Machine Gun Kelly’s Tattoo Tales: Rapper Shares 10 Stories Behind His Ink [Exclusive Photos]

Machine Gun Kelly may not necessarily be in the hip-hop’s mainstream just yet, however, his recent mixtape, ‘Black Flag,’ has been sparking excitement amongst fans and critics alike. With all the hype around it, the 23-year-old Cleveland rapper is already in talks with the execs at his label, Interscope Records, about moving forward with his sophomore LP.

«I actually just had a really big meeting with [Diddy] and John Janick, who’s now the president of Interscope, Steve Berman and JoeyIE,» he reveals to TheDrop.fm. «We all came to L.A. and thought it was about time to start [an album]. So right now, we’re going around and trying to find a sound for this album. And John Janick really gets me, too, which is awesome. He wasn’t around during my first album.»

He continues, «So we’re just going to f—ing find the sound, and you know, try and make a breakthrough album. Hit those f—ing Grammys one time.»

As MGK hunts for the right beat, he hopes to take the mixtape on the road for his very own headlining tour — all while engaging in other activities. «[I’ll] probably have sex with a lot of animals,» he jokes. «Probably get into some gardening. Then maybe some time in between all that we’ll do a ‘Black Flag’ tour and then start that album. But I really want to do that ‘Black Flag’ tour. But I gotta f— those mammals first.»

Funny business aside, MGK does have a close connection with his fans. He dedicates Fridays on Twitter to his fans, giving props to special supporters who show their dedication with tattoos inspired by the rhymer and his music. One, in particular, made such an impression on Kelly that he doesn’t think he can ever forget it.

«This girl who has ‘Lace the’ on her left chest and then ‘f— up’ o her right chest; so it says ‘Lace the f— up’ and then has my MGK logo in the middle,» he describes. «Then on the corner of that is my signature. It’s just gnarly as f—, and she always has a good time when she comes [to the shows]. She’s from down south so she’s always super f—ing enthusiastic. She keeps the environment fun. It’s cool seeing the tattoos online and then meeting them in person you know.»

Machine Gun Kelly’s 77 Tattoos & Their Meanings

Richard Colson Baker professionally known as Machine Gun Kelly (abbreviated as MGK), is an American rapper and actor. Like all other famous rappers, MGK has a plethora of inks on his body ranging from the weed plant to the scene of accident drawn on his body. MGK had released his debut album in 2012 known as “Lace-up” which had reached the number 4 on the US Billboard 200 on its first week, and MGK was so glad that he wears two inks on his body of Lace-up. The weed tattoo on his body shows the openness of his habit of smoking daily as it gives him immense happiness. As a child, he had been the victim of bullying as well.

1. Sign of the route “71 North” Tattoo

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Tattoo: On his right bicep, there lies an ink of the badge which reads, NORTH 71. It represents his street number where he stayed during his childhood.

“This reminds me that when I am homesick I can take the 71 North bus and be at home.”

2. Area Code “216 East” Tattoo

Tattoo: Right under his 71 NORTH Tattoo, there lies another number ink which represents the area code of Cleveland i.e 216 EAST, the city which he claims to have been the reason for molding him into a perfect man. The whole of the ink is done within the stars and the design of red, black, and yellow colors.

“The numbers are area codes — Denver and Cleveland. Those are the two cities that molded me into a man. I was in Denver when I was 9 to 14 [years old]. Those were pivotal years in my life where I started being mindful of the world. All my first police run-ins were [in Denver].”

3. ‘Double Decker Bus’ Tattoo

Tattoo: MGK has a double-decker bus inked in red on his right rib cage. There also exists a spiderweb towards its left.

Meaning: The bus is the pictorial representation of the Double Decker bus which had hit MGK in Manchester. It was 7 am when he was looking for some weed and when he saw a guy on the other side of the road, he thought that guy might be having some weed. Without a second thought, MGK stepped ahead to cross and got hit by the bus. He had tried to escape the scene because he thought he had committed some crime. There is also a spider web and a spider inked beside the bus. The spider web shows how the windscreen of the bus had shattered like a spider web. The stick figure getting hit by the bus in the tattoo represents him.

