BLACK INK CREW NEW YORK RECAP: TEN YEARS IN THE MAKING
By Sidra Lackey
Black Ink Crew New York season 10 opens with Ceaser Emmanuel, Black Ink CEO, contemplating his 10 year anniversary of opening the first Black Ink tattoo shop in Harlem, New York. He says, “10 years ago we all came together ‘cause we shared a dream to get out the hood. Yeah we fought, we struggled, but we all knew what the dream was. But I’m still hungry, yo. I see there’s even higher mountains I have to climb. These next couple months are gonna make or break Black Ink and determine who's gonna be here at the end.”
Fast forward to June 2022, as headlines hit hard of Ceaser shockingly caught on camera, allegedly abusing one of his dogs.
VH1 issues an immediate statement: “VH1 has chosen to cut ties with Ceaser Emmanuel. The following episode was filmed before this decision was made.”
Rewind to March 2022 before any of the above happened yet.
Ceaser is excited, getting ready to celebrate the momentous milestone of celebrating 10 years of building Black Ink into a multi-million dollar empire. Awaiting their boss’ arrival at a party (that has a “pimp theme” with all the Black Ink Crew members’ names bejeweled on fancy goblets) and decked out in “pimp attire” is Black Ink Crew’s familiar faces: Puma (& Quani), Ted, Tatti, Young Bae, Alex, Krystal, Rok and Spyder. Ceaser is the last to arrive, dressed excessively in all white, including a fur coat and hat, with his beautiful girlfriend (at the time, realtor Suzette Samuel).
Ceaser thanks his employees graciously telling them, “It’s 10 years in the making. We went from a small shop on 113th to several shops and more on the way… I’m proud of us. And let’s get another 10 years in…" He adds in a clip after the party, “In order to spread the success you gotta spread responsibility. Listen, it ain’t about me, it’s about elevating the next generation. And pushing the OGs even higher. My day ones are my foundation. And this next generation are hungry and ready to take over the world.”
The next day after the anniversary party, it’s back to work and tattooing at Black Ink Brooklyn. Tatti is now an apprentice. She swears she will be, “the best damn apprentice” Black Ink ever had and how she is not afraid to work hard. She explains that later when she revisits the conversation with Ceaser about having her own Black Ink, the only answer he can give her is, yes. Bux, who is almost done with his apprenticeship at Black Ink, tells her to clean the bathroom. Spyder, one of the newest Black Ink members agrees, pointing out, “any apprentice that has been taught by someone has cleaned the bathroom. The bathroom is the rite of passage.” Tatti grudgingly cleans the bathroom.
Ceaser comes into the shop to see how Bux is doing with his tattoo, a rose with the word, blessed on it. Bux only has shading left to do and Ceaser inspects it and tells him it looks, “pretty good” but that he’s going to show him how to shade correctly. He shows Bux how to “bring out dimension” so the tattoo starts “to look 3D.” Bux follows his lead and finishes where Ceaser left off. Once he’s done, Ceaser asks the client does she like her tattoo. She does. He declares to a grinning Bux, “you are no longer AP, you are a tattoo artist.” He also mentions there’s going to be a graduation ceremony, “to showcase what’s good with Black Ink and what needs to change.”
Puma and Quani are seen at their home discussing the “cool” Black Ink anniversary party. Puma remarks that Ceaser is always about business and not everyone can put, “that much energy” into the Black Ink brand like him and that Ceaser’s determination makes him blind to everything else going on. Quani says that Ceaser has to be understanding to what’s happening around him. When she mentions Indianapolis Black Ink, Puma admits he’s never been there and Ceaser is probably, “feeling a way.” He says it’s not on his radar as he has the Brooklyn shop, his own shop Art 2 Ink, plus a whole family to worry about. He cryptically says he doesn’t like leaving Quani alone with their two children. He tells her his energy needs to be put into his family. Quani responds, “that’s your responsibility” and that he needs to talk to Ceaser about it.
Ted and his wife (an IG model) Euni go on a romantic date complete with flower petals spread on the floor. He asks her opinion on a family issue, if he should reconnect with his older brother who went to jail when he was 9, for 25 years and has been home for 2 years. Euni listens and encourages him to reach. Ted says smitten, “she totally gets me, always gives me the real.”
Meanwhile, Ceaser is on a call with his assistant Breezy who says she’s missing numbers from Black Ink Milwaukee and Black Ink Indianapolis. Ceaser is livid, saying the numbers, “is how I tell how much each shop makes, minus expenses and without those numbers it's like flying a plane blindfolded. Great way to crash and burn.” When his assistant says bills are also overdue he really goes off and says, “at this stage in the game, this is not how it's supposed to be.” He complains how Teddy and Puma let him down, “time and time and time again. We’re 10 years in and nowhere near done. So why are my OGs acting like it's time to lay back and chill? WTF is up with that?”
