- I do wanna be there for the squad. - I don't trust your word.
That's business-wise.
Feelings-wise...
(bleep) you.
- Now it's personal.
I feel like I'm gonna build the best shop in the (bleep) world.
- Whatever you wanna do, I'm gonna rock with you.
But we about to have two kids. We come first.
(KP) - Today is the day.
- Judgment day.
- I've gotta see who gonna make the team.
- Hi. - Is anybody else coming?
(Tim) - Alana.
Don't know where she at.
- I didn't see no sketches.
You need to put more heart and hustle
instead of focusing on your boyfriend.
You just kind of lost yourself in this relationship.
- I get you're my mom,
but I don't want anyone to tell me
how I should live my life.
I'd rather be alone.
Ken is my ex who I met through Lemeir.
You're gonna live here? I'm excited.
And I really loved him, like...
Since me and Ken got together,
our whole friendship's been, like,
not what it was on before.
That (bleep), especially when I bring it to you
and then you still can validate me.
- It's not my obligation to take care of you.
It's my obligation to take care of me.
- It's official official.
- We finally got our business license renewed.
- Congrats, bro.
(KP) - If everything go right with the health inspection,
we'll be open in a couple of weeks.
- So when are you gonna come show up to work?
You're gonna do nothing.
(Star) - Don't play with me!
(Star shouting)
Yes, the (bleep) I will!
(Nessie) - What happened?
- What the (bleep)?
- ♪♪ I be fishin' with you bish ♪♪ - ♪♪ I do what I wanna ♪♪ - ♪♪ Hey ♪♪
♪♪ Tryin' to hear ♪♪ - ♪♪ I do what I want ♪♪
- ♪♪ Hey, tell her use her lips ♪♪
- ♪♪ I do what I wanna ♪♪ - ♪♪ Ooh ♪♪
- ♪♪ I do what I want ♪♪
- ♪♪ I do me and you are you ♪♪
♪♪ And you can't tell me who to screw ♪♪
♪♪ Who be gettin' money? ♪♪ - ♪♪ I do ♪♪
- ♪♪ You can't tell me -- because ♪♪
- ♪♪ I do what I want ♪♪
- ♪♪ I do what I wanna do ♪♪
- ♪♪ I do what I wanna ♪♪
- ♪♪ I do what I want ♪♪♪♪
- ♪♪ That's life it seems ♪♪
♪♪ Me first light speed ♪♪
♪♪ Get the beat right you get me? ♪♪
♪♪ That's life it seems ♪♪
(Tim) - Hey, yo, Comp.
- Yo.
- Just come from the shop.
- Star reach out to you?
- She texted me.
I didn't really hit her back.
- How you feeling?
- Shocked.
The other day was supposed to be a win for Team IAM.
We just got our business license back from the state,
so Star acting aggressive to me
in front of the rest of the artists is unacceptable,
and I'm not gonna stand for this (bleep).
Honestly, I just don't know what to feel about her.
She don't even come to work.
- I mean, she reached out to me.
She said it's a bigger picture.
Everybody going through stuff, you know?
We here to help.
If you're going through something, you come to the shop.
We family.
But on the business side,
we've just gotta get more professional.
I'm really upset that the lunch meeting got ended early
because I really wanted to reiterate to the team
that the key to our success is us moving as a family.
But then Tim and Star started fighting
and I never got the chance.
We got our business license, so next step is
we pass a health inspection and then the shop is open.
That mean that we've gotta get this (bleep) straightened ASAP.
I was, like, more mad at you 'cause you let her
get you riled up, you know what I'm saying?
Let people go through their little mood swings
or whatever the case it is they're going through.
- We trying to keep the peace, not stir it.
- It was...
- What the hell?
- We need to hold for a second.
So first, I wanna thank you guys for, um,
you know, helping us deal with all the obstacles
that it takes to film this show.
Since COVID happened, we've been having a lot of issues
with the permit office.
We were literally trying to get the proper
permissions in place in order to film
and the assistant city manager
who handles all the city permits said
there is a no-tattoo-shop ordinance
in the city of Compton, which means you cannot
legally tattoo in your shop.
- Like, what type of-- what-- what?
That is crazy.
(Maricarmen) - We've been trying to figure out what's been going on,
and we've come with all sorts of roadblocks.
- Y'all got me (bleep) up.
All the way.
Initially, back in season one,
the city was unimpressed with our idea of
the first tattoo shop in Compton.
With Compton having the stereotypes of crimes
and gang violence, they thought a tattoo shop would just
reinforce that image.
So I made it my mission to show the city
all the benefits of having a tattoo shop,
art collective in the community.
Even though we've been through hell along the way...
Waiting in (bleep) line at (bleep) city hall for nothing.
They just (bleep) redlined my whole (bleep) (bleep).
