Black Ink Crew: Chicago is the spin-off of the famous Black Ink Crew TV series, airing on VH1. The Chicago spin-off first aired on October 26, 2015, spinning around the tattoo shop, 9Mag. Ryan Henry is the owner of the shop, and he has dedicated the place to his late sister and niece.
The show revolves around the daily operations and staff drama of the crew of 9MAG, an African American tattoo shop. New artists trying to find success and older artists perfecting their craft, the show draw anyone in once they start watching.
Let us take a look into what is going on with the Black Ink Crew: Chicago’s casts, about their life and their earnings.
Ryan Henry
Ryan is the founder/owner of the shop; he opened the shop in 2013. He started tattooing back in 2009, under the mentorship of Miya Bailey. Henry got to meet many prominent figures of the tattoo world and even learned the history of back tattoo culture.
Ryan was born on May 27, 1986, and is currently 33 years old. He graduated high school from Thornwood High School. Ryan has a net worth of $800k at the age of 33 and has a child, Mason, with his ex-girlfriend Rachel Leigh. Rachel and Ryan were together for over a decade, but they broke up before season 5 of the show Black Ink Crew: Chicago, earlier this year 2019.
Ryan Henry from the TV show, Black Ink Crew: Chicago
Katrina Jackson
Katrina was one of the first members of the 9Mag family; she joined the shop in 2019 when it was still new. A year later, when the shop as approached by VH1, she had already honed her skills.
Katrina was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois; her birth date is 17th May 1991. That makes her 28 years of age right now. And at the age of 28, she has a net worth of $200k, which she earned all from tattooing and some from being a reality TV star.
Katrina Jackson from the TV show, Black Ink Crew: Chicago
Katrina was with the show for three seasons, but then she left the show. According to Kat, she had various reasons to not be with 9Mag, as she was being taken advantage of. The work environment was not progressive at all, and her skill had stagnated. So, she decided to change her background and left for LA.
Jackson now owns the first black female-owned tattoo shop in Beverly Hills, LA. She is in a relationship with Kevin Laroy, and they seem to fit together perfectly from what is on her Instagram.
Van Johnson
Van Johnson is like a brother to Ryan Henry, and they have been on the show since the first season. Ryan and Van both learned to tattoo in Cold As Ice Tattoos in 2009. Van is a successful tattoo artist and has even branched into the fashion line now. He has his fashion line called CHICAGorilla.
Van Johnson from the TV show, Black Ink Crew Chicago
While there is no source stating Van’s net worth, it is estimated to be between $1 million and $5 million. He had a difficult childhood, losing his father at the age of seven. Johnson currently has a daughter, Bri, but the identity of the baby’s mother is unknown.
Born on July 17, 1983, Von is currently 36 years of age.
Phor Brumfield
Born on March 21, 1985, Phor is currently 34 years old. He is also a musician but is presently focused entirely on honing his skill as a tattoo artist. He is a resident artist of 9Mag at the moment. It is unclear if he is any relationship right now, but he was in a relationship with Katrina Jackson in 2016.
Phor Brumfield from the TV show, Black Ink Crew Chicago
At the age of 34, Phor has a net worth of $150k, all of which he made as a tattoo artist and reality TV star in the show Black Ink Crew: Chicago. Recently he was arrested for an alleged sexual encounter in a public park; perhaps now he will change his playboy lifestyle.
Don Brumfield
Don is Phor’s little brother and works in the managerial section and handles bookings in 9Mag. He isn’t a tattoo artist but is a regular in the show and has a fan following. Born September 30th, 9187, he is currently 32 years old.
Don Brumfield from the TV show, Black Ink Crew Chicago
Donald is a married man with three kids; his wife’s name is Ashley Daniel Picken, who seems to be very tolerant of his infidelity. He has a net worth way over his big brothers, in millions but it is unclear how much it is. His net worth is estimated to cross at least $1 million.
Charmine Walker
Walker is the manager of the tattoo shop 9Mag. She has had different positions in her career but has worked the longest in 9Mag. Charmine graduated from Howard University in 2012, majoring in speech pathology, and went on to become a Marketing Consultant.