Ceaser soon visits rapper/entrepreneur Dave East’s store in Harlem to tattoo him and to get advice. The advice he gets is how East dealt with keeping or letting go of “day ones.” He says, “Talking to East I had to understand that shit. I ain’t the only one who goes through it. It’s almost that everybody that gets to a certain stature in their life, has to feel the same.” He does an Indian chief on East (for his father’s mother being Native American) that East thought needed to be “brought to life.” Ceaser says, “I don’t regularly touch other people’s work but for you, I’ll do it.” He tattoos East and East thinks the tattoo that now includes the color red is, “fire.”
The next time Ceaser visits Black Ink Brooklyn, he calls a meeting or a “time out” and declares he can’t keep letting Ted and Puma get off the way they’ve been getting off any longer.
He thanks Alex for touring every shop and being at every Black Ink event. He says he’s proud of him for being, “a great example of what the future holds for Black Ink.” A beaming Alex tells Ceaser he appreciates his words. Ceaser has choice words for the rest of Black Ink Brooklyn seriously saying, “Some put in blood sweat and tears and others have been half-assing through the 10 years. Think about if everybody put 100%? At the end of the day we ain’t that small shop on 113th no more. We’re a growing franchise. No more cruising through it. It’s gotta be Black Ink or nothing.” He tells them too that if the foundation is weak, he can’t open up, “in 50 states or go international.” He ends the meeting on the bleak note of, “some of us ain't gonna make it to that next 10 years. If your dreams ain’t to grow within the company or the brand then you’re in the wrong place.”
Ted does not seem to care what Ceaser has to say at the meeting and says that he’s not taking into consideration what everybody else has going on and it’s all about Ceaser. He and his older brother end up reconnecting in person and have a heart to heart. His brother admits their father, who Ted isn’t close with, helped him get through his prison time and hearing that made Ted respect their father a bit more. They promise to see each other again and Ted tells his brother emotionally, “I really need my big brother.”
Soon after, Ceaser holds at Black Ink Brooklyn, “The first Black Ink apprenticeship graduation” as self-proclaimed president and dean, of “Black Ink University. A street accredited institution of higher learning.” He thanks Bux and says he’s an example of what Black Ink’s future is going to be, “bringing up our own artists from ground up and building with them for years on. And hopefully one day building a Black Ink” with Bux. Bux thanks him as he gets his “degree” as a tattoo artist and shouts enthusiastically, “we want 10 years of Black Ink greatness!”
Ceaser announces the graduation is also an awards ceremony “The Inkies'' that is complete with small star awards. He says it’s time for PDP (public display of pettiness) since some people don’t seem to be getting the note about “the new Black Ink.”
Ceaser gives Puma an award for being “The Life of the Party” because he “acts like he’s 18 eventhough he’s turning 40.” Puma disagrees and says, “really? Have you not seen my life lately?” “Favorite Couch Sitter of The Decade” award Ceaser presents to Ted for being, “the person who may hold the Guinness Book of world record for couch sitting.” Ted says it’s a “bullshit award.” And last, Rok and Crystal are awarded “Two Most Likely To Succeed Using The Black Ink Brand And Opening Up Their Own Shop.” Crystal remarked, “WTF?” and Rok said he felt, “confused.” Ceaser tells them both, “If you eat off my plate, I need to eat off your plate.”
The last scene of the first episode of Black Ink Crew New York season 10 ends with Ceaser, Ted and Puma meeting up to talk. Ted says he doesn’t want to be at odds. Ceaser tells them they need to step up and how they’re slacking because the goal is to “do numbers like no one’s ever seen in the next ten years.” He mentions to Ted the Milwaukee figures and Ted asks him, “how is that on me?” Ceaser exclaims, “That’s your city!” He asks Puma does he know how much money his Indianapolis shop is missing and Puma says he knows. Ceaser says, “it’s no excuse” and both can do their own thing without Black Ink if they don’t pick up what they’re supposed to.
Puma then reveals the personal issue that he’s been dealing with in secret: his son is on the autism spectrum and how hard it’s been and he can’t leave his son. He tells Ceaser however, that he hears him and feels bad because knows he’s not doing his part. He starts to cry and apologizes for being “weird and emotional” but Ted tells him it’s not. Ceaser shows Puma sympathy and asks him, “Why didn’t you tell me bro? We’re supposed to be here for each other.” Ted says they’re brothers and that wasn’t the way to find that out. He continues on saying before Black Ink Crew New York’s season 10 first episode ends, “being poor kept us together. Money, fame, all this shit we got going on, it divided us. We gotta put it back together before we lose it all and all 3 of us is sitting here like, WTF did we do with this 10 years?”
The sneak peek trailer of Black Ink Crew New York season 10 shows the Black Ink members getting into new shangingans, fighting as per usual, gaining new artists, Ceaser firing artists and of course, the infamous firing of Ceaser himself. Tatti’s voice says solemnly at the end of the preview, “I don’t see how there’s Black Ink without Ceaser.”
Black Ink Crew New York season 10 seems like it will be entertaining like it always has been, but at the same time, dismal and disappointing because Black Ink fans already know how things unfortunately end for Ceaser. Think Before You Ink will be watching season 10 of Black Ink Crew New York with eyes wide open.