Phor operates independently of any record label (he’s managed by Chicago hip-hop collective Private Stock), though he says he’s met with reps from the majors who’ve asked him to end his tattoo career to go all-in with music. He likens himself to Paul Wall, the flashy Houston rapper who designs grills and makes chopped-and-screwed hip-hop. It’s the biggest reason he stands out on Black Ink Crew: Chicago-he’s the only musician in the cast, and his songs get played on the show. Phor’s rapping, though, is the core of his art. “I’ll never cover it up or change it,” Don says. “My homie had the equipment already there, so I did one of the designs that I did on a shirt on his arm.” He points to the ink on his brother’s forearm. “My brother was like, ‘Tat me.’ I’m laughing or whatever, like, I ain’t gonna tat you,” he says. Phor remembers Don being even more direct. Don says everyone there encouraged Phor to pick up the needle: “Stop painting shirts. On New Year’s Eve 2008, he was hanging out in the Indiana basement of his friend Jet, who had his own tattoo gear-and who still does Phor’s own tattoos. I had every school on lock, even after high school.” He says that at age 20 he signed a contract with Nike, but it happened so fast he wasn’t sure what he was getting himself into-and that when it expired, he didn’t renew it.įrom there, it was a short step into tattooing. “People would bring me their new Air Force 1s, and I used to go crazy. I couldn’t get fly, so I started designing clothes and designing shoes,” he says. Moms was only giving, like, maybe $5 to $10 a day for lunch. That led to Phor painting custom designs on gym shoes as a student at Thornwood High School in South Holland. “I used to draw and put all my drawings in a big-ass Aldi’s bag and hide it in my mama’s closet,” Phor says. PHOR BLACK INK HOW TOHarris, who was a painter, taught him perspective and dimension and how to hone his skills. Phor also grew up drawing-a neighbor he remembers only as Mr. PHOR BLACK INK WINDOWSThere’s a Maserati in the street, and Phor wears a couple of iced-out chains with his birth year (’87) and his motto (NMOL, which stands for “No more ordinary lifestyle”).Īs we walk from 87th and University to his childhood home near 85th and Avalon, Phor can barely answer a single one of our interview questions without people driving by waving at him, rolling down their windows to dap him up, or getting out of their cars altogether for a photo op. For today’s visit, however, he’s in full-on performance mode-he’s brought an entourage of more than a dozen, including his Black Ink Crew: Chicago costar Donald Brumfield, who’s also his biological brother. Phor was an introverted kid, playing video games and writing battle raps in his grandma’s basement. “I’m always creating something, no matter what it is.” Don’t just think ‘rapper,’ because everything I do is art,” he insists. “I always tell people, when you look at me, think of an artist. He’s an all-around artist, he says, and he wants people to respect him as such. Now in its fourth season, Black Ink Crew: Chicago is largely responsible for Phor’s celebrity, but it doesn’t capture who he is. PHOR BLACK INK MOVIENow Playing: Chicago’s history in movie ads.
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