'Black Ink' looks to change negative stereotypes of Compton

Danny "KP" Kilpatrick has inked tattoos for Diddy, Nas, Taraji P. Henson and numerous other stars, but his latest venture aims to create a safe space in his hometown of Compton.

Kilpatrick stars in "Black Ink Crew: Compton," the newest VH1 series that chronicles prominent tattoo artists. He hopes his shop can help change the image of a city known for gang culture and high murder rate.

"We're showing we can unite. We're shedding a different light of Compton through art, our ink and music," he said of the series, which airs Wednesdays on VH1. He's a native of the area and owner of iAMCompton, which is considered the community's first black-owned tattoo shop.

This Aug. 15, 2019 combination photo photo shows, from left, Danny "KP" Kilpatrick, Christian "Ink Drippin'" Thomas, Erica "Barbie" Thompson and Timothy "Tim" Simmons, cast members in the reality television series "Black Ink Crew: Compton," at the IAM Compton tattoo shop in Compton, Calif. The show, which airs Wednesdays on VH1, follows the cast who attempt to create a “safe zone” in one of the tougher cities in California. The reality series is the third spinoff of the “Black Ink Crew” franchise. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

Kilpatrick and his crew of tattoo artists attempt to make the shop a "safe zone" in Compton and help build up one of the most economically underserved communities in the United States. He believes attracting a mix of outside clients and locals to the appointment-only shop can start to make that happen.

The reality series is the third spinoff of the "Black Ink Crew" franchise. The other locations include Chicago and New York, which is currently airing its eighth season on Sundays.

Kilpatrick, 36, has already made his mark as a famed tattoo artist for several celebrities including Travis Scott. He could have opened a tattoo shop in a more popular area in Los Angeles, but he felt compelled to plant roots where he grew up to show that a black-owned business can thrive in Compton, a city of roughly 100,000 people south of downtown Los Angeles.

This Aug. 15, 2019 photo shows Danny "KP" Kilpatrick, a cast member in the reality television series "Black Ink Crew: Compton," at the IAM Compton tattoo shop in Compton, Calif. The show, which airs Wednesdays on VH1, follows the cast who attempt to create a “safe zone” in one of the tougher cities in California. The reality series is the third spinoff of the “Black Ink Crew” franchise. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

Before that could happened, Kilpatrick and his cousin Tim Simmons met with Compton's rival gang leaders at a dimly lit warehouse to seek their approval to open the shop, which turned into a small scuffle. He later got the blessing from a group of gang members who barged into the shop's ground-breaking party.

Those scenes were intense, but some on social media said they thought the interactions with gangs were staged. The cast insists everything they filmed is real, especially the aftermath of a shooting at a barbershop near their business.

"We've had some negative press saying 'Oh, you're making Compton look bad.'" said Erica "Barbie" Thompson, a receptionist at the shop. "At the end of the day, the stuff that's being shown is real. This is really happening in Compton. We're just now seeing it on VH1 instead of the news. We're not showing anything that's not happening. Our goal is to try to clean this up the best way we can. We're not making up false gang allegations. It's real out here."

This Aug. 15, 2019 photo shows Danny "KP" Kilpatrick, a cast member in the reality television series "Black Ink Crew: Compton," at the IAM Compton tattoo shop in Compton, Calif. The show, which airs Wednesdays on VH1, follows the cast who attempt to create a “safe zone” in one of the tougher cities in California. The reality series is the third spinoff of the “Black Ink Crew” franchise. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

Kilpatrick said he was grateful to earn the gang leaders' support to bring peace to the neighborhood. He envisions a day when he'll have his celeb friends and other clients feeling comfortable enough to visit Compton without any worries.

"People in this city actually want change," said Kilpatrick, a former college football player who was kicked out of school after a drug charge. He learned the art of tattooing after selling his drawings to a local tattoo parlor more than a decade ago.

"This is my second chance," he said. "And honestly, nobody wants to be going to funerals all the time. I grew up and ran these streets. For me now, I'm really telling the homies like 'Yo, I'm doing something. It could be big for all of us.' This show will show that people can positively change the way they live."

