reDisCover?

So big news was DC shoes added Mike Mo and Nyjah Houston to their roster of skaters. To me it comes down to $$$, you know they paid those two a gang of cash to join their team, i mean what else would it be.  Mike Mo was on one of the best shoe co. of all time, Lakai. So he did the Kosten and went for the Loot. Nyjah, its like whatever with that cat, he is a dope skater but for some reason he has that thing about him where you either hate or love him, but he is HOT right now winning every dang contest.  Companies like DC & NIKE are the same they don’t develop skaters, they don’t discover skaters, nurture and bring up skaters. They straight jack the skaters after the skaters have been pruned to be stars. They should rediscover new designs for their shoes, and a new branch of skate shoes, the DC name has been tainted hard with all the crap they sponsor.  In the end its about $$$ so i guess they get that.

 

Supra Stealthy

Damn you know me and Supra, i remember when Muska started making his moon boots all crazy.  Reminded me of those old double layered converses…you know the ones that was almost like a boot?  Anyway.  I’ve been keeping tabs on Supra and really dig the spectrum of their offerings.  From simple to the Muska Moon Boots! Booyah! Nah its all good.  I must give props doe, one thing that Supra/Muska does well is integrate the basketball/athletic shoe into a skate shoe.  I started noticing even more that the Skytop III colors ways were becoming more “Jordan-esqe” which is never a bad thing.  I’m so glad there is no elephant/concrete print, to me that play out son!  This black friday Supra is releasing the damn near bulletproof, Skytop III – Stealthy, on the real these shoes are straight illa J, like Dilla Dogs brotha.  Check out Suprafootwear.com for the low low. and if anyone got the hook up i need a pair of dem Stealthy’s!

Sing a Song

Recently, we pick up a skateboarder to rep LS.  Its not like we couldn’t hook up someone earlier that skated, but like majority of the way i do things it has to be natural.  Lionel DeGuzman is from Wahiawa and only started skateboarding 5 years ago.  And according to him only about 5 or so months ago he actually got good.  Its hard to believe but he told me that before that his life was weeded out and spiraling down.  Not until he made that change to refocus his life and relationship with God, his skateboarding now is top notch.  I got to meet up with Lionel and we chopped it up a while, i hooked him up with some goods, and before we left he asked me, “you wanna hear a song i wrote?”  I was like yes, and expected him to turn up his car stereo.  Instead he rushed to his trunk and busted out his guitar, tuned up and started to sing! Wow!  Brotha could sing and the song was niceness. Lionel has that youthful enthusiasm that all of us should have, he realizes his goals and he is now focused to achieve them.  Future looks bright.

One-D-Way!

When i was a kid growing up i loved skateboarding.  I was a weird one. I would play Pop Warner & organized supports, but i always thought about getting back on my board.  Skateboarding was life, and Danny Way & the H-Street videos, style, and influence helped shaped me today.  B4 there was a Ryan Sheckler, Nyjah Houston, or Chaz Ortiz…there was D-Way.  His video parts in “Shackle Me Not”, “Hokus Pokus”, and “this is not the new  H-street video” were classics.  Murdered the mini ramps, spines, hips, vert, & street. Now, D-Way has put him self in a class that no other skateboarder can touch, legendary status, i mean who else jumps over the Great Wall of China?  He innovated and basically created the Mega Ramp and the only other skater that can touch him is Bob Burnquist.   So when the opportunity came to take a photo with Mr. Way, my Son, & I, it was a no brainer. I hope my son can look back on this and be as stoked as i was. Legendary Status.

Sponsor Me Tape?

I always thought i was going to be a pro skater.  It started in elementary, but i found Hip-Hop and skateboarding had to fight for my time.  Actually, it was a match made in heaven.  I would listen to my walkman on the bus as we moved to skate spots.  When i wasn’t skating i would be on the turntables, writing raps, or learning about records.  So around 1998-99 i got an opportunity to get sponsored by Osiris shoes.

In 1996, Osiris came out swinging with a sick team and the most bulkiest skate shoes to date.  They also made a G-Bag which was a bag with radio speakers attached to the bottom.  The rep was looking for someone that was down with both cultures – Skate & Hip-Hop.  Big ups to Jeff Oshiro, he was asked who would be the guy and he said me.  At first i was getting flow from the local rep, but i would bother him with club flyers, gigs, newspaper articles, mixtapes, anything to prove my worth.  The rep got so irritated that he told me one day, “you know what, im gonna set you up with sponsorship from the mainland”.  Enter my homie Nate Elders, he was my region rep for Osiris and i knew the importance of “show and prove” so everything i sent to the local rep i did for Nate, and at the time i was traveling a grip so i was promoting Osiris outside of Hawaii.  This was a dream come true, boxes of shoes, clothing, stickers, etc…came every month. In the skate world it was known as “the box”.  C-rap, i was NOT one of the best skaters in Hawaii, i do believe i was one of the most hardest working MC/DJ/budding producer in Hawaii at that time, plus i had the LIGHTSLEEPERS show!  Who would of known that in the late 90’s & early 2000’s skateboarding and Hip-hop would find identity within each other and i reaped all the benefits.  As much as Osiris had that Hip-hop feel to its company it started to change and Osiris started to get “Punk”.   It was obvious there was a back lash on the bulky D3-ish shoes and all the companies started to slim it down.

One day i got that call from Osiris saying….to be continue….

Lazy Sunday.

BRANDON WESTGATE!

American Idol.

Frankie Hill was and is one of my favorite skaters and definitely one of my skateboard idols. When i was in elementary and the VHS of Ban This & Propaganda came out on Powell & Peralta, i wanted to be Frankie Hill. Come to think about it i wanted to be like all the Powell riders. Frankie was the OG King of Gnar! He used to caveman the cutty-ist rails and ollie the hugest gaps, going super fast. He was so a head of his time and it is awesome that Nate Sherwood is doing a documentary on one of the greatest skaters. Between the Tribe Called Quest documentary i don’t know which one i am more excited to see.

TK throwdown.

This is why Terry Kennedy is my dude! I always loved his steez. And on the real, i always wanted to cop a pair of Supras. So after watching this i am definitely going to scoop me up a pair of TK sneaker lows.  I love how he is so thankful at every opportunity, from random people to photogs to famous people.  Most of all you gotta dig how he was down to git down on that sucka that tried to gank his homies Ipad.  Refreshing to see a skater get his.  And on that note we need to extro out to Fly Society – Superstar, “Look at my chain!”

The techs technique.

Check out these dope Tech Deck figures.  P-rod and Daewon.  It got me thinking that we forget how unreal Daewon is.  Yah everyone was all hyped on Pudwills part in Hallelujah & how Joey Brenzeski is mad tech.  Like Dre i think you forgot about Dae, and even more over i think you forgot about Mullen, now thats a different bag of tricks.

I pulled up the most recent footy i found on the tube and he is still killing it hard.  Tech yes but don’t for get about is tranny skills is the best! Can you say Cheeze and Crackers!  Anyway, Daewon, much respect due.

Paids off.

This is the key to getting free Transworld Skateboarding Magazine subscriptions.  Everytime they release a DVD, buy it.  Don’t download, borrow, or look for it on youtube.  Support skateboarding and buy it.  For the past, i don’t know how many, there has been a free subscription of the mag.  I haven’s subcribed for the past 3 years.  The last three DVDs also came with free MOB grip, posters, and gang o’ stickers.  You can’t front on a great deal and you get great reading material on the sh*tter. Mahalo to Transworld.