- It's a struggle... 'cause I've been feeling a way.
- You don't seem happy.
- 'Cause I'm not! I need a reset!
- This award goes to the two most-likely to succeed
using the Black Ink brand and opening up their own shop.
Rok and Krystal!
- I've been telling Cease about the shop.
Ask somebody if he okay with it and all that [bleep].
- So it wasn't a surprise?
- It wasn't a surprise.
He said he didn't want no parts in it.
- Krystal and Rok, we put 'em on a platform
and now they wanna sit here and say,
"Nah, we're not [bleep] with you.
We don't wanna break bread with you."
Once you go out that door, let the door hit you
where the good Lord split you.
- I told you I did a little tat the other day.
[Young Bae] - You tatted a real person?
Tatti, who told you you could tattoo a real person?
How many times you, uh, practice
before you actually did the tattoo?
- Maybe, like, five or six times.
- It's time for us to, you know,
start a new chapter in our life.
♪♪
[Krystal] - "I will be your Rok."
- I've got a little proposal for you.
Krystal Morales, will you be my wife?
- ♪ Hey ♪
♪ Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey ♪
♪ Hey, hey, hey ♪
♪ Drop, drop ♪
♪ Hey, hey, hey ♪♪
♪ All the pain and strife around me ♪
♪ Yeah in the heat of the night I might be ♪
♪ In the heat of the night I might be ♪♪
[knocking]
- Come in.
- Hey, girl. - Tatti!
- What's going on?
- Nothing. Just cleaning my machine.
I've been supportive of Tatti's apprentice journey
for a long time, but I feel that
she is not ready to tattoo nobody.
So I invited Tatti over to my shop
so we can have a one-on-one.
So what's going on?
I've got a little downtime and, you know,
you want to learn from me too, right?
- Yeah.
I know that Bae is super busy
between being at Black Ink, running her own business,
being a mother, taking care of Niko.
She really doesn't have a lot of free time to spare
and the fact that she's sparing for me... I'm grateful.
- I wanna see the tattoo you did.
Show me.
- This is the one I'm most proud of.
That's my first time trying color.
- This is old-school American style,
so the outline should have been thicker.
- Thicker, okay.
- Yeah, because that's the style--
- The style of the traditional. Yeah.
- Yeah, uh-huh.
This I learned the most.
- But let me tell you something. - Hmm?
- This line is gonna be gone. - You think so?
- No, I know so.
Tatti wants to be a legit tattoo artist, not just a wack one.
If Tatti is not gonna listen to me and just keep
tattooing on people, I'm just gonna be honest at least
and tell her what's wrong with her work
so she could fix it.
Tattooing is not just about tattooing,
you know, ink and needles-- no.
It's about learning, like, different types of skin--
- Yeah, no, I definitely felt the difference.
- To be honest, you have to practice more...
on the paper or, like, a fake skin first before that.
Since Tatti thinks she's ready to tattoo on skin,
I've got something for her ass--
a big-ass lesson today.
Because I've been doing this long enough to know
she ain't [bleep] ready.
Trace my line.
- Trace your line.
Ooh, [bleep]. Okay.
Ahh...
- Exactly.
[both laughing]
Exactly! You see that [bleep]?!
- Wow.
- Bitch, I knew you wasn't practicing [bleep].
Bitch, I told you to follow my lines.
No matter it's crooked, thick, thin, bitch,
do the same thing.
'Cause as a tattoo artist, that's what we have to do.
This customer's already cussing you out.
- [bleep]. - Come on.
- Do the same thing, the thickness and everything.
You know, you have to perfect your lines
before you touch any real skin,
because some people, they actually ask for
somebody's signature-- their mom.
You have to be able to create that for them.
You're gonna do this on a fake skin.
- Are you serious? - Yeah.
- I'm gonna let you use my station right here.
- Okay.
- It has to look the same when you're done.
- Okay.
- ♪ What they hitting for?
♪ Tell me what they hitting for? ♪
- I'm not the most patient person, believe it or not.
But one of my biggest fears is messing up a tattoo,
and it's looking real DEFCON 5 over here.
- ♪ Bigger they are ♪
- ♪ Tell me what they hitting for? ♪
♪ Tell me what they hitting for? ♪
- ♪ Harder they fall ♪
- ♪ Tell me what they hitting for? ♪
- Yo, this is hard. - Is it?
[Tatti] - I'm just gonna really focus on
practicing, watching videos,
and Bae always has good advice,
so of course I'm always gonna listen to her.
- ♪ Tell me what they hitting for? ♪♪
- Yeah, man, this is-- this was hard.
It was definitely difficult.
I feel like I lost all of this.
- You did.
- This swiggle [bleep]... that [bleep] was hard.
- Right, but, you know, people want that.
That was the whole point of this.
You know what I'm saying?
- Since my legal troubles have finally been over,
I feel like I have a weight lifted off my shoulders.
I can finally think about things that I didn't really
have the opportunity to think about before,
and I'm excited to just keep growing with the industry.