And because of the ordinance,
me, Pops, and Tim had a sit-down with the mayor
and was able to convince the city to let us move forward
and open the shop.
Welcome to Ink Art Music.
And where we at?
(all) - Compton!
- That is until COVID shut us down
and the city elected a new mayor.
But we decide to forge forward,
and now finding out the production went behind my back
and talked to the city, man, they really got me (bleep) up.
Now we back to square one.
- Y'all went in there without us.
Man, they was already tripping about this tattoo ordinance
the first time, last season.
Y'all cannot do that.
It'll (bleep) up the city image.
We will vote it out-- whoo-whoo-whoo-whoo--
so we-- Pops, let's go down there and have a real talk,
you get what I'm saying?
And we convinced them to let us open the first
legal tattoo shop in Compton.
His dad is the most "powerfulest" thing we got
because his dad is 50 years in Compton.
His mom, his grandma-- his whole family is Compton.
They love us.
We showing the face of-- y'all not the face.
You do nothing. They know we on the show,
they don't know you were running a show.
They don't care about that.
They care about who representing the show.
- And that's what we are, that's who we is.
- This is (bleep), that's all I'm saying.
- Well, can we call your dad and just figure out
the next steps in trying to, like, rectify this?
Because we really wanna be able to film you guys
having a shop in Compton.
♪♪♪♪
- Man, you don't call my pops and y'all got cameras on
and mics on and (bleep).
- I'll tell 'em-- - Nah.
I'm gonna put my own pops in a situation
where he's gonna be mad at me.
- It was literally so he could know what's going on.
It wasn't to get you guys into some sort of argument.
- We really from these streets,
we really done put in work and did (bleep).
And we done gave back.
And you filming my real (bleep).
So from now on, let me know.
Don't hit me with these surprises
'cause then I gotta mentally prepare myself
to go into the blind of (bleep).
- But that's what we're trying to do, KP.
- It ain't worth it.
- You guys tell us what the plan is.
I'm at the mercy of you guys.
- You talking to us now but it's like, damn, (bleep),
might be too late.
- I remember when the doctor first walked in
and told us, "Oh, he gonna be good,"
to five minutes later and saying, "He didn't make it."
(Lemeir sighing)
- I linked up with Star.
She said that you talked to girl crazy
and before you even think you can talk to her like that,
she gonna let you know, you can't play with her like that.
- And I wouldn't have to say that if you really showed up.
- You haven't been at the shop.
- Because I've been dealing with, like, Jerris.
- What does Jerris have to do with work?
- He's in jail.
- ♪♪ I do what I want ♪♪
- ♪♪ Oh volume high turn it up, turn it up ♪♪
♪♪ I'm on fire burn it up, burn it up ♪♪
♪♪ Never shy run it out, run it out ♪♪
♪♪ You know I moving up, moving up ♪♪
♪♪ Volume high ♪♪♪♪
(Lemeir) - Yo, it's bad.
(man) - Mm-hmm.
- Lord!
With everything going on in my life right now,
I ain't gonna lie, I'm stressed the hell out.
With the fallout with KP,
trying to open this new tattoo shop while I'm doing Happy Ice,
the strain on the relationship with me and Nessie,
everything's just been taking a toll on me.
Oh...
It's actually been messing up my body,
so now I'm going in physical therapy
to hopefully get my physical health together
while I'm also working on my mental health.
- Oh, you've gotta be kidding me.
You didn't call me and let me know he was coming?
- I feel like I got all my health problems from her anyway--
bad knees, stinky farts.
(laughter)
- You actually need this little bit of time
'cause you just be working all over the place.
Do you ever give yourself any time?
No.
- Actually, Jamie, we good for right now.
I'm gonna go ahead, thanks a lot, bro.
- Yeah.
- Shoot, I go into the reason why I need you so much,
especially with the whole College Boy
starting that new concept.
When COVID hit, everything shut down except for my mind,
so I've been thinking of ways to diversify my businesses
to provide for my family.
And being from Philly,
it's only right I bring Philly cheesesteaks to L. A.
the same way I brought Philly water ice.
Look at the new baby. - This is so cool.
- Look at the new baby.
So me and my mom have been working on a new food truck
called College Boy Cheesesteaks
in honor of my brother, who called himself
College Boy Kev.
One of the reasons that really pushed me to do it
is we doing it for Kev.
It's a way for us to continue to push his name.
- Definitely.
(Lemeir) - My brother was out riding on his motorcycle,
just celebrating hype about his graduation coming up
and by the end of that day, we all had got a phone call
that he had got into a motorcycle accident.
I remember when the doctor first walked in and told us,
"Oh, he gonna be good,"
to then walking in five minutes later and saying,
"He didn't make it."
That moment plays in my head over and over and over again.
