RESPECT. Interview: Vh1’s Black Ink Crew’s Dutchess & Ceaser Talk Reality TV and More [Part 2]

In this part of the interview, Ceaser talks their relationship, the Black Ink cast, and Black Ink Chicago.  Dutchess speaks on education, the future and business on Reality TV. They both come together on advice for the up and coming artists.

If you haven’t already checked out part 1 of my chat with the bosses, read it here.

RESPECT.: As far as this season, a lot has been going on with the Donna situation. How did the two of you get pass that together?  How hard was it to get pass that point?

Ceaser: I mean we already dealt with it, that was like almost a year ago. So it was something we dealt with at that time. We see people’s opinion. People don’t understand how long ago that s*** was shot and certain things that ain’t seen.  People don’t understand they only see 10% of the whole story.  They don’t see the whole story so at the end of the day me and Dutchess have got pass that point. Like I said people’s opinions, it stirs up certain feelings. Sometimes you know after doing this so long, we’re able to kind of filter some things, but some things we’re not and sometimes that cause problems, but that’s realty TV.  I feel like if you continue to do it and you have no control of who you are on the television, how people view you it’s gonna put some strain on you.

RESPECT.: I can understand, I can believe it especially with a relationship as well and trying to grow a relationship. It can definitely not be very easy.

Ceaser: Exactly.

RESPECT.: So as far as the cast members, have any of them grown closer outside of what we see on the show or is pretty much what we see is what we get?

Ceaser: Honestly, like I mean what you see on TV is what you get.  It kind of varies because like I said our relationship, we’ve all been around each other for years, sometimes just like my relationship with my lady like friendships kind of strain too.  You see something on TV, it’s like well that’s how you feel, you know certain things you gotta let time heal it, but as far as right now the crew is cool.

 

RESPECT.: How were you all involved in Black Ink Chicago?

Ceaser: The network said something about trying to do another show like us, but they didn’t really tell us who it was till it was basically time and was like those are our people so it wasn’t really nothing we would beef about.  I’m just waiting on Vh1 to cut that check for using my name!

RESPECT.: Okay.  I know that is right.  It is definitely due.

Ceaser: Right.

RESPECT.: Dutchess, I know you came to New York to pursue your career in tattooing. You met Cease and you fell in love.  I know you left your education at the time and you were pursuing your Masters.  Do you ever have plans to go back to finish?

Dutchess: Yeah, I’m actually working on a lot of different things that are more in line with the goals that I set for myself before all of this TV stuff happened.  So definitely something that is in the works.

RESPECT.: Sounds good.  Well I am glad to hear that.  It’s good to know that a black woman is educated, you have your 2 degrees already from A&T, which is a good thing to know that you can be on TV.

Dutchess: It’s sad that in reality TV bragging about something that you work so hard at, as such as your education they look down on it.  They make you feel like it’s a negative thing like, it’s crazy, but it’s apart of the double edge sword.

RESPECT.: Well at least you have plans to go back and that is really important. Speaking of Pretty in Ink, I know it was really important for you to do it on your own, to have your own business, and you did it and I commend you for that.  So how was that process and how is the shop doing today?  Do you have any goals for the shop from now?

Dutchess: Yeah, I’m trying to see the shop actually be a household name so to speak especially in tattooing.  I want it to be something that is more feminine, is more creative, because that is kinda what the space represents.  I want to see a possible franchise situation where you would see a Pretty in Ink in Maryland, you would see a Pretty in Ink in Florida;  a way that other female tattoo artists can show that females are just as talented in this industry as the males. I think the best way of doing that is allowing Pretty in Ink to be that pinnacle household brand that kinda speaks for all of us females.

RESPECT.: Good luck with that.  If you did it this time, I know you gonna do it again and gonna make it happen.  As I told Cease at the beginning I am a big fan of you all from the very beginning, your work, what you do, you as a black woman, your love together is absolutely beautiful.  Much respect to what you do.  I have to ask the both of you any wedding plans?