Well, I'm definitely not doing
nobody's mom's signature anytime soon.
Sorry.
- ♪ I run a winner, I run a winner ♪
♪ You see I'm getting there, you see I'm getting there ♪♪
[woman] - What do you have in here?
- Um, the pasta, some wine.
- So what's been going on, Quani?
- Dealing with the kids, Monster and Princess.
- Oh, liquor.
[Quani chuckling]
- Me and Puma have been working with a specialist with Zaiden,
and Puma's become better with balancing work life
and home life.
But it's been a rough couple of months for me
dealing with all of it and I'm feeling kind of lost.
- So how's everything at home?
- After what happened, you know, with me and Puma
having that big argument,
I realized I really need to figure myself out.
- What's wrong?
- I do not feel like I achieved anything.
I do not feel like I am a good role model for my children.
I need to build myself up.
- Wherever your journey leads you,
it has to be about your happiness.
Your happiness comes before anything
because you're no good to your children
or your husband... if you're not happy.
Right.
- I'm at this point now where I'm just gonna figure it out.
I'm trying to, you know, take a few steps to...
you know, to make that change.
- Therapy is a great thing because you're speaking to
someone who doesn't know you that doesn't have any judgement.
- Yeah, I-- you know, I don't see anything wrong with therapy,
but, you know, I don't open up like that to people.
I feel like I wanna take stuff that's gonna be more
actionable, you know, someone that's gonna help me succeed.
'Cause right now I feel insecure about where I'm going,
what my path is.
- Just because you're a mother and a wife,
that shouldn't stop what you wanna do, you know?
When you were growing up, I feel like you really didn't
see the struggles that I went through
because I tried to protect you from it.
And that might've been my mistake,
because I think, had you seen it,
then maybe you would've been able to handle things better.
- Growing up, I was, like, a little princess.
Like, I got everything I wanted.
- Right, you were sheltered.
- You know, I never saw a struggle, I never...
- Right. - ...went without.
- I worry about you all the time, Quani,
and I'm getting these grays...
but, I mean, I'm getting more grays--
but I'm getting more grays because I'm always worrying
and I'm always trying to save you from things.
But at this point, at your age, I can't save you anymore.
But I'm going to be there like always.
- I know, Mom.
I don't like opening up to people.
Not something I like to do.
But I realize that letting it out
is something that I actually need to do.
I'm gonna, you know, take the steps,
continue to make my mistakes, do what I have to do...
- Right.
- ...you know, take care of my family.
I love my husband, but sometimes talking to him
frustrates me even more because he just does not get it.
My mom, on the other hand, totally understands.
So thank you, Mommy, for always understanding me.
If I'm not good, you know, internally, how can I be good
for you and for the kids?
- Absolutely. - You ready to eat, Momma?
- I am ready.
♪♪
- ♪ It's time to kick open that door ♪
♪ Ain't knocking no more ♪
♪ I tried but just can't fight it ♪
♪ Coming over uninvited you shouldn't look so delighted ♪♪
- Yo.
[Ceaser] - Hello, fellas.
- What the [bleep] going on in here?
- It's freezing outside. What's this, though?
- Is this a dinner table in the shop?
- It looks nice, right?
Grab a plate, grab your seat.
We're eating.
- I'm-- I kind of nervous. I'm like...
- Nervous over what?
- There's no clients or anything.
There's a whole dinner table here.
This is crazy.
Typically, with a regular boss,
when the boss is cool, everything is good.
With Ceaser, it's the complete opposite.
The cooler he is, the hotter [bleep] is about to get.
- When it comes to eating, you know,
I'm a very generous boss, you know what I mean?
I let everybody eat.
- This probably ain't gonna end well.
[Ceaser] - Eat up, y'all.
- Hey, hey!
- Hey, Tatti. - Welcome.
- What is this?
- I know y'all haven't seen me in a very long time, but--
- Oh, you fancy. - Yeah.
- Ceaser called everybody in for a meeting...
Is this a mimosa?
- Yeah, grab yourself a mimosa too.
- ...but I wish I knew it was catered.
I literally just had dinner.
- Alex!
- What in the last supper is going on here?
- That's what it feels like!
- What's up with you, Alex? - What's going on, man?
[Tatti] - What's up?
- Yo, grab a plate.
We've got some mimosas back there.
- Join the party.
- What is this, the last supper?
- That's what I said!
- [bleep] stinks in here. It smells like mad bacon.
- And something weird going on,
we just trying to figure it out.
- Why is everybody nervous when I'm nice?
- I grew up in Brooklyn, B.
Somebody who smile at you and offer you [bleep]--
- They onto something. They've got ulterior motives.
[Spyder] - I'm scared.
- Why are you sitting all the way over there?
Sit over here, bro. Like, what's-- what's wrong?
- I don't wanna sit this close to you right now.
I've been-- listen, nah.
I saw Cease the other day and it went
exactly how I wanted it to go.
