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I'm going back to Cali... Cali.... Cali,...... I'm goin back to Cali, man I don't think so..... Oh yes, I do think so. (remember when LL Cool J was the shit before he turned into an R+B putz?) Nike was throwing another party for Omar Salazars new shoe. I'm gonna start calling Darin O'Briens Nike partys the official skateboarders Make-a-motherfuckin-wish foundation. Skate with the Nike power squad in San Fran? You fuckin crazy? Of course I'm fuckin down. I also took Jimmy Grant and Alex Maldonado for witnesses. SF is one of the few places I like in that entire state and its like that.
I got the power call from Lair extended family member Tyler Tufty. Homie shatters any Nike shit talking of their program being run by suits and non skaters. You find me another rep that lays it the fuck down on as many levels as this dude and you'd be lying to yourself. He's good people besides just the skating. Most Pitcrew kids and DC heads I know are. Pitcrew is another shop and scene you won't find in the mall and run shit in there area. Sounds familier right? Fuckin hate ye fuckin haters cause it doesn't matta.
My flight was at fuckin 5 in the fucking morning and its a good thing I don't sleep. I had a small brick of brownie from colorado right before the flight and thats how I was livin. Meep-mop-morp, and I could barely even feel my feet. I said God Daaaaamnnn! The flight felt more like a fuckin warpzone and before the bubbles cleared I was in Cali and linked up with the fellas.....jumped in the limo.......right to hotel....right into party bus.....right into a 1000 kid demo. But not before I found Hunter Imamura and jabbed that bastard a few times. (Told you I'd get you and you're lucky I love ya you bastard.) I ain't lying. Paul and Koston attract the crowds believe me. Pure craze and police escort into the demo. A bit nutty but I was amped cause they had a dope bowl and large mini to shred. The first dude that I saw thru the gate was dread head Matt Pailes who I had not seen since his last visit to lair 3 years ago. A good trend that followed cause I saw a gangland of homies that I haven't seen in a minute. CT transplants Krupa and Moose also linked up and I was amped as fuck.
After watching the crew fuckin slay it, meeting the locals, I found myself getting nearly arrested for taking a piss outside and the party moved to another park for a private session at Epic Skatepark. I hate saying that word "epic" but this fuckin place was just that. Peep em online or if you're in the area. Its fuckin retarded and this park has got everything and then some. They bowl there was what the fuck I'm talkin about and I wish we went there first and that I had saved more legs for this spot. Every fuckin person in the building was fuckin ripping shit.
Now comes the real demos. Open bar time putos. We retreated like a bunch of pirates to the 5 star hotel and continued to royally piss off all the uptight suit types and left peoples heads scratching. Daryl Angel spilt more beer in our room than he consumed and learned the proper shotgun tactics. Another skater that stayed with lair years ago when he rode for Think, Daryl is a good kid and I'm hyped on the success he's had. The same goes for Omar. These kids are a refreshing change to the Sheckler "whats in it for me only" types and have that real skate street cred that you can't just buy. Drunkin craze and good times had by all involved. Next morning after Omars shoe review we headed out to Deluxe factory. But not before I ran up the EMB statue and slapped a Lair sticker and Shut shield in broad daylight just-cuz and its like that.
Mic Reyes took us around the Deluxe plant and gave us the grand tour. 5boro homie Andy Pitts was in the hizz-ouse and does graphics for Deluxe and I was amped to see him. Also 5boro legend and longtime homie Ben Wall was on the trip and another Nike employee. Small worlds g. Another oldtime homeboy, Anthony Correa was along for the ride and I love catchin up with that brat. We also loved catching up with local beer companies and it blurred together perfectly. Mickey also hooked us up with Omar skateboard completes that they made only a few of just for the occasion. Its already retired on the shop wall. I also bumped into my man Mike O'meally and got a chance to shoot the shit. Get back east dawg! Homie has a new photo book of NYC droppin so keep your black eye out for it.
Next up was a BBQ in the park.(Petreo polero or some shit like that. Anyhow place was illmatic.) This was my favorite spot of the trip and they had a giant bowl with various pockets. Right about when I started to find some lines and really started getting into it, the sky started find a place to take a piss. Damn it. Place was fun as fuck. ALex and Jimmy were just tarting to get the lines on the street course/crash derby and I'm sure they wanted more time at it too. Naturally it was then back to the hotel to piss off the natives and pre-game it for the Omar party. We got the vip pass and side entrance to the swanky setup and it was dope as shit setup in the club that they rented out. Spaceship theme with all the chicks dressed like aliens handing out mushrooms and other goodies. What the fuck? Open bar with every skate personality there is and your boyband was setting some records. San Fran girls kinda remind me of NYC chicklets. Heavily tattoo'd and aggressive. Like they might even pull a knife on you if you won't kiss them or some shit. It was all good though and nothing but good times.
Mario Rubacalas band fuckin slayed it and thats coming from a guy who pretty much hates every band out there.....except Slayer.....fuck yeah.....Slayer for ever and thats real hip hop. Everytime I turned around someone was havin a shot and beer with me and I was soon in the spaceship myself. After the bands a DJ came on and played some ill shit and classic jams and would throw in a funny dance track for the girlies. He then thought it would be a good idea to throw on a Slayer track at about 2AM after 6 hours of open bar. I then showed him that wasn't the best idea and I had a 1 man mosh pit going on. It ended with various people on the ground and the DJ stand skipping a few beats. A bunch of other madness and man I couldn't even really tell ya but thats how we were living. Omars party was one of my favorites yet.
Our trip to Street Corner the next day was cut short due to missing member Moo$e who was a party casualty from the night before. Completly understood and we were just glad he was alive at that point. Nike don't play g and its quite the pace to keep up. We took a trip over to the Deluxe store (also not located in a mall, you dig what I'm sayin) and I met the locals and the some rad fuckin employees. My man Terry is the shit and I look foward to seeing him on his next trip out east. We bombed around town with the guided tour from Krupa and bombed some hills and hit some ill shit. Jimmy Grant got buck at some spots and got a girl to flash us for doing a gap. (although bras don't really count as flashing where I'm from, it was still some funny shit)
Before ya knew it, or I had even slept, or Jimmy the stinking hippie took a shower, it was time to bounce back east. Endless thanks and I'll put rounds down range for, Darin O'brien, Tyler Tufty, Omar, Hunter, and the whole Nike SB click and team, Terry and crew at DLX, Micky Reyes, James Craig and Tony Manfre for the Jah Ju, Ant Correa, ATlas skateshop crew, Ben Wall, Oliver and the husky minute, Rodney Smith, Epic and B-Street skateparks, Matt Pailes and all the Sacto locals, Moo$e, Krupa, the fellas that bought me beers in the airport bar, and all the SAn Fran locals that were cool as fuck to me! Hellz yeah, thats whats up.
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