If my brother's passing taught me anything
it's that I've gotta seize every opportunity
and make the best of every day,
because there ain't too many do-overs
and tomorrow is not promised.
(Lemeir sighing)
- Don't cry.
It's all right, we're there.
For real, don't make me cry.
Don't make me cry, don't make me cry.
He up there, guiding you, helping me.
We helping each other.
We've been a team for how long, 29 years?
- Right.
- So whatever we gonna do to make this flourish,
we're gonna do it.
(woman singing in foreign language)
♪♪♪♪
- Hello, ladies.
Welcome to The Yoni Snatchers.
Have you ladies ever heard of yoni steaming?
- No, it's our first time.
- Okay, it'll help with tightening your vagina.
(bell dings) - No problems there.
(all laughing)
(Star) - My behavior the other day was out of line,
so I brung the ladies here today
so that I could apologize
and hopefully clear my mind and my shining star.
- How you sit on it? - Like it's a toilet.
- It's, like, cozy on the (bleep).
(Vudu laughing)
- Cheers, ladies. - Thank you, dear.
- Cheers to coochie.
So I was glad to, you know, put this together for all of us,
especially with our last meeting
that you were not there for, Miss Lady.
- Okay, what happened? - Tim offended me.
- When are you gonna come to work?
- Exactly, like, bitch, I'll be there.
Tim having the nerve to tell me I only show up for TV
is what bothered me.
- Wait, so when are you gonna come and show up to work?
- I do show up the (bleep) to work.
What? - Ah...
I'm talking about without the show.
(Star) - I'm trying to keep this crew together,
but Tim doesn't acknowledge that (bleep)
or any other work I put in around this mother(bleep).
So while maybe I could've gone a little bit too far,
Tim needs to watch how he talks to people,
especially women.
Act normal, baby.
- Thanks for bringing us here for that energy, though.
- Of course. - Good energy on my coochie.
(Vudu laughing)
- I could use some good coochie energy too
'cause my birthday's coming up.
- Oh, my God!
- So what are we doing, Alana?
- I don't know, I don't got no plans.
My boyfriend's gone, so...
- We'll take you out. - Yeah?
- No, but seriously, where have you been?
- I've been dealing with life, it's, like, crazy--
- Like, what, what's wrong?
- Oh, it's just nothing, my boyfriend's just in jail.
- (Vudu gasping) - What?
- What happened? - You guys were just...
- I don't know, it's some bull(bleep).
Basically wrong place, wrong time.
We've just been, like, dealing with, like, the lawyers
and stuff right now.
- Speaking of the boyfriend, I had a talk with your mom.
- Hey, you went to go see my mom?
- Your mom actually came to see me.
- Why?
- 'Cause she's really worried about you.
Alana's mom Maylee and I
have maintained a friendship for the past couple years.
Hey, hey, Mommy in the house!
- Mom, get off of Star!
- I lost my mom five years ago and it was really sudden and...
- You have family with us.
- Yeah, you're a very strong person.
It's okay, Mom. Don't cry.
- So it was only right that I took her up on her invitation
to come have drinks with her.
I hadn't seen Alana in a couple days.
- She hasn't been at work?
She got this boyfriend--
- Going to Arizona. - Yeah.
I just don't want her to be dependent on him
and then not focus on herself.
- I hope that Alana realizes that she only gets one mom,
and I would trade anything in the world
to have my mom here, supporting me the way
that Maylee is supporting Alana.
She wants you to continue to focus on yourself
and she doesn't want you to lose sight of that...
- Yeah. - ...because you're in a relationship.
And she also wants to make sure that we get you
back into the shop, you know?
She wasn't trying to be-- what's the word I'm looking for?
- In my business?
♪♪♪♪
Y'all act like I'm, like, ten years old.
- Oh, girl, don't start.
- I need to get the (bleep) outta here.
- ♪♪ Born in the valley of struggle ♪♪
♪♪ All my life I been running from the trouble ♪♪
♪♪ It ain't never lack... ♪♪
♪♪ I just am a piece of the puzzle ♪♪
- Fellas. - My guy.
- So what's been going on with you guys?
I see heads shaking.
Both of y'all at the same time. What's going on?
- Yeah, basically, producer stepped in.
Said that they put an ordinance in.
- Who did? - The city.
They saying a city ordinance we thought we dealt with
popped back up, and now we can't even open the shop.
- At all. - Yeah.
Something we gotta get down to the bottom of it, so...
After everything that went down with production,
I decided to hit up Pops.
Get all the bosses of the shop and figure out
how we can fix it. Because if we don't figure out
this ordinance (bleep) quick, that could be it
for my dreams of opening the shop and bringing
the art collective to Compton.
- It's politics. - Yeah.
- Like everything else.
