Van Johnson has been a staple on Black Ink Crew: Chicago since the series began in 2015. Van is a Chicago native and in his bio on the 9Mag website, it says he grew up in one of the roughest neighborhoods in the South Side.
Van lost his father at age seven and used art as an outlet which helped him to mostly stay out of trouble.
Van started tattooing a decade ago for Cold As Ice Tattoos. He’s managed to make a name for himself within the tattoo industry as one of the most respected artists in the midwest.
During Season 4, Van has been dealing with the fallout after Ryan Henry decided to walk away from the group and start 9Mag over with a whole new group of artists.
He’s been the one to confront Ryan on a few occasions in an effort to work things out and get everyone back on track. Van has been adamant that 9Mag is a family and that they need to stick together.
It’s not clear yet how that will play out or whether the original 9Mag crew will come back together under their old name. It’s worth noting though that Van and Phor are both still listed on the website as tattoo artists for the popular Chicago tattoo shop.
One of Van Johnson’s greatest moments on Black Ink Crew: Chicago happened last season when he tattooed Trayvon Martin’s dad, Tracy Martin.
In addition to all the recognition he gets as a tattoo artist, Van Johnson is also a businessman. He recently launched a new clothing line, Chicagorilla, that has been seeing quite a bit of success.
In addition to all of his business success, Van Johnson is a father and a good one too. Van’s teenage daughter Bri lives with him full time and he’s proud of how well he’s raised her.
Recently, Van even shared a picture of Bri’s new boyfriend on Instagram and to be completely honest, he looks like a nice kid.
It looks like Van’s daughter Bri might be the only lady in his life right now. Last season on Black Ink Crew: Chicago, Van got into a pretty serious blowout with Jenn over a nip slip in one of her Snapchat videos that they never recovered from.
For those wondering when Van Johnson’s birthday is, be sure to send his birthday wishes on July 17. He turns 35 years old on that date in 2018. Is anyone else not surprised that Black Ink Crew: Chicago’s tough guy is a Cancer?
Black Ink Crew: Chicago airs on Wednesdays at 8/7c on VH1.