4. ‘SEX DRUGS AND ROCK & ROLL’ Tattoo

5. ‘Fuck fame it killed all my favorite entertainers’ Tattoo

Tattoo: There is a quote inked on the right side of his lower abdominal area which says, Fuck Fame it killed all my favorite entertainers. The line has been taken from the music album, The Season/ Carry Me of the artist, Anderson Paak.

6. ‘City Boy’ Tattoo

Tattoo: MGK has always claimed that the numbers on his body represent the area codes of his cities where he has lived during his younger age and has always talked about how close he has been always to his towns where he has been brought up as these places have contributed a lot towards his success. Thus, he considered himself to be a total City Boy.

7. ‘557’ Tattoo

On the right side of his stomach, he has got the number ‘557’ inked.

“Is that the bus number? “No that’s a hotel room where I had a pretty wild time.”

8. ‘The Temptation of Saint Anthony’ Tattoo

Tattoo: The whole of Machine Gun Kelly’s back is inked with the masterpiece inspired by one of the famous artworks of the painter, The Salvador Dali.

Meaning: The tattoo shows the people who repent their sins. It shows temptation that appears to Saint Anthony successively in the form of a horse which represents strength, whereas the elephant which follows it, carrying on its back the golden cup of lust in which a nude woman is standing precariously balanced on the fragile pedestal, a figure which is the symbol of erotic nature.

“He says that the tattoo symbolizes a lot to me as I have lived a dark life and want to get right with myself”.

9. “MGK” Tattoo

Tattoo: There is a huge ink on his back which includes his name’s initials, i.e ‘MGK’ that stands for Machine Gun Kelly.

10. ‘ Cannabis’ Tattoo

Tattoo: There is a cannabis plant inked on MGK’s right knee. He has often mentioned it with the source of his music reflecting its importance for his professional as well as career front.

What can I say? I love trees. I started when I was probably 11 or 12. I smoke all the time, every day. I smoked before I got here, right outside. I don’t think I need anything. All I need is my fans and my family.”

11. “And into the woods, I go, to lose my mind and find my soul” Tattoo

Tattoo: Under his cannabis tattoo, there is a quote inked on MGK’s right knee which says, ‘Into the forest, I go to lose my mind and find my soul’.

Meaning: The quote is written by the naturalist and environmental philosopher John Muir. It is the symbol of nature lovers. The quote focuses on the love for nature and how the person seems to look for peace which he gets from the forests, woods, and open jungles and natural scenes.

12. ‘PRISONER’ Tattoo

Tattoo: Under his right knee there is a word inked vertically that can be read as, ‘PRISONER’

13. ACE of hearts Tattoo

Tattoo: Ace of hearts is inked on MGK’s left wrist.

14. ‘East 303’ Tattoo

Tattoo: 303 is the area code of Denver which is the capital of the U.S. state of Colorado, where he lived during his young days.

15. ‘ Fuck Off’ Tattoo

Tattoo: Machine Gun Kelly has got a “Fuck Off” tattoo on his left wrist.

Meaning: MGK claims to be a busy man and this tattoo is his representation to those people who mean to disturb him when he is tired and does not wish to be bothered to talk to anyone. He calls it 3:30 am tattoo.

16. Girls on both side of his Chest Tattoo

Tattoo: There are two girls inked towards the inner side of both underarms.

This girl who has ‘Lace the’ on her left chest and then ‘f— up’ o her right chest; so it says ‘Lace the f— up’ and then has my MGK logo in the middle,” he describes. “Then on the corner of that is my signature. It’s just gnarly as f—, and she always has a good time when she comes [to the shows]. She’s from down south so she’s always super f—ing enthusiastic. She keeps the environment fun. It’s cool seeing the tattoos online and then meeting them in person you kNOW.”