And it's been a lot of turnover
'cause again, they just had
a new election.
The old mayor that was there
that we were working with is now out.
And there's a new mayor there.
We've made some calls
and got some meetings together
to kind of figure out what's going on.
I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation to why
you wait a year, we get the permit,
and you say "No, you can't have a tattoo shop."
To me, it's just miscommunication.
- Yeah. - But at the end of the day
we're here to do business.
So we're gonna put on our business hats,
and we gonna sit down with these people
and we gonna talk business.
- Man, it's crazy that right when I thought
we was at the doorstep of opening the shop back up,
we get hit with this bomb from the city.
The only thing that's giving me hope is the fact
that Pops been helping me from day one.
He been here for 50 years plus,
and if he can't do it then nobody can.
- Have you told anybody else about the ordinances
and all that? - Nah, nobody need to know.
We gon' let this stay in-house. - Yeah.
- Hopefully, we get it settled. With that being said
we will use this time to team bond.
- Yeah, maybe we can bring the crew down
to the Vatican for a tour. - That's a cool idea.
- It's a whole good vibe over there, and that's what I kinda
wanna carry on, and that's why I'm asking when we get everybody
together and pick up some of those good vibes.
- Cory splits his time between IAM and the Vatican,
which is another tattoo shop in Orange County.
But he done put in so much work to help the shop be great,
I don't mind him doubling up.
Plus, the Vatican is a legendary shop.
They focus on positivity and teamwork.
So to actually show initiative
and what I need from a lead artist in my shop.
- I'm getting the feeling that Compton is-- they do things
a little bit differently. - Well, yeah, I mean,
when I was growing up in Compton,
it was the center of California
when all the cities started to form.
As gentrification changed, Blacks started coming in
and whites started moving out. - Mm-hmm.
- But they took the resources. We had to fix it.
But you need money to fix it.
So you need thriving businesses.
It's still growing, and it just needs that spark.
Hopefully, the current mayor will devise a plan
to actually make it thrive like letting these young men
have their business. - Yeah.
- I don't wanna fight my city.
But I'm not gonna let anybody come in and tell me no.
- Look at you, you're not fine.
And it scares me.
- I'm tired of explaining myself.
I'm happy, I'm good, I'm not in jail.
Be happy I'm not in jail.
- What about the shop?
Have you told Nessie about it?
- Yeah, I have told Nessie about it.
- If you do the shop, then Ken's gonna
be a major part of the shop.
Will she be able to come to the shop?
- ♪♪ I do what I want ♪♪
- ♪♪ All I do is slay all day, all day ♪♪
♪♪ All I do is slay... ♪♪ - Yummy yum.
- You need to be hitting that harder.
- Let me do what I need to do. I cook too.
(phone buzzes)
- Barbie and Bone. Let 'em in real quick.
- Yeah, okay.
- Yeah! - Yeah.
- Hey, buddy. - Hello.
(cheering)
Because Barbie and Bone
worked so hard hosting our gender reveal,
we wanted to invite them over for dinner as a thank you.
Also, we wanted to get they feedback, you know,
cheesesteaks, because we open in a few weeks.
- I'm starving. - I'm gonna go downstairs.
Y'all wanna take the kids? - Yeah.
- Come on now... - Bye-bye!
- This is good.
- Actually wanted to say thank you
for that baby shower situation...
(all) Gender reveal.
- Oh, (bleep). - (laughing)
- It's a lot of (bleep) running in my head.
- Well, speaking of a lot going on, what about the shop?
- Figuring it out. As of right now
I still haven't found that perfect spot.
- I'm a little worried that Lemeir is taking on too much.
He's already juggling
Happy Ice, the cheesesteak company.
And now trying open up a new shop?
As well as be a father?
But Lemeir has promised me that he can do everything
that's on his plate, so all I can do right now
is have his back and support him until he shows me otherwise.
- Have you told Nessie about it?
- Yeah, I have told Nessie about it.
She also know that Ken is, you know, would be
a part of the joint. She actually started crying.
You get what I'm saying?
That was a mixture between her talking about him
and then also talking about she felt some type of way
that I didn't check on her as a friend.
- But she didn't check in on us either.
- But (bleep) from Instagram,
I thought she was more than good.
- But if you do the shop and Ken's gonna be a major part
of the shop, will she be able to come to the shop?
'Cause my first thought is like, okay, Nessie gonna
be the first one, you know? - I'm not excluding her
from the shop, it's just more so, like, we had a talk.
We gotta be more of like... a deeper talk too.
I can see why Nessie is hurt.
At the time, I just didn't wanna get myself into nobody
else's mess because I already had my own mess going on.
But I feel like me not checking on her or saying anything,
uh, made her feel like I ain't have her back,
and I definitely didn't want her to feel that way.
