Brian Hoard is the man. Sho-nuff!

1. What went through your mind the first time you saw someone on a skateboard?

What the hell is that thing, some kind of street surfboard? Can I try yours and where did you get it? I would always ask a million and one questions as a kid, just cause I always wanted to know what was crackin’.

2. Tell us about your first board and how you got it?

It was Jeff Kendall’s “Wolf” Pro Model by Santa Cruz with Thunder Trucks, Black bullets 66’s, and German Bearings. Got it for my birthday in the summer of 91′.

3. Who did you look up to when you first started?

At that time I was hyped on everybody. I think the first video that I ever saw was “A Soldier’s Story” the Life Skateboards video. So I would have to say Sean Sheffy.

Also Jovantae Turner in Planet Earth’s ‘Now N’ Later’.

And last but not least was Sal Barbier in “This is not the new H-STREET Video”

4. What’s the skate scene like in your part of California?

I’m in Temecula which is Southern California’s Wine Country. There really isn’t a scene out here but the scene in SoCal in general is off the charts. It’s ideal weather for skateboarding all year round. I got homies all over the state, so a dope skate session with some of the illest heads in the industry is only a phone call away.

5. What kind of music do you listen to when youre skating?

I’ve been trying not to listen to music while I skate, just because it kinda takes away from the whole vibe and interaction with the others that are in on the session. But when I’m skating by myself, I always got some type of hip hop bumping through the speakers. Just got that “Below The Heavens” by Blu Exile. [Also] anything from The Gaslamp Killer which has been bumpin pretty heavily through my speakers lately. I’m a product of the early Hip Hop era. I still remember staying up late every Friday night to record Fab Five Freddy’s weekly two-hour “Yo! Mtv Raps” show, cause that was the only time you could see rap video’s on MTV back in the days.

6. What current skate trend pisses you off at the moment?

I wouldn’t go as far as saying “piss me off,” more like “don’t understand” [and that] is the whole tight pants [style]. Skating went from ridiculously over-sized pants and shorts which I must admit, I did take apart in–to kids wearing their little sister’s jeans trying to look like Axel Rose on a skateboard. Why not just buy a pair that fits?

7. Who in your opinion is the best skateboarder right now?

That’s a hard one to answer cause you got the new dudes that are [just] jumping into the scene and are hot right now versus the dudes that have been consistently hot over the past ten years or more and continue to step their games up. There are way too many heads to name cause everyone is amazing these days, but I’m going to have to say Daewon, Creager, Koston, Guy, and Paul Rodriguez Jr.

8. Do you have any sponsors?

At the moment only Furnace skate shop, but I got people that hold me down at Almost, Autobahn Wheels, US versus Them, Force Trucks, and Sk8mafia. Got to thank them all for keeping a dude rolling for all these years.

9. What was the best skate shoe you ever wore?

That’s a easy one. The 1st Keenan Milton shoe by DVS. Nothing better than a shoe with no breaking-in time. Just slip them joints on your feet and it’s lights, camera, time for some action.

10. What was the last good skate video you saw?

It’s a tie between Lakai’s “Fully Flared” and “Inhabitants“ The Habitat video, with Habitat edging out Lakai cause of the music.

11. What was the last bad skate video you saw?

Well I kinda seen some of the Ice Cream video. There wasn’t really anything there that captured my attention, so I kinda just turned it off after a minute or so.

12. How do we beat you in a game of skate?

Oh that’s simple. Play me before I’m warmed up, any variation of a No-comply, late Shuv-its, or Underflips. Or if I’m the last skater in a large game where everyone one has to pull the trick regardless if the person before you pulled it or not. It really depends on the rules of the game, Cause different people have different rules for the game. Like “the toe police rule” is one my favorites.

13. Do you watch “Life of Ryan” and/or “Rob & Big?”

No, but friends of mine that don’t skate always try to talk to me about it. I kinda stopped watching MTV when they pulled “Yo! MTV Raps” off the air in 1995. I’m all about the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet in HD these days.

