In doing that, you know, showing so much of our personal life, you get to see a lot of changes, which every person goes through a lot from their 20s to 30s, or even just eight years of growth. So, just with that, I’ve grown as a father, I’ve grown as a friend-and definitely, most importantly, as a business person, but also as a man. I mean, I started when I was 28, I’m 36 now. RYAN HENRY: Now that we are eight years in, that’s a lot of time for people to see a lot of growth with you. What can we expect from this season as compared to what we have seen from Ryan Henry and the whole crew before? HNHH: We’re years deep into Black Ink Crew Chicago now, and it feels like everybody has kind of grown up with you.

This interview has been slightly edited for clarity. Read through our comprehensive interview with Ryan Henry as he details what to expect from the upcoming season of Black Ink Crew Chicago, why people should exercise caution before stepping into unscripted television, how addressing mental health and wellness has changed his internal perspectives, why he purposefully steered clear of featuring too many of his celebrity clients on the show, and revisit a heartfelt memory that involves an impromptu visit from DMX that made for one of the most “meaningful” moments in 9Mag history. Being able to show that, and show that Chicago’s strength, is very, very vivid.” I’m from the same things that people have a stigma about, but I always wanted to show it’s never just about that… We were able to find a way out of the streets and be Black business owners, be good fathers, and be friends.

“You know, there’s the stigma from people outside of Chicago, what they think about Chicago. That’s the thing, we stand on being in Chicago,” Henry told HNHH. Like I said, I think the best part that we get from being on TV for so long is that people can relate to how genuine we are. “I think 9Mag and Chicago go hand in hand.

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