BLACK INK CREW PHOTOS

Enter the world of the "Black Ink Crew" and meet the girls and guys that run the only black-owned and operated tattoo parlor in the heart of Harlem at 113th St. and Lennox Ave. The employees are a tight, but totally dysfunctional "family." For many of them, this shop is the key to turning their lives around, and for some of them, it's their first legitimate job off the streets. To the people who work there, Black Ink is more than just one of the most famous --and infamous-- tattoo shops in the country...its home.

The shop is also a magnet for hip-hop stars and athletes, but the real flavor comes from the quite colorful characters that walk into the shop on a daily basis. Inside the doors of Black Ink, you never know what you are going to get. From the sexy new girl on the block, Dutchess, to the party animal of the group, Puma, the characters are crazy, sexy, funny and, most of all, loveable. This hour-long docu-series follows the lives of Ceaser, Dutchess, Alex, Sassy, Puma, and O' S**t, as they work, live, party, and hang out in Harlem. "Black Ink Crew" explores the friendships, crushes, rivalries and craziness that comes when a group of friends become family.