“Black Ink Crew” is a reality TV series focused more on personal drama than tattoo artistry, but that’s okay among its biggest fans. “Black Ink Crew: New York” is currently in its ninth season. The show is so popular it has two spin-off series: “Black Ink Crew: Chicago” and “Black Ink Crew: Compton.” Black Ink tattoo studios are owned and operated by black artists, but they cater to anyone who’s looking for a unique way to express themselves.
Here’s all the latest news and info we have about the “Black Ink Crew: New York” series and the people who make the show so engrossing to watch.
Main “Black Ink Crew: New York” Cast Members
David “Ceaser” Emanuel is the star of the show as he’s the owner of the Black Ink brand and its original tattoo shop in Harlem, New York. Ceaser has starred in all nine seasons of “Black Ink: New York,” but the rest of the show’s cast has varied from season to season. Most cast members have rotated between guest, supporting, or starring roles throughout the show’s run.
Ceaser Emanuel
The main cast members of “Black Ink Crew” TV series include the following people who star as themselves:
Crystana “Dutchess” Lattimore:
Dutchess was a show regular for the first five seasons of “Black Ink Crew.” She left the show after her contract expired and hasn’t made an appearance since.
Richard “O’Shit” Duncan:
O’Shit was another regular tattoo artist on the show from seasons one through five, but he’s only had a guest or supporting role from season six to today.
Alex Estevez:
Alex was the tattoo studio’s receptionist in seasons one and two. She was replaced by the end of season two by Sky Days.
Paul “Puma” Robinson:
Puma is the former public relations manager for Black Ink who appears throughout all nine seasons. He’s also the owner of Art2Ink studios, a premium body art shop in New York City.
Ashley Nicole “Sassy” Bermudez:
Ashley Nicole, known as Sassy, was the manager of Black Ink in Harlem. She’s now the manager of Art2Ink.
JaKeita “Sky” Days:
Sky became the receptionist at Black Ink in season two and stayed with the crew through season eight. She also was the manager of Black Ink in Atlanta.
Teddy Ruks:
Ted’s real name is Shariff Homer, and he was an assistant manager at Black Ink. He’s also Ceaser’s cousin.
Donna Marie Lombardi:
Donna is a tattoo artist and piercer who was apprenticed to Ceaser and Dutchess. Her birth name is Taylor Pinckney. Donna quit the show in season nine, and she now works for Art2Ink.
Melody Mitchell:
Melody was one of the main tattoo artists at Black Ink and also was the manager of the shop for a time.
Walter Miller:
Walt was an assistant manager at Black Ink for the past nine seasons.
Young Bae:
Young made her way to NYC from Seoul, South Korea, at a young age and landed a job as a tattoo artist. She had no tattoo experience but her artistic talent led to success. She’s currently a tattoo artist at Black Ink and also owns her own shop, Diamond Tattoos, in Times Square.
Karis “Miss Kitty” Phillips:
Miss Kitty was the brand ambassador for Black Ink. Her job was to positively represent the shop to bring in new business.
Tatiana “Tatti” Ritter:
Tatti is the current manager of Black Ink.
Supporting Cast Members of “Black Ink Crew”
Spyder:
He’s a new member of the show who specializes in cover-up tattoo artistry.
Krystal Kills:
She’s a returning and highly skilled tattoo artist.
Rok:
Rok, also known as Rokmatic, returns to the show as a tattoo artist.
Alex:
He’s a fantastic tattoo artist at Black Ink. He’s also Donna’s boyfriend.
Quani Robinson:
Quani is the supportive wife of Puma, the owner of Art2Ink.
Jadah Blue:
Jadah, a former boxer, served as the tattoo parlor’s receptionist during seasons 6 and 7 of “Black Ink Crew.”
Kevin Laroy:
Raised in Dallas Texas, Kevin moved to New York to fulfill a lifetime goal of being a tattoo artist in NYC. He served as a tattoo artist on “Black Ink Crew” during seasons 5 and 6 and guest-starred during season 7.
Additional season nine guest and supporting actors include Mama Bae, Jessica Miller, Crystal Torres, Euni Ruks, Vanity, Desiree, Suzette Samuel, and Van Johnson.
Who Is the CEO of “Black Ink Crew?”