We got a lot of things off our chest,
and I'm happy we can move forward now.
But a picnic table in the middle of the shop?
What is this, the last supper?
Whatever's going on right now is not gonna end well.
- Two more seats.
Is there, like, a surprise special guest?
[Ted] - Oh, [bleep].
- Oh, God.
- Go ahead, man, you're rubbing your hands.
Get it out.
- This table is kind of a symbol of what I've been going through.
- Yeah, but what happened to Rok and Krystal?
Nobody heard from them?
- The last time I heard, they was on their way.
♪♪
- I can't say this in any nice way,
so I'm just gonna say how I know how to say it.
[bleep] ain't eating off Black Ink table
if I can't eat off their table.
♪♪
And that's just period. You feel me?
[Tatti] - Oh, I get it.
Ceaser's being real vague
but it's obvious that he's talking about Rok and Krystal.
- At the end of the day,
that [bleep] ain't fair to me no more.
If my house ain't in order,
I can't put the rest of my shops in order.
Look, [bleep] ain't respecting the fact that I called
an important meeting, yo.
- Krystal and Rok should definitely get here,
like, five minutes ago, uh,
because it's not really looking too good for them.
[Ceaser] - How long they been with us?
Two years?
- What's the next step,
especially with them missing this meeting?
- Where this [bleep] go is totally on them.
Everybody gotta bring something to the table, yo.
[bleep] don't wanna bring [bleep] to the table,
I'll replace them with somebody else.
[man] - Roks.
- Yeah!
Y'all found out early?
- Found what early?
- Oh, I thought y'all was celebrating us.
- Wait, what happened? - We're engaged.
♪♪
- My dream is to build a franchise
with the mother[bleep] that I came up with
or that's within my company.
It's either you're going with me...
or you're gonna be my competition.
If you ain't Black Ink, what is you?
- Come on in.
Ready for your first Reiki session?
[Quani] - I feel like I'm in a womb.
It's a bit different.
I don't know if I expected this.
- Why you looking all down and out?
It-- it's too late for that.
It already looks like that, bro.
♪♪
- Everybody gotta bring something to the table, yo.
[bleep] don't wanna bring [bleep] to the table,
I'll replace them with somebody else.
[man] - Roks.
- Yeah!
Y'all found out early?
- Found what early?
- Oh, I thought y'all was celebrating us.
- Wait, what happened? - We're engaged.
- Y'all are engaged? - Yeah, we're engaged.
[Tatti screaming]
- I really don't like the look that Ceaser got on right now.
So I'm just gonna focus on the good news.
- Will you marry me, baby?
Yeah?
Baby, don't do no fake [bleep].
- I know, I know I said it was too fast.
But I feel like we already got the shop together
and we live together
and for our engagement I feel like we have time
to kind of work everything through.
And, you know, we love each other.
Bottom line.
- Where's the ring?
[Ted] - There's no ring.
- Um, the ring that I got her
I had to upgrade it a little bit, so it's at the-- the store.
- What? - [Tatti laughing]
- You know my boo's spontaneous
and he wasn't even supposed to propose,
so he actually did it with a promise ring.
So he took that promise ring back to, you know, fix it.
Add a couple karats.
'Cause I've gotta see the [bleep] from far away
for it to be a good ring.
It's only supposed to be one time,
so you've gotta do it right.
- You guys are getting married?
[Tatti squealing]
- Congratulations, you two. - Congratulations.
- Yeah.
I kind of feel bad for Rok and Krystal right now.
'Cause they think this is a celebration,
and this is no celebration, baby.
This looks like a wake.
[Ceaser] - Well, even though,
you know what I mean, y'all just getting here,
this right here is the metaphor for Black Ink.
The problem here is everybody
is eating off this table that's called Black Ink,
but nobody's really putting back into Black Ink.
Going further... I'm no longer allowing certain [bleep].
Now, I talked to y'all at the graduation.
I said something to y'all.
I heard y'all didn't take it very kindly.
- Listen, when Rok originally talked to Ceaser,
we offered to make it a Black Ink New Jersey.
But for whatever reason, Ceaser let us do our thing.
Ceaser...
- Yes, ma'am.
- We've known that we've benefited from the brand.
I do well and I don't mind sharing.
And we're still willing to partner with Ceaser,
but I feel like Gods of Ink is our baby,
and we're not willing to drop the name.
What if we did Black Ink presents Gods of Ink?
- Oh, that works.
- Nah.
I don't have no Black Ink like that.
This is a conflict of interest.
You feel me?
I'm not firing y'all or trying to make y'all quit,
but y'all have to make a decision.
[Krystal] - I don't know what he wants.
Rok over here not saying [bleep].
It's like, what am I gonna do?
I already extended myself.
If you don't want no part, then it is what it is.
But what about Bae? Why can she have her own shop?
- We can just keep it 100.
Bae has her own little tuck-away,
and me and Bae already has an agreement.
