First let's acknowledge that I am from the old school of paying dues and "keeping it real" if you will. My skateboarding prime was in the late 90's and early 00's, so I experienced it all at my most impressionable... before social media, swag and auto tune.
So I am not going to lie, when I started seeing Lil Wayne mixed into my beloved skateboarding media feeds here and there, I wasn't sure what to think, and it wasn't exactly an easy thing to come to terms with.
I saw Chris Blake one night at OSP and he was explaining to me how he had been skating with "Wayne" recently, how "Wayne" had given him new perspective on skateboarding and made him feel like he's "12 again." Like there was a renewed sense of adventure and inspiration for him.
If you've seen Chris Blake ride a skateboard, you may like me find it hard to imagine him being in any way at a loss for inspiration to skate, but after hearing him explain it, I understood what he was seeing. Chris was seeing himself and his own level of passion for skateboarding when it was all brand new, again, in a fellow skater, who just happened to be Weezy.
At that point it was very clear again that it is the ultimate hypocrisy to think skateboarding isn't for everyone and anyone. And the fact that I grew up skating when I did, when it was so widely unaccepted, gives me all the more reason to defend anyone being discouraged or excluded from doing it now, no matter who it is.
See more of Chris, the Midtown crew and more skating with Lil Wayne on Kevin Perez's Youtube channel.
You don't have to like his music or appreciate his skills or style on a board. But you have to respect his obvious love for it. Hes out there skating, having fun, getting broke-off, filming clips, making new friends and learning new tricks.
Last I checked that was in fact, what it's all about.
KMC
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