Black Ink Crew: Compton spin-off coming to VH1 this July

Clearly, VH1 doesn’t have enough of Black Ink Crew as a franchise. To go along with the versions of the show set in Harlem and also Chicago, the network has just confirmed the launch of Black Ink Crew: Compton, a new spin-off premiering on July 30 with a two-hour premiere.

So why add another show to the arsenal? For years now dating back to Miami Ink, reality series based around tattoo shops have been popular. A lot of it is due to the eclectic people who work there, coupled of course with the clients and the art you get to see on a regular basis. It’s not something that you really get from many other sorts of shows, and the Black Ink Crew shows have done a great job of focusing on the employees — think in a way that is moderately similar at times to Vanderpump Rules, just with a different sort of style and group of people running things.

For some more details, the show’s official synopsis via Deadline notes the following:

Black Ink Crew: Compton centers on KP and his crew at IAM Compton, the first-ever tattoo shop in Compton. It uses as backdrop the California town known for its musical influence and iconic street art. KP, famed tattoo artist and visionary whose clients have included Diddy and Taraji P. Henson, is bringing his team of artists into the community and are using their creative energy to make a change while creating a “safe zone” in the city he calls home.

At IAM Compton, KP has assembled a dream team of tattoo artists, friends and new additions to build a trusted family at the shop that has become known as “a crew among gangs.”  Their mission is to create a movement in Compton through their creative collective by celebrating the talent, passion and rich culture of the community. The crew is here to represent the city in a way that rises above the stereotypes and embraces the rich culture of Compton.

We do have to give the idea bonus points right away for authenticity — while there are countless shows that are set around Los Angeles, very few focus on Compton in particular. It’s one of the oldest cities in Los Angeles County and beyond that, has developed a real identity and heritage of its own. There are a lot of places in LA that you can argue are a little bit of a mishmash in terms of styles and influences; Compton is its own thing and it combines history with passion, creativity, and an industrious spirit. These are people who have worked and fought hard to get what they want in life.

So long as Black Ink Crew: Compton delivers what the other two iterations in the franchise have, we have to imagine that it’s going to be sticking around for quite some time moving forward into the future.

What do you want to see on Black Ink Crew: Compton when it airs? Do you think we needed another version of the franchise? Be sure to share in the comments. (Photo: VH1.)

This article was written by Jessica Carter. Follow her on Twitter here.