October 2008 Archives
Risky Business?
Um, isn't the economy supposed to be tanking right about now? How the hell did Activision afford the guys featured in the new Guitar Hero: World Tour commercial? (Worth a watch, folks.)
Stevie Williams Opens ATL Skate Boutique
Catch Asher Roth and The Cool Kids freestyling at the grand opening of Stevie Williams' skate shop Sk8tique last Friday. Filmed by Sickamore.
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Honestly, I was never a big fan of skateboarding. Growing up, being a skater was never particularly cool. Most of the kids I knew who skated did so because they either didn't like or just weren't good at sports like basketball, baseball and football. And while I never openly knocked their hustle, I can't say that I ever understood the appeal of standing out in a parking lot and skateboarding.
But that's also what makes Stevie Williams' story interesting to me. Whether you're a fan of his or not, black skaters in the '80s and '90s had it even worse as far as perception goes. It wasn't cool to be a black man on a skateboard. But growing up in Philadelphia, Williams stuck with it and has turned a hobby he picked up at age 11 into a serious career. Since turning pro, he's done everything from appear in the popular Tony Hawk video game series to sign a deal with Reebok. On Friday, he opened his first skate boutique Sk8tique in Atlanta. I caught up with him very briefly to discuss his grind and all the benefits he's earned as the result of sticking by his board.
VIBE.com: You started skateboarding at age 11 and now you're opening your own skate shop. How does that feel?
SW: It's kinda like when you were younger and you got all F's on your report card. But then you stick it out and find yourself graduating from high school with straight A's. That's how I feel. I feel like I have made it.
What does the shop mean to your career?
This store represents all the hard work that I've put into my career in skateboarding. It feels like everything I've worked for is starting to pay off. The respect and admiration that I have gotten here in Atlanta has been overwhelming. When I first got here, I was just a skateboard dude. Now, I feel like I'm really part of the Atlanta entertainment scene.
Outside of just adding to your portfolio, what are you trying to accomplish with Sk8tique?
I want to bring the awareness of skateboarding to as broad of an audience as possible. My demographics are anything for 8-year-old kids to 60-year-old grandparents looking for a skateboard for their grandkid. I want this store to bring out the lifestyle of skateboarding and let people experience all the products the store offers. Everything in the store has my personal touch. And everyone that shops there is helping support me, my homies and the movement.
Eminem Wants To Be Like Mike (Again)
Not sure when they're dropping or how much they're gonna run yet, but earlier today, Shady Records exec Paul Rosenberg announced a new collaboration between Marshall Mathers and Jordan Brand: The Way I Am Air Jordan 2. According to the blog, there will only be 313 pairs available through Jordan Brand's official "Flight Club." These are, of course, the second pair of sneakers to bring Slim and MJ together (the first being the Air Jordan 4 "Blueberry"). And if you know anything about the price of those today, you'll be the first one online to snatch up a pair of these. Check 'em out here.
White Men Still Can't Jump
But they can dribble! Okay, so this isn't exactly Woody Harrelson in the playground hoops classic (yeah, yeah, act like you don't stop for at least five minutes every time you see it playing on a Saturday afternoon) but some white dude from London schooled New Jersey Nets point guard Devin Harris on the merits of ignoring any sort of defensive drills and focusing solely on doing a whole lot of ballhandling drills at practice. My only problem with this is that I've seen The Professor from AND1 do this to so many dudes (granted, they weren't NBA dudes, but still...) that I'm kinda desensitized to the whole thing. I do give him credit for pulling off moves in some snug khakis (pause) and a sweater, but he kinda reminds me of this dude I used to play with at the YMCA. He was a 5'6" white dude who could do 360 dunks but couldn't shoot a lick and was pretty much only effective on break-away plays. At any rate, enjoy watching D Harris humbly take this quick L. And then get excited for the NBA preview package we've got coming in two weeks. We're not playing games this year, people.