- Well, you know, me positive-thinking Barbie.
I hope it all works out for everybody.
- Yeah, for sure, hope it work out for everybody too.
- I'll drink to that. - (laughing)
♪♪♪♪
- ♪♪ You don't need no other reliance ♪♪
♪♪ Don't need no bosses or clients ♪♪
♪♪ Feeling... feeling the style ♪♪
♪♪ People waiting for a sign 'cause they knew they buckwild ♪♪
♪♪ Flow like butter buzz like static ♪♪
♪♪ If it keeps going we'll be back on plastic ♪♪
- Hi, guys, welcome!
(Tim) - You holler at...
(bleep) up out of here.
- What's up, my boys?
Two salmon and shrimp fried rice.
Y'all send us a hungry man.
How y'all been? Y'all good?
- We about to take a little team bonding trip.
- Oh, (bleep).
- We gon' push down to the Vatican.
- What is the Vatican? - It's another tattoo shop
that Cory work at. While Pops setting up
meetings in the city,
I thought it'd be a good idea to take Cory
up on his offer and go to the Vatican.
What's going on with the shop and the ordinance,
might be out of my control, but what I could focus on
is making sure my team is strong,
so when the shop get back open, we better than ever.
Knowing what I got, and where we at
and then seeing somebody do it, it's like, "Oh, (bleep)," like,
I'm trying to do that, but I think they need to see it.
And know that it can be done. - Yeah, and that's what you want
for your team, a Vatican.
- Yeah. - Oh, yeah.
- Hopefully, you know what I'm saying,
we can get everybody down there. - Okay, yeah.
So y'all invited my girl Alana too?
- She ain't been around. - She better show up.
- I know, I know. Her man
has just been locked up.
And she just wanted to be with him and...
- Show him how love go?
- Well, she's 23. - Please!
She better get her money. - Yeah.
Now we all done been young, dumb and in love.
But Alana I already gave her a little leeway
because she did tap in a lot this past year.
But she did miss a couple big meetings.
So while I'm willing to give her a second chance,
she gotta come through this time.
'Cause my kindness ain't gonna last forever.
- Oh, I linked up with Star the other day.
Have you talked to her?
She said that she reached out to you,
and you were not responsive.
You know if I blew up one day, I'd want somebody
to forgive me, you know? - You say certain (bleep)
when you get mad, but she representing me.
She represent him, she represent the brand.
What if we were in another environment?
- She said that you talked to girl crazy and before
you even think you could talk to her like that,
she gon' let you know, you can't play with her like that.
- The facts is talking to girls crazy.
Then I'm sorry, I can't lie.
And I wouldn't have to say that if you really showed up.
Everything I said to Star was facts.
Wait, so when you gon' come show up to work?
- I do show up the (bleep) to work, what?
- Uh, I'm talking about without the show.
She only around when the cameras pull up.
Soon as they leave, she leave.
That (bleep) ain't gon' fly over here.
I have no personal problem with Star, but I only want her here
if she about Ink Art Music and not this fame (bleep).
Right now, I'm focused on the business, so whoever
ain't about the business... see ya.
♪♪♪♪
- Ma!
Hello. - Um...
- I'm busy, what are you doing here?
- I need to talk to you. - You need us to step out?
- Yeah, please, I'm sorry, guys. - Come here!
So my mom does hair and makeup for photo shoots,
and I found out she had one today.
So thought it'd be a great idea
to pop up on her and give her
a taste of her own medicine
and see how she likes it when someone goes to her job.
- What-- what's the problem? - Why did I hear
that you're talking to Star?
- What's wrong with me talking to Star?
- Why are you talking to Star about me?
- I'm not trying to be malicious.
I'm not trying to be rude.
It wasn't like "Oh, so what's the tea on Alana?"
She was just telling me that, you know,
you haven't been at the shop.
- I haven't really been there because
I've been dealing with, like, you know...
personal life and... Jerris.
- What does Jerris have to do with anything
with you going to work?
Let me understand, what does that have to do with him?
- Well...
He's in jail.
- Oh, my God, Alana.
Like, honestly, this is what I get worried about.
Because if something happens and you go to jail,
I'm not bailing you out. - Oh, my God.
- You think it's funny, but it's not.
- It's not funny. - You see me.
Like, I get stressed out. You stress me out.
- I don't stress you, you just need to take a breather.
- I can't deal with this. - This is so annoying.
Done! I don't wanna be here!
This is why I don't like opening up to my mom.
She just over-thinks and worries way too much.
Am I perfect? No.
Am I gonna make mistakes? Absolutely.
But she doesn't need to make me feel worse than I already do.
- Alana... - I'm crying!
- Listen. - I'm crying on TV!
(bleep) annoying! I'm fine, stop crying!