If she had a big storefront, Bae wouldn't be around here.
[Rok] - But that's everybody's dream
to have-- every tattoo artist's dream to have their own studio.
- And I applaud you on that,
but my dream is to build a franchise
with the mother[bleep] that I came up with
or that's within my company.
This is what I'm saying.
It's either you're going with me...
or you're gonna be my competition.
If you ain't Black Ink, what is you?
But we've gotta figure this [bleep] out.
I ain't trying to [bleeps] up. You know what I mean?
Look like I [bleep] up your celebration.
I ain't try and do that. I still applaud y'all.
Y'all gonna have a happy little family.
But y'all better figure out your [bleep] future.
Y'all have a good night!
And please don't leave a mess.
- Watching Krystal and Ceaser right now deal with business,
I can kind of tell that Krystal
is not the best negotiator on the planet.
Of course Ceaser wasn't gonna take the first offer.
This is a negotiation.
[Spyder] - Who's supposed to clean
this [bleep] up?
- I don't know. One of y'all.
I brought the food here.
- So Rok and Krystal have to go back to the drawing board,
think about another counter offer,
and just come back to Ceaser about the whole
Black Ink/God of Ink kind of franchising.
- That [bleep] killed my whole happiness.
- But y'all are engaged, so focus on, you know...
- The moment's been ruined.
- Nah, I think y'all maybe just need to have a one-on-one and...
Everybody's trying to grow right now.
You know what I'm saying?
And sometimes it's okay if
people grow in different directions.
- All right, so I-- I quit. I quit.
Please let everybody know.
Rok, you do what the [bleep] you want with your life.
I honestly feel like I don't have it in me
to let Ceaser treat me this way.
So I'm gonna just do what I've gotta do and just step away.
And hopefully my actions from the shop show Ceaser
how important I am to Black Ink.
♪♪
- [bleep].
♪♪
- ♪ Yeah I say who are you, who are you? ♪
♪ Look deep down inside to get a real view ♪
♪ Deep down inside to get the real you ♪
♪ Always down to get the real just keep it real too ♪♪
[Quani] - Hello.
- Hi, how are you? I'm Erica.
- Quani. - Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you as well.
- You ready for your first Reiki session?
- I am. - Okay, great.
- Honestly, I'm not ready to go to a therapist,
but I'm open to other forms of healing.
This family does not exist without me,
and right now I don't have a lot to give,
and I'm worried.
- Let's start off by chitchatting a little bit.
So if you want to sit on the blanket and get comfortable.
- I'll bring it on over.
- So why did you come out for a Reiki treatment today?
- I have a lot of anxiety, I'm going through a depression,
so I just need something to just, like,
bring the good energy back to me.
- Have you had Reiki before?
- I've never had it before, no.
- So, Reiki's a Japanese energy therapy
that helps you to relax and promotes healing,
so you're using your own healing power,
your own energy, and I'm just essentially a vessel--
- So we're working together... - Yeah.
- ...in the process? Okay.
- So whenever you're ready, just get comfortable.
You can lay down if you like.
So our focus for today's session is clarity.
- Clarity, yes.
I feel like I'm in a womb.
I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing,
but, um, it's a bit different.
I don't know if I expected this.
♪♪
- Visualize a beautiful silver light
being cascaded from the top of your head,
beaming down.
This time is about you... and what you want.
- I have my-- my fears.
- You've gotta let it go. - Of course.
- Because the same way we live in New York,
we can live down here.
I do not want to set my roots up there.
I've been up there for 34 years, I'm good.
[Erica] - And clearing out.
Blockages and thoughts may arise, and they're okay.
- I can't-- I can't be everything
for you guys if I have nothing to give.
And right now I don't feel like I have anything to give.
- Essentially doing similar positions.
We're working with your back body.
- I've been wanting to move to Atlanta since I was a teenager.
- Yeah, they still have to develop the land and everything,
so it's like I'm overwhelmed.
- It's very frustrating, actually.
All of a sudden, you're backtracking.
[Erica] - Clearing up any
stagnant areas.
- I definitely forgot about me.
What have I personally achieved for myself?
I want to have a job. I want a retirement plan.
Doing stuff like that,
makes me feel like I'm achieving something and working.
- So whenever you're ready, let's start getting up
and come to a comfortable seated position.
- Oh, I needed that.
As Erica's working on me, trying to get me out of my head,
I can't help but think about how I keep making compromise
after compromise for my family.
I just need to make my needs a priority.
- Maybe you don't have time to meditate,
but you have time to check in with yourself,
'cause we're busy checking in with everybody else.
- Right. And that's the problem.
I need time to check in with myself.
Reiki was interesting.
It feels good to hear Erica validate
everything that I've been having a hard time communicating.
I've been losing myself taking up for everybody else.
And now I'm even more motivated to find out what comes next.
- Most of your eggs are healthy.
Quantity-- that's what can vary from one person to the next.
- So what level am I at for quantity?
