I woke up this morning at about 6 o'clock, went to the bathroom to brush the teeth and apply the ever so necessary astringent to the face. I woke up my sister, came back to my room, and made the most important decision of the day: what to wear. I picked the orange Timbaland shirt, and the South Pole khaki cargo shorts, in which I carried cargo, in order to not be a tool who wears cargo shorts without cargo, and looked at the bottom of the closet to the shoes. And my eyes laid upon the orange and blue Nike SB (SkateBoard) sneakers, which matched the shirt well. The decision was made; however, my mind was not at rest.
Years ago, the word "skateboarder" was synonymous with the term "psychopathic rebellious emo punk who will kill you and eat your f****** children." The weirdos wore tight jeans and had spiked mohawks and wallets connected to chains connected to their pants, and it was oh so disturbing. The skateboarder commanded no respect, acquired no acclaim, and had little fanfare out of the X-Games and local skate parks everywhere.
But something amazing happened. Suddenly, skating was cool. The Misfits, The Offspring, and NOFX grew from the pain of being dismissed as freaks and turned into great artists. The genre of skate punk began. Suddenly Henry Rollins was a bad ass motherfucker. Bracelets with studs became cool. Leather jackets with studs were all the rage. Combat boots, fishnet stockings, and gauges brought a new era of fashion into the picture. The transformation was ridiculous. Grown ass men were watching the X-Games in their living rooms. Girls would fall in line for the next Bob Burnquist. And to top them all off, a 13-year-old Carrot Top look-a-like became a sports icon.
But as we all know, som
ething can only be popular for a short while before the most adaptive culture in history secures a choke hold on it. That culture: Hip-hop. The merge began immediately. Ice-T releases his screamo single "Cop Killer." The Kottonmouth Kingz form in California, combining the musical styling of Cypress Hill and Corporate Avenger. Now we see Lil Wayne, with tight red jeans and chain wallet in his possession. Lupe Fiasco leaves us in awe with his skateboarding metaphor in "Kick, Push." And of course, the Virginia native, Pharrell Williams, takes on the nickname of "The Imperial Skateboard P." I am willing to bet my life savings that the dude is as good as me on a board. And on a scale from one to ten, ten being the best, I'm a "oh my god, get this dude to the hospital, who let him on a skateboard." Which brings me to my point.
The skateboarding culture has entered into hip-hop. Young urban kids everywhere now scour the internet looking for rare and exotic pairs of Nike SB's, and they have no clue how to move on a skateboard. Sagging tight jeans are seen in malls in the hood every time you turn your head. Colorful checker printed socks? Oh, they're there. But it's not just the hood kids. Even suburban youth, some unaware of the origins of this fashion, adapt it into their lives. Every time I go to Short Pump and see that one white guy in tight jeans and a tight white T-Shirt with 5 black guys who are wearing the same thing, I shake my head. Dude, y'all had it first! Claim it! Don't follow the hip-hoppers blindly!
No disrespect to skateboarding shoes; but I have always felt that it's good to know the beginnings of something in order to understand its current position. So please, educate yourself. Know where these things come from. And if you have some new fashion, don't be afraid to show it off. Wear that style to school every day. Who knows? Maybe Kid Cudi will be rocking it in five years.P.S. Just Kidding, Scott Mescudi is way too cool to copy your little style.
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