- I'm not even crying... - 'Cause you cry it makes me
annoyed, I'm annoyed as (bleep). I'm really annoyed.
I don't wanna do this anymore.
- I'm annoyed too. - My life is not bad.
- Okay, explain to me then 'cause from where...
- I tired of explaining myself! I don't like to explain anymore.
- Well, you just came to me and told me, "Oh, he was in jail."
Like, boo, explain to me... - I'm fine, I'm happy, I'm good.
I'm not in jail. Be happy I'm not in jail.
I'm fine, okay, I'm good, like, that's it, period.
- Look at you, you're not fine.
You know, and it scares me.
And I have a right to be concerned.
I just worry about the people you hang out with.
And this is it, I'm not gonna go over it again.
I said my peace. I'm done.
I'm done too.
- I'm glad you're here. I'm glad all y'all are here.
- Y'all ready to have a good time?!
- Where's Star?
- ♪♪ I do what I want ♪♪
♪♪♪♪
- ♪♪ Everybody hands in the air ♪♪
(cheering)
- Time to... (indistinct shouting)
- Yeah, about time!
I decided to let Armani drive today because
the team don't have that good of a track record
when it come to bus trips.
(shouting)
- Pull it over!
- You got a devil working for you,
and I don't know how long that's gonna last.
You ain't God, and I'm definitely not the devil.
(overlapping chatter) - You ain't the devil!
(bleep, shouting)
- We don't need the devil up on our back
on the way to the Vatican.
So I think it's best to have Armani up front.
- Hey!
- Hey, welcome!
- I miss you. - What up with you?
You back or are you halfway back?
- I'm back.
I've been going through a lot recently
with all the drama between my mom and Jerris.
And I admit, I haven't been as focused as I would like to be.
So KP invited me on this trip
as like the perfect way for me to just get back into tattooing
and just another way for me to just forget all of this drama.
- Look at this guy. - Good morning, good morning,
good morning. - Hey, that's my boy!
- Hey, hi! - Welcome!
Alana, you're here. - Hey, girl.
- Well, I'm glad you're here. I'm glad all y'all are here.
Cory at the Vatican.
Y'all get a breath of fresh air.
- Oh, yeah, I'm with that. - In a dope tattoo environment.
With amazing artists. - Oh, (bleep), going to church.
- Gonna help us get a new perspective on what
we can do in the city this trip about.
- Y'all ready to have a good time?!
- Wait, wait, where-- where's Star?
♪♪♪♪
- Are y'all ready to have a good time?
(excited chatter)
- I know it's supposed to be a trip for the whole team,
but the Vatican is a really prestigious tattoo shop.
And the way Star acted up in public, I don't trust her.
Besides, Tim already say he ain't ready
to deal with her energy yet.
I'll let him deal with that when the time come.
- Whoo! (shouting)
♪♪♪♪
- You guys excited? - I am.
- You heard of Bishop Tattoo Supply, right?
- Heard of that. - Like, the person who owns
the shop, like, invented that machine, him and his brother.
- That's dope. - Nessie already be doing
her homework in the tattoo biz,
so she already know. - Exactly.
I'm actually pleasantly surprised
that KP organized this whole trip to the Vatican.
I'm even more surprised at the good vibe.
(laughter inside van)
Things are really up in the air right now with me and Lemeir.
- It's not my obligation to take care of you.
It's my obligation to take care of me.
- So I'm doing what's best for me, and I'm trying
to be a part of the team right now.
♪♪♪♪
- Yay, we made it. Thank you, God!
- We're here. Ooh!
- Oh, my (bleep)! - Barely!
- What was that? - That was all that ass
in the back.
(laughter)
- ♪♪ Hold it down for my real... what? ♪♪
♪♪ I'm sleeping on the... ♪♪
- Welcome. - Hey, Cory.
- How you guys been?
- Good, how are you? - I'm good.
I'm really excited that everybody came out today.
Because one thing I really wanna point out is that
family vibe that makes the Vatican so successful.
Come on in. - Okay, uh, Crips.
(laughter)
♪♪♪♪
- This is James. - Thank you for taking the time
to come out here to Vatican Studios.
It's a sacred place for us. We're a family.
Through thick and thin, we are here together.
- It's so refreshing to see
a family vibe especially at a tattoo shop.
Because you don't see that often.
And to think that KP brought us here to inspire us
to have that same energy, it shows a lot.
- This is my bearded brother, Mando.
I'm Papa Cory, I'm the old guy,
but he's the young guy, but he's still teaching me.
And that's part of always growing, always learning.
- His script game is second to none.
- His strip game? - His strip game, yeah.
Script, script. (laughter)
♪♪♪♪
Tish has been with Franco for 15 years.
- Like, when you come, you do not wanna leave.
- Amen, yeah! - Wow!
- His flow is just next, next level.