This Aug. 15, 2019 photo shows Danny "KP" Kilpatrick, a cast member in the reality television series "Black Ink Crew: Compton," at the IAM Compton tattoo shop in Compton, Calif. The show, which airs Wednesdays on VH1, follows the cast who attempt to create a “safe zone” in one of the tougher cities in California. The reality series is the third spinoff of the “Black Ink Crew” franchise. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

Simmons said their meeting with gang leaders was imperative, calling it "hood politics." He said they couldn't safely open their shop or film the show in Compton without the gangster's permission first.

"You have to start with the homies," said Simmons, who is also a former college football player. "They are the ones who keep the violence up or down. You get them, then corporate sees that and now they want to invite you in. You got power. Once you show you got power, then you can change the environment."

Christian "Ink" Thomas wants to connect the divided worlds between the city's black and Mexican residents, some of whom have been at odds for years.

This Aug. 15, 2019 photo shows Danny "KP" Kilpatrick, a cast member in the reality television series "Black Ink Crew: Compton," at the IAM Compton tattoo shop in Compton, Calif. The show, which airs Wednesdays on VH1, follows the cast who attempt to create a “safe zone” in one of the tougher cities in California. The reality series is the third spinoff of the “Black Ink Crew” franchise. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

"The two people who damn near hate each other the most, that's who I am," said Thomas, a tattoo artist at iAMCompton who is Mexican and black. "I want to show that you can be whatever you are mixed with. You can be bigger than what your mix came out to be. When you start with the color of your skin, then it goes to the color of your rag, then to the color of your laces. We're artists. We make that perfect blend work."

Follow AP Entertainment Writer Jonathan Landrum Jr. on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MrLandrum31

This Aug. 15, 2019 photo shows Erica "Barbie" Thompson, a cast member in the reality television series "Black Ink Crew: Compton," at the IAM Compton tattoo shop in Compton, Calif. The show, which airs Wednesdays on VH1, follows the cast who attempt to create a “safe zone” in one of the tougher cities in California. The reality series is the third spinoff of the “Black Ink Crew” franchise. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

This Aug. 15, 2019 photo shows Christian "Ink Drippin'" Thomas, a cast member in the reality television series "Black Ink Crew: Compton," at the IAM Compton tattoo shop in Compton, Calif. The show, which airs Wednesdays on VH1, follows the cast who attempt to create a “safe zone” in one of the tougher cities in California. The reality series is the third spinoff of the “Black Ink Crew” franchise. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

This Aug. 15, 2019 photo shows Christian "Ink Drippin'" Thomas, a cast member in the reality television series "Black Ink Crew: Compton," at the IAM Compton tattoo shop in Compton, Calif. The show, which airs Wednesdays on VH1, follows the cast who attempt to create a “safe zone” in one of the tougher cities in California. The reality series is the third spinoff of the “Black Ink Crew” franchise. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

This Aug. 15, 2019 photo shows Timothy "Tim" Simmons, a cast member in the reality television series "Black Ink Crew: Compton," at the IAM Compton tattoo shop in Compton, Calif. The show, which airs Wednesdays on VH1, follows the cast who attempt to create a “safe zone” in one of the tougher cities in California. The reality series is the third spinoff of the “Black Ink Crew” franchise. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United Arab Emirates for decades has advertised itself as a haven for international business in a Middle East awash in violent upheaval. Those waves have now crashed into this nation, testing its economic model like never before.

The UAE, a close ally of the United States and Israel, faced more missile and drone attacks from Iran during the war than any other country. The attacks — and Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz — have more than halved the Emirates' exports of crude oil and natural gas. Its tourism and conference sectors have also suffered.

The country, which sits just across the Persian Gulf from Iran, has portrayed itself as unfazed, even as it makes significant changes. It recently announced plans to build another pipeline to reduce its reliance on the strait, and it dropped out of the OPEC oil cartel so it can boost energy production longer-term, something that had been under consideration since before the war.

While the U.S. and Israel started the war, the UAE is firmly entangled. A drone attack Sunday on its Barakah nuclear power plant underlines the continued risks — even if a shaky ceasefire holds.

Because the Emirates boasts a large surplus of cash, the war’s economic disruptions so far do not appear to have caused major job losses or an exodus of foreign business. The longer the standoff drags on and prevents business as usual in the Emirates, the greater the risk to its image that has been key to drawing international business and investment.