14. What would we see if you had a reality show?

Mad Hi-jinx at times but also a lot of skateboarding. Just cause skateboarder’s in general come across all types of crazy real life stuff most do not see, just by constantly being out and about steady mobbin the city streets all the time.

15. What does your family think of your skating?

After all this time I still don’t think they don’t really understand why I do it, but they accept it cause it’s something that I’ve been passionate about for so many years. Plus it was a much better alternative then straight thuggin’ in the streets.

16. What do you want to do with your life?

To just be happy, and to try to share my happiness with others. And to just enjoy everyday that we are blessed to be on this earth.

Also be sure to check out my blog “The Life and Times of Nigga’rachi Devine”

My you tube page at

And I’m also in the process of working on a P. Rod Radio show for Flow radio.

Shape is one of my favorite emcees. He’s not talking nonsense and he’s not spitting that garbage and he always gives it his all. He’s constantly improving as well. Shoutout to talented people who actually make their talent work for them.

You have a very broad range as far as the sound landscape in your music. Does that come from not being afraid to try different styles?

My influences musically have always been very diverse. I think that there is a mindset in modern hip-hop that assumes success comes from recycling tried and true patterns. This is why we see hip hop as a whole moving into these cycles of homogenization, where one hit single will set the standard for what the musical sound of the next couple seasons will be. If one person makes a popular beat using sped up vocals or a vocoder for instance, you will see that become the trend and producers will very rarely deviate from that formula until the next one comes along. Hip Hop has lost the originality and forward thinking experimental nature of sound design that made it so exciting to begin with.

My approach to making music has always been very deeply rooted in a punk rock ethos. I seek to move away from safe ideas and comfortable sounds and into darker territories and more unexplored regions of production. I’m not making music for the money or I wouldn’ve quit by now and I’m not seeking to get any mainstream recognition so I find that that in itself allows me to take my sound to places other artists might be hesitant to visit. At the end of the day I’m not trying to please anyone but myself.

In general though, I think that myself, and my peers who approach music making from similar angles, are seeking to bring back that original energy of early hip hop to our music. Back when Bomb Squad was crafting bombastic sonic alchemy for Public Enemy, they were creating something completely new and unheard of at that time. When the Beastie Boy’s dropped Paul’s Boutique it was revolutionary on levels that nothing in recent times has even aspired to. I remember the feeling I got when I first heard Wu Tang Clan and that feeling is incomparable because it was so fresh and groundbreaking for its time and place in music history. I’m not comparing myself to these artists at all, but I am saying that I am trying the hardest I can to emulate their adventurous nature to the best of my abilities.

3. What in your opinion defines success?

My ideas of success are constantly evolving. I guess the best measure of success I can put on myself is the level of satisfaction I have with my creative output. Also, if I put out my music to the public and get good responses back, that is a great indication of personal success. I think everyone wants to be appreciated for what they do and if you can reach a point where you have fans that have personal investments in your art, you are successful person. I don’t think I could ever measure success by the amount of money I make doing this. Eventually I’d like to have financially stability resulting from my creative endeavors but until then I don’t mind waiting tables or doing other shit jobs to pay the bills.

6. In recent years you dropped a few solo albums, what have you been working on lately?

Since I dropped my most recent album Raised Near the Powerlines on Division East, I’ve been working on a lot of different projects. There have been a few false starts and some things that never really came to fruition. But currently I have enough material recorded for a few more solo albums that have all been put on the back burner for the time being. I produced an album for G. Wallace which is in post production now and is being self-released this summer. That is one of the projects I’ve been most excited about. It sounds a lot different from anything I’ve been involved with and I had a lot of fun working on it. Over the next couple of months I’m going to be releasing a lot of free downloadable material, starting with a free version of the Raised Near the Powerlines album and then downloads of my two previous solo albums ghostpope and Lovezooka. I’ve also just started working on a new solo album tentatively titled Dias de los Muertos that I hope to have done by early 2009.

7. One time I asked you what you’d been up to and you said making all kinds of music, even club shit. What did you mean by that?