While Charmine’s salary and net worth are unknown, we can expect it to be at least six digits. As for her love life, Charmine has been dating Neek Bay from New Jersey, and they seem to go along together very well.
Charmine Walker from the TV show, Black Ink Crew Chicago
Danielle Jamison
Danielle is one of the most transparent among the Black Ink Crew: Chicago casts. This Reality TV star has two bachelor’s degrees in psychology and sociology, which she got from the University of Missouri. Currently 29 years old, she was born on March 29, 1990.
Jamison has a net worth of $200k, which she attained from being a reality TV star and through promotions of brands. She has also ventured into fashion and maintains her blog IAmDaniJ. Her annual income is on the range of 70k, according to her blogs
Danielle Jamison from the TV show, Black Ink Crew Chicago
.Romantically, Charmine is engaged to her long-time boyfriend, Terrence, who proposed to her after ten years of courtship. She doesn’t have any kids yet, but she has had a miscarriage before while trying to have a kid.
Liliana Barrios
Lily, as 9Mags crew calls her, is a mix, but she isn’t African-American but Hispanic-American. She chose to be a tattoo artist, and her family seems to respect her decision as they support her. Barrios was already a tattoo artist before joining 9Mag. She met Ryan in a tattoo convention in Philadelphia.
Liliana Barrios from the TV show, Black Ink Crew Chicago
It took Liliana some time to be acquainted with all the crew as all the boys charmed by her beauty. Liliana is currently dating co-cast of the show Jr Diaz. She has the skills and makes up to $1000 a day. Her net worth is approximately $100k -$1 million. Liliana is very private and hasn’t revealed any information regarding her family, age, or background.
Jessica
Since she just recently joined the Black Ink Crew: Chicago in 2019, there isn’t any information available on her. Except Jessica is a perfectionist who has sky-high expectations of everyone in 2nd City. She has officially left behind everything she’s ever known in London and relocated to Chicago.
Jessica from the TV show, Black Ink Crew Chicago
Jessica has serious talent, and it shows, we can see her works with pen and paper on her Instagram, but her job with a needle on the skin is also phenomenal. We look forward to seeing more of her in the coming season of the Black Ink Crew: Chicago.
Jessica was born and raised in West London, nothing more than that is known about her personal life or financial status.
Black Ink Crew: Chicago Controversies
Past Controversies
Controversies come along with the fame and Black Ink Crew: Chicago is pretty famous so, it has its fair share of controversies as well. Some of the controversies which seem to popular among the fans of the show are,
- Ryan and Kat had a thing on the side while Ryan was dating Rachel Leigh
- Van Johnson has a case in court, which alleges that he is using someone else’s design for his fashion line CHICAGOrilla. He has countersued for defamation and business interruption.
- Kat was working in a studio separately while she was also working with 9Mag.
- Ryan destroyed the shop due to disagreements with his colleagues for an extended amount of time.
- Jr Diaz beat up a person during a party and is getting sued along with Big Fish Entertainment.
Who left the show? Cast from the Past
The show has been around for four years now, and there have been a few farewells. Some of the casts who have left are,
- Katrina Jackson: Left after the third season, following the rumors of her and Ryan having a thing on the side
- Danielle: Left the show after the fifth season four, later appearing as a recurring cast.
Black Ink Crew: Chicago Wiki
| Cast Member | Spouse/Partner | Net Worth | Age |
| Ryan Henry | single | $800k | 33 |
| Katrina Jackson | Kevin Laroy | $200k | 28 |
| Van Johnson | Undisclosed | $1 million-$5 million | 36 |
| Phor Brumfield | single | $100k | 34 |
| Don Brumfield | Ashley Daniel Pickens | <$1 million | 32 |
| Charmine Walker | Neek Bay | <$100k | late 20’s – early 30’s |
| Danielle Jamison | Terrence | $200k | 29 |
| Liliana Barrios | Junior Diaz | $1000k | undisclosed |
| Jessica | undisclosed | under review | late 20’s – early 30’s |