- Oh, thank you. - Oh, motivation, inspiration.
- And this is a beautiful piece by no other
than Mr. Cory Saint Clair.
- Oh, wow, Cory. - That's gorgeous.
- That's a'ight. (laughter)
(Alana) - Teach me how to do this, Cory.
- And now we'd like to introduce you guys here
to the man, Mr. Franco Vescovi.
- He's the founder and the owner of this whole operation.
- How you doing, sir?
- The number-one thing I think for us is helping
as many people as you can along the way.
The more adversity anyone has,
the more potential they have to be great.
- We the first tattoo shop in Compton.
Nobody trying to help you do nothing.
So I wanna show them the family and the spirit
y'all have here, how y'all uplift each other
and y'all rooting for each other to get better.
It feel good to have the support of another tattoo shop.
But given all the extra hurdles we gotta face in order
to be the first legal shop in Compton, just as important
it is for Franco and the Vatican to be a team, it's way more
important than Compton 'cause it's us against the world.
- We set up some competitions for later.
They donated some prizes. So we gotta get over
to this Airbnb and get this competition started.
- Yeah, man, appreciate you. - Always, always.
(cheering)
- Your man couldn't be here tonight.
- (shrieks/laughing)
(knocking)
- (screams)
- ♪♪ I do what I want ♪♪
- ♪♪ I got the bling-bling I'm getting lazy ♪♪
♪♪ Only got... I'm getting... ♪♪
(laughter) - Can we get out?
- Yo! - Ahh!
- Get in the house.
- (sighs)
This is nice.
(laughing)
- Oh, (bleep), I know what you're trying to do!
If anyone deserves a nice room, it's me.
It's my birthday weekend.
I don't have my boyfriend with me,
so I just want my own bed to myself.
- (shrieking) - All right now.
Settle down.
- I'm going night-night.
- Yo, wake up so I can kick your asses in this competition.
- I'm so excited. We're finally tattooing.
I don't even care what the competition is about.
I just know I'm winning.
- So it's only two hands, it's a lot of us.
- Two teams.
- Oh, (bleep).
- And I'll be judging the collective group
of tattoos and not just the best one.
- I think this is exactly what we needed.
And I give Cory props for this idea.
This setup is great for us to work together as a team.
And actually showcase our strengths
and get help on our weaknesses.
- So team captain, team captain. - Team captain.
- So go with the ladies first as far as choosing.
- KP. - (laughter)
- I got Nessie. - Whoo!
- Oh, well, I got Alana, it's over.
- (laughter) - Wow.
- What the (bleep)? (laughter)
- Each team, rose, you can embellish it if you have time.
Also you do get the opportunity to choose
whichever butterfly you wanna put on there.
45 minutes per person, that's it.
Soon as time's up, move it on to the next person, let's go.
(cheering)
- Go, baby, go. We got this.
(laughter) - Let's go, let's go, let's go!
- Started out with the outline...
- ...The line through this, I would just make, uh, yeah.
- Three, two, one.
Machines down.
(chatter/cheering)
- Ink, Polo.
- 45 minutes has started, let's go.
- Let's go, Ink! - Ew, good job.
- It's about getting it right.
Up sun, and give it this depth.
- Five, four, three,
two, one. Machine down.
- Okay, um, while our team is women,
Vudu, come help me set something up inside.
- All right, third artist up.
Nessie, KP, you're up.
- Y'all got a little bit of pressure.
We got 30 minutes.
(cheering)
- ♪♪ I got money put it up for my niece (niece) ♪♪
♪♪ They be like why drive the lease (lease) ♪♪
♪♪ Stop stealin' my swag, you go big... ♪♪
- My history with Nessie ain't always been the best.
- Who the (bleep) do I look like I'm talking to?
- What are you in my face? - I don't give a (bleep).
No, you better get the (bleep) out of my face.
- Because of her and Lemeir having a relationship.
And then me and him falling out.
I haven't got a chance to see where we stand.
- ♪♪ Run it up, run it up, bands ♪♪
♪♪ Go hard our Chrome Hearts on the pants ♪♪
♪♪ Eliantte diamonds and they dance ♪♪
♪♪ She a ten, she a dime, she a damn ♪♪
- Ever since she came back and decided to rock with us,
I actually seen a change in her attitude
and her motivation. And I don't mind
being the friendly competition with her
versus some enemy (bleep).
- ♪♪ Go big, go big, go big, go big ♪♪
♪♪ Go big, go big ♪♪
- Finally feel like I got my X-Men squad moving forward.
I know I ain't tell the team about the ordinance and nothing
like that, but I think it might ruin the moment.
And if everything go right with the city,
then we back on track.
- Three, two, one. - ♪♪ Lights, camera, action ♪♪♪♪
- All right, everybody, machines down.
