The Short Answer
Yes, Machine Gun Kelly has a very large tattoo collection.
Published counts vary, so no single exact number should be treated as settled fact. Older guides put the total at over 70, while later guides put it at over 80 or over 90. That range is the honest answer.
The count keeps moving for two simple reasons. He keeps adding tattoos, and in 2024 he covered much of his upper body with solid black ink. Counting individual designs under and around that work is no longer straightforward.
How Many Tattoos Does Machine Gun Kelly Have?
There is no official, verified count from MGK himself that settles the question.
What can be said with confidence is this:
- He began getting tattoos as a teenager.
- By the early 2020s, his arms, chest, back, and legs were already heavily covered.
- Later estimates rose as he added more work.
- His 2024 blackout tattoo then changed how much of the older work is visible.
So, “over 80 tattoos” is a reasonable description of the scale of his collection, but it is not a precise, counted total. Any article that gives one exact number without explaining that it is an estimate is overstating what is known.
When Did He Start Getting Tattoos?
MGK has said he started getting tattoos when he was 14.
In a 2013 interview with Untitled Magazine, he described giving himself his first tattoo. That account is the best-supported starting point, and it corrects older claims that his first tattoo came at 16.
He has also said on The Jennifer Hudson Show in September 2025 that he had tattoos since he was 13. That small difference shows why early dates should be treated with care: his own recollections have varied by a year.
The key point stays the same either way. He started very young, and tattooing has been part of his public image for most of his career.
Credit: ultimateclassicrock.com
What His Tattoos Meant Before the Blackout
Before 2024, his tattoos worked like a personal record. They covered his life, his music, and his home city.
Some of the best-documented examples include:
- Route 71 North, on his right bicep. MGK told GQ in 2016 that it was a reminder of home in Cleveland. He said that if he was ever homesick, he could just take the 71 North.
- Est. 1990, near his collarbones. This marks his birth year. MGK was born Colson Baker on April 22, 1990.
- EST 19XX. EST stands for “Everybody Stands Together.” The 19XX part is meant to cover fans of any age, rather than naming one year.
- A guardian angel on his chest. This was linked to his faith as a teenager. It was later changed and reworked as his style changed.
- Tributes to his daughter Casie. His older daughter, Casie, has long been part of his tattoo story. MGK later kept a small tattoo she had done for him even when much of his other ink was covered.
Other designs from that period included album references, area codes, and symbolic figures. Not every design has a confirmed meaning in a reliable interview, so this article sticks to the ones above.
The 2024 Blackout Tattoo Changed Everything
In February 2024, MGK revealed a dramatic new tattoo covering most of his upper body.
The work was done by blackwork artist ROXX. It covers much of his chest, stomach, shoulders, and arms in solid black ink, with a cross left in negative space on his chest.
MGK captioned the reveal: “For spiritual purposes only.”
He later explained the change in more detail. On The Jennifer Hudson Show, he said he wanted to redesign what human skin could look like, and that his body had already been covered for a long time.
In a Billboard Canada interview in June 2026, he gave a more personal reason. He said his older tattoos had come to remind him of difficult chapters, including death and drugs, and that he wanted a fresh start.
The process was intense. MGK said the work took about two months, even though ROXX had warned that a project of that size could take around two years if done slowly. He also said it required 44 needles and described it as extremely painful.
He did not cover everything. He kept the small tattoo his daughter Casie had done for him, and some older ink, including red lettering reading “locals only,” remained visible.
Why Old Photos Can Be Confusing
If you look at photos of MGK from different years, he can look like a different person.
That is not a trick. It is the result of three changes:
- New tattoos added over time
- Older tattoos reworked or covered
- The 2024 blackout covering most of his upper body
For a film role, he has also appeared without his tattoos visible after makeup and covering work. Those images do not mean he had his tattoos removed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Machine Gun Kelly have over 80 tattoos?
He has a very large collection, and several guides estimate it at over 80. The exact number is not verified, and counts in published guides range from over 70 to over 90.
What was his first tattoo?
He has said he started getting tattoos at 14 and gave himself his first tattoo. The exact design of that first tattoo is not reliably confirmed in the sources used here, so it is not stated as fact in this article.
Did he cover up all his tattoos?
No. In 2024, he covered much of his upper body with blackout ink, but he kept some work visible, including a tattoo done by his daughter Casie.
Who did the blackout tattoo?
Blackwork artist ROXX designed and carried out the blackout work.
What does EST 19XX mean?
EST stands for “Everybody Stands Together.” The 19XX is meant to represent fans of any age.
The Bottom Line
Machine Gun Kelly’s tattoo collection is huge, personal, and still changing.
“Over 80” captures the scale, but it is an estimate, not a counted fact. The more useful story is what the tattoos show: a teenager who started early, a Cleveland artist who carried his home city and his music on his skin, and a performer who in 2024 chose to cover much of that history and start again.
