Machine Gun Kelly Explains Matching Tattoo Mishap With Travis Barker

Machine Gun Kelly has explained what went down after his and pal Travis Barker's very awkward matching tattoo blunder last month.

Last month, MGK – real name Colson Baker – announced he was changing the title of his upcoming sixth studio album from Born with Horns to Mainstream Sellout. Of course, people change their minds all the time, but awkwardly for the star, he and Blink-182 drummer Barker had already got matching tattoos of the original phrase together.

The friends got inked on their forearms after celebrating their second collaboration together following 2020's Tickets to My Downfall, leaving MGK to have to break the news to Barker over the mishap. And in true celebrity fashion, he recorded the entire thing for TikTok.

Explaining the pair were 'so hyped' for getting inked, MGK revealed to Ellen DeGeneres this week that the tats were somewhat on a whim after the pair recorded their track together. It soon became very awkward, though, when MGK realised just mere weeks later that he wanted to change the name of the forthcoming album.

'A couple of moths later I was like 'Oh that's definitely not the name of the album anymore', and I couldn't bring myself to tell Travis because I knew he had the tattoo,' he told the host. 'I bet he wondered too, like, why, because every day I'd be around him I'd be on edge of my seat all stiff, like, and nothing came out 'cause I was just waiting for the right vibe.'

MGK and Travis Barker's matching tattoos (@machinegunkelly/Instagram)

He added: 'And then one day he was just laughing and I was like, 'Oh this is a great moment'... we were having a great time, I was like, 'Hey man you should come sit next to me really quick and then I pressed record on my phone'.

The clip in question, posted on MGK's socials, began with the star cryptically asking Barker: 'We’re friends no matter what, right?', before breaking the news to the drummer, who appeared to just laugh the whole thing off.

Kelly, who is engaged to Megan Fox, later confirmed on Twitter that Born with Horns was still the title of the first song, which probably eased the burn a little bit. But given Barker is literally covered in ink, he didn't seem to mind too much anyway.

When asked by DeGeneres whether the pair would get the new album name tattooed, MGK responded: 'Maybe wait for release day... but I'm sure we'll get it tattooed just to bring it full circle.'

Mainstream Sellout – which is said to have a more 'guitar-heavy' feel than his previous work – is yet to have an official release date but is expected to be released some time this year.

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