“Black Ink Crew: Chicago” co-stars Charmaine Walker and Lily Barrios continue to air out their beef after the show’s latest explosive episode centering around the n-word.
Last Wednesday during episode 8, Walker and Barrios engaged in a huge physical altercation after Walker demanded her Latina co-worker be fired for repeatedly saying the word “nigga.”
A video of Barrios went viral last year of her spewing the n-word several times during a heated altercation with Van Johnson‘s girlfriend Jennifer, aka Jen, who’s Black. The Mexican-descent tattoo artist drew backlash from “Black Ink Crew: Chicago” viewers for the incident, but she continued to remain unapologetic.
A huge debate erupted on social media last week over the show’s latest episode, where Walker and Barrios continued to battle it out.
Charmaine Walker (left) and Lily Barrios. (Photos: @blackinkcrewchicago/Instagram)
During a recent interview with VH1, Walked explained that before she and Barrios began beefing in season 4, she noticed the tattoo artist would say “nigga” frequently and asked her to stop using the derogatory term. Barrios seemingly refused to do so and “flaunted it on social media.”
“[She] just needs to understand where the n-word came from and understand that it’s a word that Black people took from its oppressor to gain the power back,” Walker said. “Lily’s just walking around and throwing the n-word everywhere and anywhere she can and I don’t like the context she uses it. … She only says it when she’s mad, when she’s drunk and when she’s talking to Black people. I don’t accept it.”
Barrios defended her right to use the slur by claiming she “grew up saying it” and no one had a problem with it.
“I understand why people feel like I can’t say the n-wor, and regardless if it sounds like an excuse for them, I grew up saying it and it wasn’t nothing where it was out the blue,” Barrios explained. “It’s something in my vocabulary how I grew up talking, it’s what it is.”
She continued, “The word saying ‘er’ [nigger] is different than saying ‘a’ [nigga] if that’s how you grew up talking. I understand the history of it. … But the way it’s is used now it wasn’t used in that sense.”
“Black Ink Crew: Chicago” fans still felt conflicted about Barrios’ n-word use and sided with each individual.
“Sorry but I agree with Charmaine,” one viewer chimed in. “This new Generation of young Black people feel it’s very okay to be called a nigga by people of other race and culture 😕. It’s sad smh.”
“🤦🏽♀️ Charmaine you know damn well that girl ain’t a racist. U should have stopped that shit when it 1st happen!!! Not when u don’t like her anymore!!! Ur a fraud!!!” one fan who sided with Barrios said.
“The Black people in these comments are ignorant along with Lily. It doesn’t matter if she has been saying nigga since she was 2. She’s not black so she shouldn’t say it PERIODT 🙄!!!!!.
“Some Spanish people just grow up around the word doesn’t mean Lilys a racist. If Blacks can use it then why can’t we ✌️?”
