The unusual design was drawn by tattoo artist Roxx, who also shared a photo of MGK on his page.

"Made some art with @machinegunkelly Never met a tougher one," Roxx captioned his post, attesting that the black ink took a lot of work, to which the rapper replied, "??? thanks for the joy and the pain."

In more updates shared on MGK's stories, he gave fans an insight into the process of getting the cumbersome inking, revealing that he used a set of 44 needles to inject the ink into his skin. What's more? The "Rap Devil" singer reported to the tattoo studio four days a week for 13 six-hour sessions to achieve the look.

He also teased the release of a new music titled "dont let me go" set to premiere on Wednesday.

Despite the effort, it seems many fans aren't pleased with MGK's brand-new identity. One fan remarked, "I like your old tattoos they were like your history and so iconic," while another penned, "The sob I just let out of my mouth-"

A similar comment read, "MGK is known for his various tattoos and even his Cleveland tattoos. To get that all covered up and go straight black is wild and weird to me." This worried fan wrote, "Ugh. I wish u didn’t do that. I loved ur tattoos. I hate when people comment on tattoos (I have 15) but I feel like this is a cry for help. You continuously keep doing dramatic, drastic things to erase who you were in the past, it seems. Idk man. I love u but this is a lot."

This fan who shared a similar sentiment commented, "Dudes has gotten so weird. Not even a fan anymore smh." However, it wasn't all negative remarks as some believed the new tattoo signified a rebirth for the Houston native.

"Kelsssss this is amazing. A rebirth. The new era is gonna be your best one yet, mentally, spiritually, artistically, and emotionally. You're evolving. So proud of you," stated one impressed fan, while another wrote, "I actually love it! ? especially the stripes on the arms, so you can still see what was there before."

The "bloody valentine" singer has been on a tattoo-getting spreee for the past months. In June 2023, MGK showed off a new leg tattoo that had a deep sentimental meaning. The drawing was inspired by Nigihayami Kohakunushi, otherwise referred to as Haku. It featured a teal and mint green mane, with a white, scaled body and claw-like legs.

Haku is a beloved character in the 2001 fantasy anime, "Spirited Away." Explaining the reasoning behind the inking on his left leg, Megan Fox's fiancée shared on X, formerly known as Twitter:

"I tattoo’d Haku on my leg last night for two reasons: he’s a river spirit so his elemental powers are mostly water (like my emotions because they are in Pisces) and i relate to him whenever i watch spirited away, i attached his description and it mirrors how i feel in this world."

Before flaunting the leg tattoo, MGK enlisted the help of his daughter, Casie, to add to his numerous inkings. For summer 2023, the artist took to his Instagram to upload a photo of his 13-year-old daughter holding a tattoo gun and imprinting a design on her dad's already tattooed arm sleeve.