We got some guest judges to help make the final decisions.
(cheering)
(excited chatter)
- This is the winning team. - Ain't no winning team.
- Vatican.
(laughter)
- This one at first glance has a tighter detail
from the butterfly, tighter detail from the rose.
They're both good, I think, I think this one probably
takes it just because it's more complete.
(all exclaim)
- We did come bearing gifts for the winner.
- The winner? - Ahh...
- I got a Wand!
(laughter)
I can't believe I just won this high-end Wand.
Like, I always dreamed of having this machine.
Like, this definitely gonna up my game up for sure.
- Thank you, guys! - Thank you!
- Have a great night, take care! - Bye, get home safe!
- Guess what, I got another surprise for the winner!
- Whoo!
- Come here, baby.
(cheering)
(whooping)
(excited chatter)
- Who is this?!
- Oh, my God!
- Since he couldn't be here tonight, we brought him to you.
- I didn't sign up for this (bleep)!
- Obviously the girl is so dickmitized.
So the worst thing that could happen
is her dick being locked up.
So I decided to hook her up with the next best thing.
And hopefully, it brings a smile up on her face.
She deserves that.
- And gents, here you go.
- What's this? - (shrieks)
- What the (bleep)?
- Stop! Stop! Stop!
(laughter)
It feels so nice that everyone cared enough to throw me
a surprise party, especially with everything that's been
going on with my own family. And Jerris not being here,
I feel like this was literally the next best thing.
(laughter)
- The first contest we're gonna do is (bleep) the dildo.
I want to see y'all level.
- I don't do that type of (bleep) for free.
(laughter, knocking on door)
- (shrieks) Hi!
- Are you (bleep) serious?
- ♪♪ I do what I want ♪♪
- ♪♪ Go big, know me ♪♪
- ♪♪ I do what I want ♪♪
♪♪♪♪
(laughter, knocking on door)
- (shrieks) Hi!
(women cheering)
- Man, why and how
the (bleep) is Star here?
We don't need no extra
bull(bleep) right now.
- Star, what are you doing here?
- Alana text me. You know I never miss a party.
- I can't believe this (bleep).
Star wasn't even invited so... why are you here?
(laughter)
- After the other day, I wouldn't have invited me either.
But I came here because I owe the team an apology.
But most importantly Tim.
Can I please have everyone's attention?
I have something I'd like to say.
I love you all, but mostly importantly,
this is about you and I.
I want you to know that I genuinely apologize
and I hope that you accept it.
I am so sorry.
It doesn't matter what you said to me,
you ain't deserve that either, you know, so...
I love you, forgive me. KP, please forgive me.
♪♪♪♪
- I forgive you. - Aww... (cheering)
(cheering)
(whooping)
- Star continues to surprise me.
I mean, first she goes left, throws a drink.
Then she shows up to the party.
Trying to do right.
I'm trying so hard to work on myself.
So I'll always forgive.
But I damn for sure ain't gonna forget.
- Okay, can we take a shot now?!
♪♪♪♪
(shrieks/laughter)
(excited chatter/laughter)
- This trip is beyond my expectations.
The vibes are amazing, and I hope everybody
brings it back to Compton, because
after all this (bleep) we've been through
we deserve some positivity.
I just hope that we reopen soon because I'm ready to work.
♪♪♪♪
- Up to it, down to it.
We do it 'cause we used to it.
Those that don't do it. Drink, mother(bleep), drink.
(cheering) Compton!
- Man, sitting here chopping it up with the crew,
everybody getting along, I should be on cloud nine.
- No tattoo shop... - I don't wanna fight my city.
I got a bad feeling about this ordinance situation.
And it's (bleep) up my mental.
I overcame the pandemic.
I remodeled the shop
and finally got its business license.
Got the team right.
And now we're headed back to Compton,
and I don't even know if I got the shop.
I can't help but to feel like took one step forward
and two steps back.
- Some of you do know, some of you don't
Lemeir is opening his own tattoo shop.
- Location, honey...
- (shrieking)
- Ken will be there. - Who's Ken?
- Exactly, exactly, who? - Boyfriend?
- Your ex-boyfriend. - Who?
- Eh!
- Barbie invited me to this gathering.
- Aw. - I didn't do nothing wrong.
Just to support that girl. - Keep doing it (bleep)!
- But you don't like her!
- Is you with us or not?
(chatter) - No, because you had years
to talk and you... - It needs to be said.
I am not emotionally attached to this (bleep).
- Of course you're not. You never were.
Is that what the (bleep) you wanted.
You act like a bitch, I'ma call you one.
- (gasps) - What?
- Oh, Lemeir just got in a really bad accident.
- Are you serious?
(gasps) - Oh, my God!
- What? - What the (bleep)?
♪♪♪♪