- So it's lower than average. - [Young Bae gasping]
- You missed the meeting.
- What happened? - People got fired.
- What? - No one quits on me.
♪♪
- ♪ Whatever it takes, whatever it takes ♪
♪ That's what I'm used to, that's what I'm used to ♪
♪ 'Cause second place, second place ♪
♪ That's the first loser ♪♪
[Puma] - Tamia, grab your brother.
Don't walk up the slide that way.
I'm trying to be respectful for Quani's journey,
so I'm out here at the park with the kids, you know,
to give her a little time,
do her thing so she can focus on herself.
And I don't know who said it
but they wasn't lying when they said,
"Happy wife, happy life."
[cellphone ringing]
Why you looking all down and out?
Nah, man, it wasn't even like that, man.
It's just, you know, a situation that was going on at hand.
- I was shocked on what happened the other night.
Like, Ceaser really couldn't pull me to the side
to have a conversation in private?
Puma already went through the same [bleep]
that me and Ceaser are going through right now,
so I might as well try to get some type of advice off of him.
- You've gotta understand where Cease is coming from.
Like, I guess you just starting a business,
you'll start to understand as you keep progressing.
Just think about it like this, right?
You guys were working in the Black Ink brand.
You guys are working in the store on 125th,
y'all guys are working in Brooklyn,
and for you guys to open up a shop yourselves,
it's understanding there's a conflict of interest.
You probably-- but, see, you know what, Rok?
You probably didn't say it in a way that he understood you.
You come with a paper, gameplan,
a whole concept, everything down, or you just said it?
Come on, man. Come on.
You know that man has a million other things going on.
You know, you've got to really
be professional with the [bleep].
Krystal and Rok have to understand that after
Cease's announcement, things have changed.
[Ceaser] - So I want everybody old
and new to hear this right now.
If your dreams ain't to grow within the company
or the brand, then you're in the wrong place, homey.
- Whatever agreement that Krystal and Rok
thought they had with Ceaser, that [bleep] died.
So I'm trying to help Rok out so he can understand that
this is not gonna work out the way
he thinks it's gonna work out.
I'm just trying to be a friend, baby.
And it's too late for that. It already looks like that, bro.
You've been part of the brand
and then all of a sudden you open up another shop
that has nothing to do with the brand.
It kind of looks like that already.
Even when I opened up Art2Ink,
I wasn't part of the Black Ink brand.
I was on my own.
Years later.
My shop was-- I was gone from the brand,
did my own thing years later and came back.
I would tell you to go and sit
and have an actual conversation, an actual gameplan.
If you don't present it, like, here, paperwork,
look at all this, this is it,
he's not gonna pay you no attention.
I feel for Rok and Krystal right now, man,
because I understand what it is to be on your own
and trying to start a new brand.
But at the same time, I know Rok and Krystal,
and I don't know if Ceaser is really gonna wanna
go into business with them, or if it's even a smart idea.
And I say this with love.
Take care of your business right
and just be professional with [bleep].
You got this.
Zaiden, you gotta go potty?
- ♪ Wake up and grind get what's mine ♪
♪ See that shine stay in line huh ♪♪
- Hey, Tatti, the floor's looking kind of dirty.
Can you mop it, please?
[Alex coughing]
- AP, that's what I'm talking about, Bux!
That's what I'm talking about, Bux!
[Alex] - Yup, that's right, Bux.
- No problem. - Thank you.
- That's good sportsmanship, Tatti.
- Thank you, Tatti, thank you!
[Spyder] - Oh, man.
- I get it. I know.
You think I've never told an AP to mop,
clean the bathroom or whatever?
I'm aware of what apprentices do.
- But don't forget who I am. - Come here real quick, Bux.
- I wanna tell you something. Come here.
- No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no...
- What you need? - [all laughing]
- All right, this is a little too much.
You don't need to be an asshole.
- Hi, everybody.
- Young Bae! - Young Bae in this bitch!
[Spyder] - Young Bae!
- You missed the meeting. - What happened?
- People got fired. - What?
- No, nobody got fired, nobody got fired.
- People quit, people didn't get fired.
[Young Bae] - Quit?
- Yeah, people quit. - Who quit?
- Krystal quit and Rok just stood here confused.
[all laughing]
♪♪
[Krystal] - Oh, can I have a seat?
- Thank you. - Yes, please do.
- Talk to me, beloved.
- I done quit. Like, for real.
- Tell me what happened.
- We show up to Brooklyn.
Ceaser got, like, this spread out.
Me and Rok were breaking to everybody
that we got engaged and [bleep].
- Hold on, Linda. - Right.
- Yes, um, we got engaged.
- Yes, it's a ring. - When?!
- I don't have the ring on me. That's the problem.
That's why I didn't wanna tell you yet.
He's getting it upgraded.
- My heart.
- But, like, he pretty much came at me and Rok.
- Just like that? That's like an ambush.
- I was in a lion's den. That's what it felt like.
