Phor On ‘Black Ink Crew: Chicago,’ Working With His Brother, ‘Lightning Bug’ [VIDEO EXCLUSIVE]

9Mag tattoo artist, Phor, shared some of the drama behind Black Ink Crew: Chicago, and how he is transitioning from tattoo art to making music in a new video interview with uInterview.com.

PHOR VIDEO EXCLUSIVE

Phor rose to popularity from his co-starring role on the Vh1 reality show Black Ink Crew, which follows a group of friends coming up from the streets of Chicago to form 9Mag, a now successful tattoo parlor. Drama, business rivalry, and romance frequently threaten the stability of the business, and Phor is frequently caught in the mix, as a notable ladies’ man and party-goer. In season two, however, he stressed that most of the gang is doing their own thing, which means he has no idea what drama will make it into each episode. “Expect the unexpected,” he teased. “I say that because we didn’t necessarily work as a team this time, you know, it’s a lot of individuality going on, so, it’s like I’m kinda surprised to see some of the things that are already been airing.” He did suggest that his latest fling did cause a stir in the episodes to come. “You know, me bringing, you know, my new chick that I’m feelin’ and dealin’ with now, you know, it was kind of unexpected, some people didn’t really see it coming.” Phor is easygoing about the nature of reality television and countered that he doesn’t really worry about how he is portrayed, as that can be influenced solely by the choices made in the editing room. “It’s more so like we do our part and they do theirs. I’m not responsible for the edits, you know what I mean? So, it’s like I don’t know how they gonna make it. They can make it look crazy, you know what I mean?” he said. “I guess that’s kind of the fun part of it.”

Returning viewers might also know that Phor’s current assistant is his brother, Don. Close despite growing up in different households, he revealed that he wanted to help his brother when his career failed. “I was so busy with clientele I couldn’t book all my clients myself, so I made him my assistant over the last two years…So, you know, I got him on his feet again, on a business aspect, to keep money in his pocket,” he said. Don’s new status as a family man makes it hard for him to be a good assistant to his brother, though. “He’s not even at the shop as much because he’s trying to handle being at home now. Being a better person, being a father, versus just being my assistant and my brother. But, I still love him for who he is, but it’s just hard to manage right now. It’s just real crazy, so I may have to pick up another assistant. He doesn’t know that yet, though.”

Work problems aside, Phor revealed that it was thanks to Don that he started tattooing in the first place, translating his skills as a painter to drawing on skin one New Year’s. “He was my test dummy. He was just like, ‘Tattoo me, man! I’m your brother, man! I believe in you,’ which I appreciated,” he said.” But, I didn’t know what I was doing back then. But, I did it. I did the tattoo, and it was a domino effect.”

Phor has always had a passion for music, and in between tattooing, you can find him in the studio, cranking out new tracks. Due to the success of one of his singles, the aspiring rapper released his first album, Lightning Bug. “That was my first album and that’s the first single off there,” he said. “So, it’s been a really good response and I’m still building on it, and I just wanna reach as many people as I can, because it’s a really good tape start to finish.”

Catch Phor and the rest of the Black Ink crew on Vh1.

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