Bu then you have people who come into your life like fans and friends like girls who change that. Now some of the most beautiful people in my life are women. One of my managers, she was there from the jump. She let me crash on her mom’s couch. She gave me her brother’s clothes when I didn’t have anything to wear to a show while he was in Afghanistan. She still holds me down. I still crash on her couch now.”

17. Banksy Tattoo

Tattoo: There is a Banksy tattoo on the left side of his lower abdomen. There is an image of a man who is sitting with a board in front of him which contains the words, “KEEP YOUR COINS I WANT CHANGE”. The man in the tattoo is Banksy who is the Political Activist, and the graffiti artist and shows street satirical street art.

That’s a Banksy piece, and I think it’s a f—ing genius play on words. People don’t get that one all the time. I don’t know.”

18. Anarchy Tattoo

Tattoo: There is an anarchy symbol inked right in the center of MGK’s stomach.

Meaning: Anarchy symbol contains an A and an O inside which A is inked. A stand for Anarchy and O stands for Order i.e. Anarchy for Order. MGK got it to symbolize social reforms, he believes in living his life by his own rules and thus this ink is his representation of this view of his.

“And basically they thought I was going to stand alone. It’s funny because the time I did that, the same Halloween, I saw nothing but fans dressing up in MGK stuff. They had the guardian angel on my chest and ‘A’ on their stomachs. I just got anarchy because it’s a very strong statement about social reform. There is no f—ing rules. There is no code. You can’t tell me how to live my life. This is my own individuality, and I wear it proudly.”

“The funny thing about the anarchy [a tattoo] is that it was the only one that was a debate in the team. I was one of the only tattoos in the squad and I said, ‘Yo, I’m gonna get this. I’m just going all the way with it.’ And everyone was like, ‘No man! No f—ing way, man. You’re already kind of black-balled in the industry, and you’re gonna put that on your body. Now no corporate sponsors are going to f— with you.

19. ‘XXX’ Tattoo

There is a tattoo that contains triple X’s inked on his lower abdomen.

“It gives girls a fair warning of what they’re getting into. Some nasty s—‘s about to happen.”

20. Big Brother Eye Tattoo

Tattoo: There is a big brother eye tattoo on MGK’s left bicep which he claims to be an ode to the book ‘1984’ written by English writer George Orwell.

“That’s an ode to the book, ‘1984’. It’s the idea that Big Brother is watching you, and down here you see all the people revolting against it. There are people here holding bats and all that s—. And I’m with the people. Keep your hands out of my pockets. I got this when I was 19.”

21. Black Heart Tattoo

Tattoo: There is a dark outlined black colored heart inked on the inner side of his left arm. MGK calls it a stone-cold heart. He also This tattoo represents how tough the music industry is and how it hardens people up and turn them stone cold.

22. ALMOST FAMOUS Tattoo

23. ‘EVERY SINNER HAS A FUTURE EVERY SAINT HAS A PAST’ Tattoo

The words are inked on MGK’s left inner arm.

24. ‘Est. 1990’ Tattoo

Across his chest, there is a tattoo of his birth year which is inked as, “Est 1990”, i.e. the year in which MGK was born (22 April 1990).

25. ‘Guardian Angel’ Tattoo

Tattoo: On the center of his stomach, MGK got the guardian angel inked when he was 16 or 17 years old and had started to believe in God. Since he was known to be a rebellious kid, he decided to design his own male guardian angel blueprint for the tattoo who is seen wearing pants rather than the traditional female guardian angel who is seen wearing a robe.

Later, Machine Gun Kelly got this tattoo modified.

Machine Gun Kelly got his ‘Guardian Angel’ tattoo modified

26. ‘PUNK Couple’ Tattoo

27. R.I.P B Arnold Tattoo

Tattoo: On his right hand’s wrist, MGK has got a spot of ink for his grandmother. The ink contains the word, “R.I.P B Arnold”. He got it done as a tribute for his grandmother after her demise.

This one is for my grandmother who died on Valentines’ Day. She was a funny thing. I would never forget that she was the most unjudgemental person. I dunno how she gave birth to my dad, as he was an asshole, however, sorry Dad, but you know I loved her way more.”