Everybody was mute. They weren't saying nothing.
And he's like, "I want a percentage of Gods of Ink."
I don't want Ceaser to feel like I'm trying to eat off his brand.
- Hey! - Hi, Ceaser!
- How are you guys doing?
- We were just talking about you.
Everything good?
- Yeah, that's why everybody went quiet, huh?
What... what was the good thing?
- We were just, uh...
- Have you heard anything after you left?
[Ceaser] - What-- heard what?
- Krystal wanted me to tell you that she quit.
- Quit?
How did she say she's quitting?
Like, she's just like, "Oh, [bleep] that, I'm quitting"?
- No, she was-- she was upset. - Uh-huh.
- The way that she feels is like, you know,
she really do be working at Black Ink.
She's honest and she's loyal was, like,
the point that she was trying to make.
♪♪
- If anybody shows any kind of interest of Black Ink,
I make sure I bring them here.
And I feel like everyone has a shop.
Why is this one so different?
- You've brought me clients from Gods of Ink.
- I've never in my life steered a client from leaving Black Ink
and going to Gods of Ink.
If you even show the slightest interest,
I make sure I direct you that way.
And, you know, it's super confusing
that my loyalty is being questioned
when I only take one day at my shop
and the rest of the time I'm at Black Ink.
And I don't know where Ceaser's at with any of this
'cause he hasn't even reached out after the dinner.
What's the issue?
If you-- if you want me more time,
I'm willing to give you that.
[Young Bae] - What do you want from them?
- Either change your shop name or keep it pushing.
- Yeah.
- I don't mind maybe pairing up and being like,
Black Ink presents Gods of Ink.
If he would've shown an interest in the beginning,
we wouldn't have had this issue right now.
- Like, you don't wanna feel, um, undervalued
and he doesn't wanna feel played.
- Yeah, but him giving me that ultimatum
is like you're ready--
you're more than willing to get rid of me.
You know, I'm that disposable.
[Ted] - What's the next step?
What if she really, like, just quit?
Then see you later?
- Let me think about it. Nah, man.
I don't wanna be moving out of spite.
- I told Rok what to do
and he doesn't understand that this is the moment right now.
Time is of the essence.
[Ceaser] - She said that [bleep]
to Tatti. I don't care, man.
If you quit, you quit. You're here, you're here.
But at the end of the day, no one quits on me.
- We pass a needle transvaginally
through the vaginal skin to poke right into the ovary--
- Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait...
Wait, you're gonna go from outside?
- Like-- like that?
♪♪
- I'm here today to get that tat, I'm ready.
- Which one?
- The gator tat that I told you about.
- So what? You're ready today?
- Yeah, definitely. Try and knock it out real quick.
- All one session. - All one session.
- What's this tattoo mean to you, though?
Like, I always know you'll be [bleep] with
the alligator emoji and all that but--
- The-- the gator is cool, calm, collective.
Until you start [bleep] with a [bleep], I start snapping.
- Know what I mean? - [bleep].
- You know, during my time away from Black Ink,
I've been trying to keep busy, you know,
dealing with some appointments, getting some sketches done,
you know, just trying to keep my mind off of what just happened.
All right, come on, let's go, bro.
- ♪ Can't choose a side ♪
♪ I, I, I ♪
- Every since that dinner at Black Ink,
everything's been taking a turn for the worse.
I thought Krystal was gonna think about what Ceaser said,
but I didn't think she was gonna quit right there on the spot.
This [bleep] is just starting some whole new bull[bleep].
- ♪ They told me it would be like this, like this ♪
♪ They told me to take the right risks, right risks ♪
♪ They told me to pick a sidekick, sidekick ♪
♪ But they ain't tell me that I might miss, might miss ♪
[Rok] - I've always been Black Ink,
I always looked up to Ceaser,
but right now I feel like me just trying to boss up
is making him looking at me like I'm a traitor and [bleep].
- ♪ So tell me which way do I go? ♪
♪ 'Cause I don't know anymore ♪♪
[Rok] - I'm in a tough spot,
'cause now I'm feeling like I have to either choose
the job or my girl.
Like, this is the job of my dreams,
but this is also the girl of my dreams,
so I don't even know which dream I'm supposed to chase.
Puma's really the only one that tries to give me good advice,
and it seems like he dealt with Ceaser for a long time,
so, hey, I'm going with him.
Will Ceaser give me another shot
to make things right with Black Ink?
I don't know.
But I know I definitely gotta have a conversation with him.
All right, bro. You're finished.
[man] - This [bleep] is [bleep] fire.
Damn, Rok.
Yeah, I [bleep] with this.
- ♪ Now please tell me hook on Jenny ♪
♪ Top-tick chica all these dudes gonna press me ♪
♪ I don't need nobody I can do it on my... ♪
♪ On my do it on my ♪
♪ Do it on my, do it on my, do it on my, do it on my ♪♪
- Hello. - Hi.
- Welcome to Extend. - How are you?
