Colson Baker, the musician known as MGK, described the 'worst torture' of getting a giant blackout tattoo during a Thursday appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show. He said the project was part of his effort to 'redesign' his body, a concept he tied to his own anxiety. "I've realized through research that this is from someone who has extremely high anxiety," the musician said. "But in my head, it really interested me in redesigning the anatomy." "In my head, it really interested me in redesigning the anatomy," he told host Jennifer Hudson. "You know the skin is the largest organ that we have," he continued. "I've already had all tattoos since I was 13, my whole body has been covered for a long time, and I just wanted to redesign what the human skin could look like, so I came up with, well I didn't, but a friend of mine named Roxx came up with this." When Hudson asked if it was painful, MGK, 35, said it was the "worst torture I've ever experienced." "Yeah, I don't do, like, the going under and numbing and waking up, I don't do any of that," he continued, adding that he "had to thug it out." "Big mistake, but my morals stand," he added.
The large blackout piece covers most of the artist’s upper half, going down his arms, across his chest and down his stomach. Having already been covered head to toe in artwork, some of his original tattoos still show through the blackened skin — one of them being a piece designed by his now 16-year-old daughter, Casie. "She did a little tattoo on me, so I kept that on me there," he said of his eldest daughter, whom he shares with ex Emma Cannon. He’s also dad to 5-month-old daughter, Saga Blade, whom he welcomed with ex-girlfriend Megan Fox. The "Emo Girl" artist debuted his new inked-up body with a shocking Instagram post in February. However, the "Emo Girl" hitmaker did leave the tattoo designed by his 16-year-old daughter, Casie, untouched. Luiz Rampelotto/NurPhoto/Shutterstock In February, MGK told his fans the blackout piece happened after having a "breakdown." Tom Briglia He later told his fans in his song, "Don’t Let Me Go," that he decided to tattoo the masterpiece after having a "breakdown." "Lately my thoughts eating me alive / laid in the bed thinking maybe the hate'll finally go away if I’m not alive," MGK raps at the beginning of the track while playing piano. "Wish I didn’t listen just like I wish they would understand me one time / I had a breakdown and tatted my entire body except one line / Everything’s just fine."
The reveal comes as MGK continues to balance a high-profile personal life with his art. He has publicly discussed his anxiety and his willingness to push boundaries as part of his creative process. The February Instagram post announcing the blackout tattoo marked a turning point in a body of work that has long featured full-sleeve and torso pieces alongside more recent, all-black coverage. The interview on The Jennifer Hudson Show provided a window into how the artist frames his own experiments with the body as a form of personal and artistic exploration.
Beyond the artwork itself, the conversation touched on MGK’s family life. Casie Baker, now 16, contributed a small tattoo that remains visible under the blackout, a detail MGK highlighted as a reminder of the line between art and personal expression. Saga Blade, his five-month-old daughter with Megan Fox, adds another layer to the public narrative surrounding his tattoos and public persona, a topic that has recurred throughout his career as fans watch him navigate fame, style, and identity. The tattoos that once defined his public image have evolved into a broader statement about pain, resilience and self-reinvention.
While the blackout piece is the most visually striking element of MGK’s current body art, the artist has repeatedly described his tattoos as a continuous conversation with himself. In the months preceding the interview, he had hinted at the concept of redesigning the skin as part of a broader exploration of what the human body can be. The lyrics in his song "Don’t Let Me Go" framed the decision as a response to inner turmoil and external pressures, a theme that has followed MGK through his music and public appearances. The Jennifer Hudson Show appearance added another chapter to the ongoing discussion about how artists in the culture and entertainment space use body art to communicate personal narratives and artistic evolution.
In reflecting on the process, MGK emphasized that his approach to the blackout tattoo was driven by a desire to rethink the human skin as a canvas. The conversation with Hudson touched on the tension between pain and expression, a balance that has characterized MGK’s career as he moves between music, fashion, and bold, uncompromising visuals. As fans continue to follow his work, the tattoo stands as a defining symbol of his willingness to push boundaries in pursuit of personal and artistic redesign.