28. ‘Mayhem’ Tattoo

Tattoo: His right hand’s wrist carries the word, “Mayhem” inked surrounding his wrist.

“On my body, I have tattoos of Red Hot Chili Peppers, I love them. I have a Tommy Lee ‘Mayhem’ tattoo on my wrist, so obviously I’m a huge Crüe fan.”

29. ‘City Boy’ Tattoo

Tattoo: Just above the music lyrics ink there is a tattoo that says, “City Boy”.

30. RHCP Tattoo

“The reason I got the RHCP tattoo is that that’s when I was going through my issue with drugs and I was reading Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis. I didn’t end up going to rehab because everyone around me was not encouraging rehab. They were encouraging just like, “Get through it on your own.” Anthony Kiedis’ story just helped me so much and it helped me stop with the whole thing. I mean, it was a part of it. Obviously, that book didn’t fuckin’ stop that, but it had a big enough effect on me that I wanted it on my body. So I ended up putting the Chili Peppers things on there. I think, favorite band, probably Led Zeppelin, honestly. That’s a huge influence on how we try to live on the road. You just hear all their wild stories and you just look at it and you’re just like, “Man if we go tomorrow, I don’t want to say that we didn’t take advantage of every second of this experience.” ‘Cause we’re twenty-two years old. We’re not supposed to be here. We’re from Cleveland, Ohio. All my friends are dope boys that never left their mom’s house.”

31. ‘Heroes get remembered. Legends never die’ Tattoo

Tattoo: MGK also wears a tattoo on his shoulder blades. The tattoo can be read as ‘Heroes get remembered, Legends never f–ing die’.

“That’s from ‘The Sandlot.’ I think [the quote] is what the goal. I’ve always wanted to be an icon or a legend. Sometimes when death is all around you so much, you’re always just fearing that it’s coming for you. But when you get comfortable with yourself, you think, ‘When I die, I’m going to leave something on this earth.’ So it just reminds me that ‘Heroes get remembered. Legends never f—ing die.’ This was done three years ago.”

32. LOCALS ONLY

Tattoo: On MGK’s stomach there lie a word ink which says, “LOCALS ONLY“.

“‘Locals Only’ means we only f— with thorough mother—ers. If you’re from where I’m from, and that doesn’t have to mean literally, it just so happens that the people I roll with are Cleveland type sh—, it’s not about regional life. But if you’re from where I’m from as far as mentally and demographically, I’ll f— with you. If you’re that kid who’s brushing all those negatives and only putting them to positives, I’m with you.

33. ‘Blooming Rose’ Tattoo

Tattoo: On the lower side of his back there lies a tattoo of a blooming rose.

Meaning: He got this tattoo after the release of his album titled, ‘Bloom’. The tattoo extends from his hips upwards towards his ribs on the right side of his stomach.

“I got the rosebud down here, and I then I got the bloom up here.”

34. ‘KISS THE SKY’ Tattoo

The words, “KISS THE SKY” are inked on the inner side of MGK’s left inner arm.

35. Jessica Rabbit Tattoo

Tattoo: MGK’s inner right bicep contains the tattoo of Jessica Rabbit. Above there are words inked saying, ‘SUNSET RATPACK‘.

Meaning: Jessica Rabbit was the cartoon leading lady in the 1988 movie, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”, and MGK says that he got this tattoo because she was his fantasy woman.

36. Gash on Chest

There is a red-colored gash inked under the left portion of his chest.

MGK says, “Somebody ripped my heart out”.

37. Friend’s Art Piece’s Tattoo

In an interview pointing towards this tattoo, he said he has a friend’s art piece inked. It lies on the inner side of his left arm.

38. Small Tattoos on Left Arm

Tattoo: There are few tiny inks on his left arm such as a bottle, a tiny fly.