- Great, you? - Excited.
- When I was going through my legal troubles,
it was really hard to talk about life after
because I was so overwhelmed.
It was hard to think about anything else.
And I don't know if being a mom is in my future,
but to be able to even consider it feels so good.
[Young Bae] - How do they freeze your eggs?
- Hmm? - Is, like, it-- does it hurt?
- I don't know. Does it hurt?
- It depends. Usually, no.
- How do you do it? How do you get your egg out?
- It-- it's only done internal
but you take hormone injections first.
- Taking the step to become a mother is amazing.
Tatti has come a long way,
both in her personal life and professional life.
Being a mom was the greatest thing that ever happened
to me in my life.
- Hi, guys. - Doctor!
- Hi, nice to meet you. - Hello.
- Nice to meet you.
- Why don't you come with me and we'll-- we'll talk, okay?
- This is so exciting.
This is my second time here.
I have seen this doctor before to get some bloodwork done.
And I brought Bae today because, not for nothing,
she's a mom, so I feel like she would be able to ask
some questions that I may not even know to ask
and she's gonna keep it real-real with me.
- All right, so we're here to talk about your life, huh?
- Yes... yes.
- The fact that you're having this conversation
reflects your recognition that age matters
when it comes to fertility.
You're 33, you're young, so most of your eggs are healthy.
Your egg quality we basically know is good.
- Okay.
- And the other aspect-- quantity--
that's what can vary from one person to the next.
- So what level am I at for quantity?
- So it's lower than average. - [Young Bae gasping]
- But that doesn't mean anything terrible.
It just means that, you know--
- I've gotta freeze these eggs now.
- Now! - Maybe.
- Right now.
I can't say I'm not disappointed,
but, I mean, ultimately, this is the reason why I'm here,
because now that I have this information,
I can take the next steps and start planning my future.
- Egg freezing is not perfect.
So for each egg, there's only a five to 10% chance
on average that it works.
Yeah.
We try to get as many eggs as possible to grow at once.
- Okay.
- We have you start these hormone injections.
[Young Bae] - Oh...
- It's not the most fun two weeks of a woman's life.
I will definitely wanna sort of say that clearly.
One of the potential side effects
is mood side effects, right?
Just like some women get moody with their periods--
- I don't wanna be around you.
- I'm gonna have to come with a warning.
- You-- I'm gonna have to lock her up.
- You have to be the support person.
- Yeah, no, right? She's ditching me now already.
- I think Tatti would be an amazing mother.
I mean, she's already more chill than, you know,
how she used to be.
[woman] - Do not let the white woman
hold the whip!
- Shut the [bleep] up!
[women shouting]
What?!
[Young Bae] - And Tatti knows I'm a very
honest person, so when she, you know, started acting like
a [bleep] monster with this hormone injection,
you know, I'll be the one to tell her,
"Bitch... calm the [bleep] down."
How do you get it?
- The way we get them out is with a very minor procedure.
There's an anesthesia doctor that puts an IV in your arm
and they give you medicine to make you fall asleep.
You're looking at me very suspiciously.
We pass a needle transvaginally
through the vaginal skin to poke right into the ovary--
- Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait...
Wait, you're gonna go from outside?
- So, through the vaginal area while you're sleeping.
- So from-- like-- like that?
- You've got it. - Wow.
- That.
- Sorry, Doc, I wasn't ready for all that,
but Bae will definitely not be joining me for the procedure.
- Having those eggs frozen gives people the peace of mind--
even if they never use them, it lets them live their life
in a slightly more relaxed way that they know
they have this backup plan in case they get to a point
where they're wanting to have a kid and it's not easy.
- I definitely agree with the doctor.
It's really important to take control of your future.
And who knows?
Maybe I won't even need to use a frozen egg,
but at least I'll have the choice
and the decision will me mine.
My brain is like, "Oh, my God, what do I need..."
- It's a lot-- it's a lot to think about.
- No, I feel like I need to get started, like, right now.
This past year has been one of the most... challenging years--
getting through my legal issues,
making the decision to become an apprentice.
But I feel super empowered just to have, like, options.
There ain't no way that I didn't go through
everything that I went through and I'm not coming out stronger.
- So think it over, and you know where to find us.
- This is the head of the penis, right?
So it's like a tongue ring that goes, like, right there.
- What? - It's like a pleasure thing.
- Do you know what a penis feels like?
- Inside. - [all laughing]
♪♪
- ♪ Found me fire ♪
♪ But defy-fy ♪
♪ Found me ♪♪
[Tatti] - You ever seen
a Jacob's Ladder piercing, Bae?
[Young Bae] - What's that?
- This is the head of the penis, right?
So it's like a tongue ring that goes, like, right there.
- What?
- Why would you want that, though, like...
- What do you mean? It's like a pleasure thing.
- A pleasure for who? - For me.
- You don't know the trouble we go through.
It's a lot of-- it's a lot to deal with.
- The only real problem that you guys have,
from my perspective, would be, like, if it's small.