Dutchess.: Honestly, right now I’ve just been focusing on the shop and trying to get this situation solidified and with Cease he is more focused on getting 125th as a situation and I’m gonna be honest with you, when you’re on a reality show that constantly antagonizes every aspect of your relationship to make it look like such a negative thing it’s kinda hard for you to be excited about something that is as important as getting married.  Right now we’re working on building our brands and our images back to what it should be.  Never once in reality tv have you seen us have a good time, smile, and enjoy ourselves and that is what we do all the time, but that is not deemed as you know entertaining or important or relevant to our culture or society, which to me is a bunch of bulls***.  They would rather see all of these black couples fighting or cheating or being disrespectful to the black woman yet, when we look at other demographics in our society and our culture they are not doing these things at all so it’s just kinda hard to be excited about such a special day in my life as getting married and constantly the production company and the network that I work for, they are antagonizing and disrespecting something that I really, really deem important and valuable and for them it’s an opportunity to showcase everything that they can make money off of and that’s pretty much all it is and I get it, but at the same token knowing who you really are, you still want what’s right. When you don’t have that control you know what is it. They are still gonna do what they want to do.  They still gonna portray it the way they want to portray it, they still  do whatever they see is gonna make them more money because that’s what the whole purpose of all this is.  This is a business.  This isn’t a social standard where they have to pay attention to moral value.

RESPECT.: It’s sad, but true.  At the end of the day it is a business and it is sad that we only see bits and pieces of your lives and in reality it’s not really all like that.

Dutchess: Then you have some cast members that have created just that, a story line and a character that they don’t even personify or embody in real life, so it’s real hard to be in this situation when you trying to live real, but everybody around you has to do something different just to be relevant.  I’ve been watching this season and it’s like the whole season is basically bash, it’s like a Ceaser and Dutchess roast, every episode.  Nobody is talking about what they’re doing to better their futures, their careers, their finance, their life, their all just bashing us and what we ain’t doing, but yet we have two successful businesses that basically have nothing to do with each other in two separate parts of the world.  That is how we are living our life.  You don’t hear us say too many things about any of the other cast members on the show or in media, but all you see is Dutchess is this, Dutchess is that, Ceaser is this, Ceaser is that and it’s just getting to the point where now it’s like damn we know who we are and to know who you are and to deal with these constant battles of having to defend something that you are not, it gets exhausting.  It really gets exhausting.

RESPECT.: I can imagine it would, but you guys are strong and you guys will get through it. You got to plow through it.

Dutchess: Yeah man, it’s a gift and curse, double edge sword, that’s for sure.

RESPECT.: For the upcoming tattoo artist that see you on TV every Monday night, what would you say to those individuals?

Dutchess: What would I say to those individuals is worry about being a great artist, fame is not everything.  Being great at what you do and loving what you do is so much more important than a million people knowing who you are.  They can know who you are and never respect your gift, your talent.  They can know who you are and only want to antagonize you or disrespect you or they can see your work.  If people just see what we do for a living and did not get into our personal lives, we would be so loved, you know, but because people are given a more human side of who we are as artists, that’s what makes them feel allowed to intervene in our lives in such an impersonal way.  I don’t know any of the artists that I look up to, they are not famous because they are famous.  They are famous because they are great artists so through being a great artists you can get that same level of fame and that’s pretty much what I would say.

RESPECT.: I like that.  So Cease what advice would you give to that up and coming tat artist that wants to walk in your shoes?

Ceaser: My advice would be keep working, keep striving.  Believe in yourself.  Honestly, like as artists sometimes we sit there and because we don’t get immediate satisfaction we sometimes give up on our dream and we just gotta stick with it most of the time.  I was getting ready to give up on my dream and I had to stick it out and I got to the goal line.

RESPECT.: So at what point were you getting ready to give up on your dream?

Ceaser: It was a couple of times I wanted to give up.  There were a couple of times I couldn’t see how I was gonna pay the bills.  There were times I wanted to give up the shop just so I could go take care of and help my mom.  It’s been a journey, wasn’t easy.

RESPECT.: What kept you going in those moments?

Ceaser: The fact that I know so many people wanted me to fail, so many people wanted me to not be who I am.  It made me strive harder to be who I am.

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