The Real Reason Black Ink Crew Stars Ceaser And Dutchess Split

Black Ink Crew keeps its fans hooked with drama involving relationships, friendships, and lawsuit drama, and boy, Season 8 of the VH1 series did not disappoint. The installment got watchers invested in Ceaser Emanuel's latest lady problems, as he navigated yet another messy breakup, this time with Kit "Miss Kitty" SoVain.

Fans of the show have been no stranger to the Ceaser's dating history, and while he's had his share of fun as both a single and taken man, there are a few women that have snagged Ceaser's heart more than the rest. One that stands out is Crystiana Lavielle Lattimore, aka "Dutchess Lattimore," another tattoo artist and former cast member Ceaser dated periodically until their final split in 2016. Although their relationship was rocky, Ceaser once seemed very serious about tying the knot with Dutchess, who accepted his marriage proposal in 2015. 

But things came to an abrupt halt before Dutchess moved to her home state of North Carolina, where she now owns a tattoo parlor of her own. Years later, both Dutchess and Ceaser seemed to have officially laid their relationship demons rest, with Ceaser even admitting to VH1 in March 2020 that he was in "puppy love sh*t" and reflecting that the relationship was "crazy now that I look back at it." He said, "I used to really think I wouldn't be able to make it without her." 

So, what came in between their relationship? We reveal the truth after the jump.

Although the details are certainly nebulous, with both sides claiming innocence, we can speculate about what went down. It all started in 2016, with a tipster telling Fameolous (via BET) that Ceaser Emanuel allegedly cheated on Dutchess Lattimore. Dutchess fanned the flames in a since-deleted Instagram post, sharing a screenshot of the claim alongside an emoji of a person walking away from a speech bubble. "Dutchess thinks Ceaser is loyal to her but that n***s got my homegirls in Philly pregnant," the screenshot captured by Bossip said. "Everytime he rolls through Philly to see that b*** in North Carolina he stops through to f*** her." 

As BET noted, Fameolous claimed that the supposed woman in question allegedly had an abortion. And Dutchess, who lives in North Carolina, reportedly "threatened to expose" alleged "proof of abuse, police reports, audio recordings and more."

Ceaser denied all of these claims, taking to social media to clear his side of the story up. "Dutchess know d*mn well I don't got no secret baby on the way in Philly," he posted in an Instagram comment captured by VH1. "She was with me when the fake news hit and laughed with me. She just wanted a reason to be out so she can do her."

Speculation that Dutchess Lattimore had her own plans, which didn't include Ceaser, could be true. Case in point: In a 2015 episode of Black Ink Crew, when Dutchess was still on the show, she unveiled her plans to break away from the cast and do her own thing. She had already gotten the process started at the time, which included choosing a tattoo parlor location and setting a brand for the shop, which she said she hoped would be different from Black Ink Crew's "hangout" feel, as seen in Black Ink Crew clip.

Dutchess also seemed to confirm Ceaser's theory that Dutchess wanted to "do her," explaining how she was focusing on self-care. "You better know how to love you! Nobody will love you like you. As I sit here in tears I'm holding on to love I have for myself cause right now it's really important for me," she captioned a photo on Instagram, adding that she was "trying to find peace, a search like a needle in a haystack."

It's possible that in between setting up her own shop, working for Black Ink, and filming for the show, Dutchess decided she didn't have enough time or energy to devote to a relationship. She suggested as such in the same Instagram post, saying, "Living a public life is one of the most difficult Things." 

There could be an added layer of complication to the already messy split of the couple, one that has to do with finances. Although there were times that fans accused Dutchess of leeching off of Ceaser, according to Bossip, the Pretty-N-Ink owner combatted those claims, saying she set up her shop independently. "Everything I got, I got it on my own!" she said on Instagram, as captured by the outlet. "Everybody got a check from Vh1, not just me. It's not my fault I decided to take my money and use it wisely." 

In fact, Dutchess has suggested that the complete opposite came in between her and Ceaser. In a 2016 interview she did with Power98 shortly after the split, Dutchess claimed that everything related to the couple's finances during the relationship fell on her shoulders, including apartment and business leases. At that time, Dutchess said that she gave more to Ceaser than she did herself "in the last five years."

She even added in another detail, alleging the engagement ring Ceaser proposed with was bought by VH1, rather than Ceaser himself. "If you really love somebody, and you really want to marry them, you don't need somebody else to buy a ring for you." 

We don't know what the future holds for these two, but it seems like this breakup was for the best.