Emirati officials' increasingly accuse Iran of piracy and even terrorism, while threatening to take military action.

The UAE “will not tolerate any threat to its security and sovereignty under any circumstances,” its Foreign Ministry said Sunday night. "It reserves its full, sovereign, legitimate, diplomatic, and military rights to respond to any threats, allegations or hostilities.”

It's hard to know how the UAE will respond to the Barakah attack, which caused no radiological release and hasn't stopped the nuclear plant in Abu Dhabi's far western desert from operating.

The UAE is a federation of seven autocratically ruled sheikhdoms, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Its top ruling body is the Federal Supreme Council, comprised of the hereditary rulers of its seven emirates. But decision-making is dominated by Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his family.

The ruling family, analysts say, has directed a more aggressive foreign policy in the last decades, including entering the war in Yemen against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. The UAE helped bring Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to power in 2013, and is alleged to have sent arms to parties in Sudan and Libya's civil wars, which it denies.

Sheikh Mohammed, who rarely speaks publicly, gave his only brief remarks on the war for state media while visiting those wounded by Iranian attacks at a hospital in March.

"The UAE is attractive, the UAE is beautiful, the UAE is a model. But I say to them: do not be misled by the UAE’s appearance," the sheikh warned at the time. “The UAE has thick skin and bitter flesh; we are no easy prey.”

But that doesn't mean there has been no pain.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has impeded the UAE's ability to sell crude oil and natural gas, though a few of its tankers have made it out. It can export approximately 1.8 million barrels of crude a day through a pipeline to Fujairah, a city with an oil terminal on the Gulf of Oman outside the strait. The Emirates is trying to speed up the construction of a second pipeline to double that capacity.

The UAE's tourism and conference market — estimated to be more than 12% of its economic output — has also been hit hard.

Since the war started Feb. 28, over 70 scheduled events in the UAE have been postponed, canceled or otherwise affected, according to Northbourne Advisory, a communications firm based in Qatar that's been tracking the effects of the war. The Emirati government did not issue a blanket ban for events, but organizers likely changed their plans over “insurance withdrawal and liability exposure,” the firm said.

On May 4, the country's airline, Emirates, announced it had resumed nearly its entire schedule of flights out of Dubai International Airport, the busiest worldwide for years for international travel. But the same day, Iran launched multiple drone and missile attacks, setting off alerts on mobile phones and groans among the Emirates' business community, which is eager to return to some sense of normalcy.

The airport appears to be building a protective cage around its jet fuel tanks, something officials there declined to discuss.

Hotels, including Dubai's iconic, sail-shaped Burj Al Arab, have closed for renovations as occupancy rates have fallen to around 20%. Moody’s Analytics estimates that rate will fall to 10% in the June quarter, down from 80% before the war.

Moody's warned that occupancy rates will likely stay down through the rest of 2026, with travelers likely to remain hesitant even after hostilities subside.

In an analysis published on Monday, the Institute of International Finance said: “Dubai’s openness makes it vulnerable to shocks in travel, logistics, and confidence, while Abu Dhabi’s balance sheet and energy assets give the federation the capacity to absorb the blow.”

Dubai in particular has been trying to show it is still open.

This past weekend, Dubai hosted an abbreviated version of its annual Art Dubai show. The war felt close by, not only because the show's preview happened the same day Iran seized a ship anchored off Fujairah.

One piece of art was a coin-operated black fighter jet, covered in pairs of black Nike tennis shoes.

One artist, Solimán López of Spain, came with a piece centered on the idea of him claiming ownership of a metal-rich asteroid that's the target of a NASA mission. The artwork is meant to reflect on how countries and companies extract oil and other commodities.

The conflict made it a challenge to attend with his work, he said. "But I said I have to do my best, because I do believe that it’s the perfect context to talk about this in the region," he said.

Another artist, Alfred Tarazi of Beirut, noted his grandparents lived through two world wars.

“Life doesn't stop in a world war,” he said. “We can only counter a narrative of violence with culture.”

FILE - A vendor sits inside a shop at the empty Al Seef market, one of the main tourist areas of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 13, 2026, as tourism slows during the Iran war. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair, File)

FILE - Smoke rises after an Iranian drone attack in the port area of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair, File)

FILE - The skyline of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026, with the Burj Khalifa at center. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair, File)