- Ha!
- Do you know what it feels like to have a penis?
Do you know what a penis feels like?
- Inside. - [all laughing]
- You have to be a man to understand.
- Listen, if you know that a man and a woman
are exactly the same up until one point,
when the penis either gets tucked in
or it gets tucked out.
- What about the nuts?
- Aren't those, like, your ovaries?
- Oh!
- Now that's crazy.
- And that completes today's anatomy lesson.
[Spyder] - Shut up-- oh, [bleep].
- [bleeps].
- So how are you guys doing today?
- We're talking about how the penis
is the vagina tucked out.
- What?
You know what... that's a time-out.
Why does it look so light in here?
[Tatti] - So light?
'Cause I need a vacation and I haven't gotten a tan.
[bleep], Ceaser.
- No, no. Who's, like--
- Like, less employees? - Yeah, who's missing?
- Oh...
I don't know.
Maybe it's the two who just opened up a new shop.
- I don't know, boss, but I think that this may be
the first time someone has successfully quit on you.
- No, no one quits on me. No.
- It's looking like that.
- Listen, y'all have to understand.
We've been doing this [bleep] for a very long time.
Krystal can be replaced too.
This is business.
A lot of things gotta be corrected.
- I'm [bleep] nervous.
- Y'all should sit down for this one.
- I'm scared. I don't trust him.
- I don't wanna catch anybody off guard.
But we are upgrading.
- What does that mean? - What does that mean?
- Right. - That means...
- Renovation? New logo?
- New shop? - New lo...
- Can we please have some AC in the summertime
and heater in the wintertime?
That would be a great upgrade.
- New employees?
- Ah...
♪♪
[Ceaser] - We are upgrading.
- What does that mean? - What does that mean?
- Right. - That means...
- Renovation? New logo?
- New shop? - New lo...
- New employees?
- Ah...
If Krystal don't come back, that's on her ass, yo.
Put it like this, I've got a business plan.
♪♪
- ♪ Not here for the status, not here for the shine ♪
♪ Not here to be cultish and pay now look at the time ♪♪
- Hey! - What's up, Ceaser?
- I was just talking about you, yo.
- How are you? - I'm good.
- Hi, y'all, what's up? How y'all doing?
- I've been working for Ceaser for a very long time now
and one thing I've learned over the years
is never get too comfortable, because Ceaser runs Black Ink,
not anybody else.
- Introduce yourself to the crew real quick.
- My name's Michelle, I'm from Dallas, Texas.
What's up?
Yeah, Dallas in the building. What's up?
- I met her way, way back in the day,
and I always had my eye on her
but it took her a little bit to get here.
She's a tremendous artist.
- How long have you been tattooing?
- Almost nine years. - Oh, all right.
♪♪
- Damn.
When Ceaser said "upgrade," he wasn't lying.
- So, let me show you your, um, your new booth.
- What new-- new booth? - That's Krystal's old booth.
[Spyder] - Oh, [bleeps]!
- Hey, yo!
I knew it!
I told you at dinner nobody is safe.
- All right? - I'm with it, let's do it.
- Boys, please stay away from her.
Ladies, please show her the hospitalities and whatnot.
Have a good day.
- All right, sir. - I'll talk to you later.
- Appreciate you.
♪♪
- ♪ What a beautiful day uh-uh-uh ♪♪
[Tatti] - Yo, this is the best pizza
you're ever gonna have in your life.
- New York ain't easy when you're brand-new,
so we decided to take the homey Michelle out
and teach her some survival tactics.
- All right, y'all, this better be amazing.
- Ahh...
[Spyder] - This is a New York experience.
- Tell me a little bit about what's been going on with you.
- I feel like I'm dependent on my husband to do things,
and that's become a problem in my marriage.
- I've been thinking about a lot.
My dad recently passed away and it was totally unexpected.
It definitely made me realize
how much more important family is.
I wanted to celebrate his life.
Hearing about him now is like,
"Damn, he really wasn't a bad person at all.
He just got caught up."
- That's right.
- And I wish I was able to hear his side.
- So you know I have sickle cell anemia, bro.
- Yeah.
- You know, I just wanna bring awareness, bro,
and I think Black Ink Cares,
it's gonna be the voice for that.
[Tatti] - Welcome, welcome.
Are you here for the sickle cell event?
- Yes. - [all cheering]
[Tatti] - Well, thank you for coming.
We love the support.
- I'm so glad that y'all are a part of this.
- And you know why? Because Black Ink...
[all] - Cares!
- You said that you wanted, like, a piece of Gods of Ink.
You know, that [bleep], it really hurt.
- Now, listen, I'm a bigger shark
and I just open up right next to you
and then just whup you.
♪♪
- ♪ Hey ♪
♪ Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey ♪
♪ Hey, hey, hey ♪
♪ Drop, drop ♪
♪ Hey, hey, hey ♪♪
[man] - ♪ MTV ♪♪