39. Boy Walking on the road Tattoo

On the inner side of his right forearm, there exists a very colorful ink which contains a road, and a footpath, and also a boy who is seen moving towards his front on the road with a bag on his back. The dead-end of the roadshows some kind of a tall piece and a word above it which says, ‘BOOMER’.

40. Red Die Tattoo

There are two red dices inked on his left forearm.

41. Danger Sign Tattoo

Tattoo: On MGK’s left hand’s wrist there is a danger sign inked which shows a cross and a skull inked over it.

42. ‘Rose and Palm Tree’ Tattoo

Tattoo: There are a blooming rose and a tiny palm tree inked under MGK’s right knee.

43. ‘Love’ Tattoo

‘Love’ is inked on the inner side of his right hand’s wrist.

44. ‘The man sitting on the base of the Cut Tree’ Tattoo

“I feel like I’m the guy from ‘The Giving Tree.’ Excuse me, I feel like the actual giving tree. People want so much from me, and you give them everything. And then they see that you’ve given them everything, and still they come back for more. You get bummed out, and that’s why I put that on my body. I feel like I gave people my limbs, and they still will come back. I’ll always be the giving tree. It’s pretty recent. I started feeling some kind of way.”

45. ‘Red Flower Design on his left Elbow

46. ‘Seven-Pointed’ Star Tattoo

There is a double shaded seven-point star inked along with ‘E‘ written on each of the ends of the star on MGK’s right elbow. Star tattoos are the symbol of guiding people in life.

47. ‘Hotel Diablo’ Tattoo

On the backside of his head, MGK has a tattoo which says, ‘Hotel Diablo‘. It is the name of MGK’s studio album and he got this tattoo done

48. Tattoo on the wrist of Left Hand

49. Casie Tattoo

Under his left nipple there is a name, ‘Casie’ inked which is the name of his daughter

50. Tattoo on his left leg

51. ‘THE MARATHON CONTINUES’ tattoo on his left leg

Meaning: ‘THE MARATHON CONTINUES’ is the name of mixtape by an American rapper Nipsey Hussle.

52. ‘Tickets To My Downfall’ Tattoo

Tattoo: ‘Tickets To My Downfall’ tattoo on his neck.

Meaning: This tattoo refers to the name of his fifth studio album which was released in September 2020. He got this tattoo inked in January 2020.

53. Tattoo on his right forearm

54. Tattoo near his right wrist

55. Tattoo on his right arm

56. ‘Follow Your Dreams’ tattoo on his right arm

57. Tattoo on his right thigh

58. Tattoo on his left thigh

59. Spider Tattoo

Tattoo: ‘Spider’ tattoo on his right pec.

Meaning: Spider tattoo symbolizes intelligence, protection, balance, wisdom, danger, life, and female power.

60. Tattoo on his right wrist

61. Tattoo behind his right ear

62. Tattoo on his right arm

63. Tattoo on his left arm

64. Lightning Bolt Tattoo

Tattoo: ‘Lightning Bolt’ tattoo on his chest.

Meaning: Lightning bolt tattoo symbolizes speed. swiftness, power, and destruction of ignorance.

65. Atom Science Symbol Tattoo

Tattoo: ‘Atom Science Symbol’ tattoo on his chest.

Meaning: Such a tattoo represents the free will decisions of the wearer.

66. Barbed Wire Tattoo

Tattoo: ‘Barbed Wire’ tattoo on his pec.

Meaning: Barbed wire tattoo represents an abusive relationship, depression, stress, prisoner, and the event of the crucifixion of Lord Jesus.

67. Tattoo on his right forearm

68. Tattoo on his left hand

69. Tattoo on his left arm

Meaning: On March 14, 2021, Machine Gun Kelly got the tattoo of the pattern of lines inked on his left arm by the tattoo artist, Chaim Machlev.

Machine Gun Kelly getting the tattoo inked on his left arm by the tattoo artist, Chaim Machlev

70. Red Star Tattoo

Tattoo: ‘Red Star’ tattoo on his left forearm.

Meaning: Star tattoo symbolizes luck, good times, achievements, journey, goals, and success.