David “Ceaser” Emanuel is the CEO of Black Ink tattoo studios. He was born in The Bronx on June 5, 1979, and studied graphic arts in school. Caesar is a tattoo artist who’s starred in “Black Ink Crew” since 2013. In addition to the Harlem shop, Black Ink tattoo studios are located in the following cities:
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Brooklyn, New York
- Houston, Texas
- Orlando, Florida
In season nine, Ceaser and the Black Ink Crew are dealing with the pandemic and its effects on their work and personal lives. Caesar relocates to Atlanta for part of the season with his girlfriend, Suzette.
Are Ceaser Emanuel and Dutchess Lattimore Still Together?
Caeser and Dutchess are no longer engaged to be married. He called their breakup the most defining loss of his life in an episode of the Rare Knomads podcast as it propelled him to make big changes in his life and to his business. Caesar shared how he became more independent and learned to grow his tattoo empire. He opened a new shop in Atlanta just three months after their split in 2016.
Where Is Dutchess Lattimore Now?
Dutchess Latimore had a difficult time on and off the show as she struggled with relationship drama and mental health issues. She’s now doing very well in her home state as the owner of Pretty-N-Ink in Charlotte, North Carolina.
How Many Seasons and Episodes of “Black Ink Crew” Are There?
“Black Ink Crew” was produced by Big Fish Entertainment from 2013 to 2020. MTV Entertainment Studios helped produce the show from 2021 to the present. Executive producers from VH1 are also on board, so it’s very much a collaborative effort.
“Black Ink Crew: New York” is in its ninth season and has aired more than 100 episodes. The first half of season nine premiered on April 19, 2021, and ran until June 2021. The second half of the season began on February 21, 2022.
Where Can You Watch “Black Ink Crew?”
New episodes of “Black Ink Crew: New York” are usually broadcast weekly on the VH1 channel. Check TV Guide to view upcoming episodes or access one of the following streaming services:
- VH1
- Netflix
- Apple TV
- Hulu
- YouTube TV
- Sling TV
- fuboTV
- BET+
- Paramount+
- Philo
- Vudu
- Google Play
- Amazon Prime Video
- The Roku Channel
Some subscriptions or purchases may be required to view all episodes of “Black Ink Crew.” Full episodes and extra clips are also available to watch after downloading the VH1 app on certain devices.
About “Black Ink Crew: Chicago”
“Black Ink Crew: Chicago” is the first spin-off of the original New York series. It has seven seasons with a total of 100 episodes available to watch. The Chicago series began in 2015 and follows the crews and loved ones of two tattoo studios, 9MAG, and 2nd City Ink. Season seven main cast members include:
- Ryan Henry: a tattoo artist and the owner of 9MAG.
- Charmaine Walker Bey: the owner of 2nd City Ink.
- Don Brumfield: a piercer and tattoo studio manager.
- Phor Robinson: also known as Corey Brumfield, a tattoo artist, and Don’s brother.
- Miss Kitty: the brand ambassador and brand manager for 2nd City Ink who also appeared in seasons five to eight of the NYC series fulfilling the same role for Black Ink.
Season seven of “Black Ink Crew: Chicago” ended on December 6, 2021. We’re still waiting on news about a season eight release date. Episodes and more are available for free on VH1 or for a fee through any of the TV show providers mentioned above.
About “Black Ink Crew: Compton”
“Black Ink Crew: Compton” is the second spin-off of the original series. It first aired in 2019, and then the pandemic delayed the filming and release of a season two. New episodes finally made it to viewers on February 21, 2022, when season two premiered. The show’s two seasons chronicle the happenings at the city of Compton’s first-ever tattoo shop, InkArtMusic Compton, throughout 20 episodes.
Owner Danny “KP” Kirkpatrick is the star of the series as the owner of IAM Compton and a tattoo artist in his own right. LeMeir Mitchell, Nessie Blaze, and Ink Drippin’ (Christian Thomas) are other tattoo artists at IAM Compton featured on the show. Additional main and supporting cast members include:
- Vudu Dahl: a tattoo apprentice.
- Tim Simmons: the shop manager and KP’s cousin.
- Barbie (Erica Thompson): the receptionist.
- Danielle Emani: LeMeir’s girlfriend and business partner.
- Star Divine: the shop manager and KP’s other business partner.
- Kyla Pratt: a silent partner of IAM Compton, an actress, and KP’s girlfriend.
“Black Ink Crew: Compton” is available to stream today.
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With an original series and two spin-off shows, it’s easy to see the “Black Ink Crew” reality show has captured the interest of many viewers. We hope you’ve found the info you were looking for about the show’s cast members and where to view episodes. With more than 200 episodes total, there’s plenty of drama and tattoo artistry to enjoy.
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(images courtesy of VH1)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