I don’t even want to pigeon hole myself into a genre or get comfortable making just one certain type of music. To avoid this I spend a lot of time researching the infinite amount of musical styles that exist across the globe and try to incorporate those influences into my product. As far as hip hop goes, nothing has come out in a very long time that has really excited me. I’ve been far more impressed with a lot of the indie rock and electronic music that has been dropping over the past couple of years. With my recent music I’ve been trying to keep my hip hop sensibilities and methods of production and use that to create new ideas and sounds. My newer tracks have been incorporating a lot more effects, live instruments, singing and melodies. As far as the club shit, you are going to have to hear the G. Wallace album, cause that’s going to be that fire that gets the girls dancing this summer. Guaranteed.

1. What artist that you saw live at a young age had the most profound effect on you as an emcee?

Um…haha, I don’t know. The first concert I saw that my parents didn’t take me to was Rancid when I was like 13. Before that my grandma took me to see Peter, Paul and Mary at the Hollywood Bowl. As far as having any profound effect on me as an emcee, I’d say it wasn’t any particular artist but probably a culmination of the local punk rock bands whose shows I went to religiously throughout middle and high school. Seeing a bunch of kids just a little older than me rocking out in church basements and Legion Halls made me realize how much I really wanted to be on a stage wilding out.

4. What is your favorite book?

I don’t even know where to begin. After making music reading is probably the second thing I do most in life. I want to pull out some real impressive deep book that I read somewhere along the line that would sound real impressive and intellectual but I can’t think of one. If I was hard pressed to decide, I’d probably say that Bukowski’s Women is one of my all time favorites. I read for entertainment mostly, so a book like Women, which is hilarious and raw and written with a real literal grit and doesn’t take itself too serious, is a perfect read for me. I come back to that one every couple of years.

5. What is your favorite work of art?

This is another tough one. I went to community college for fine art so I should be up on my shit but I can’t really think of one particular piece of art I would call my favorite. Shit…I don’t even know.

8. What’s the source of your lyrically sophistication?

Is it sophisticated? I don’t know. I guess the best way I’d define my lyrics would be stream of conscious. I very rarely write anything that has a cohesive narrative but more try to string words and ideas together that reflect the vibe of the beat I’m rocking to. I try to be poetic and artistic in my expression without coming across as too pretentious. Lyrics are the hardest part of making music for me. I’m very critical of my writing. I honestly have trouble listening to things I’ve done more than six months ago. Right now I’ve actually been taking a lot of time working on different approaches to my writing and delivery that cats will see when some of the new shit starts dropping.

So the fashion world has gone bulimic and vomited all these retarded streetwear factions that make wack shit. Your Pepto is Digitalgravel.com because I said so. For years they’ve had tons of fascinating tees and I chose a week’s worth of Tees I’d wear proudly.

Saturday

Foreign Affairs by Foreign Family $27.00

You really expect me to not love a shirt illustrating two assumed-hot women in bikinis making out? Are you serious? Most threesomes occur on Saturday nights. I made that up.

Sunday

Alpha by 3sixteen 37.00

So this shirt is supposed to be an illustration of God. Without upsetting Jimmy Swaggert, I just wanna say I just think it looks dope. Amen.

Monday

Bartsenio by Milkcrate $30.00

Milkcrate typically has their shit in order. Only they could make Bartsenio the grand “Black Bart” reissue it is. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, most likely your pants are too tight and you wear eyeliner and you’re not a girl. That and you’re young. Most likely this isn’t the shirt for you. Shoutout to WWOR late night programming. Feel like a rockstar. Party on Monday like it’s Friday.

Tuesday

American Spirit by Ropeadope $27.00

When you come into work after partying like it was Friday, you’re going to feel like you missed alot. Act like you know. Pretend you give a damn, like we do with the plight of Native Americans. Blackhawks. Chiefs. Indians. Three pro sports leagues have at least one team named after a race of people. The homage to courage, bravery, respect and success is a “you must think I’m stupid” argument, so why not call them a non-patronizing name that also describes them to a T? That would make way too much sense. Well done Ropeadope. Well-designed. Well-expressed. Well-schemed.

Wednesday

Biter by Fiberops $37.00

Absolutely fabulous. A great image well located will surely have the public staring, if not out of sheer curiosity. It is hump-day after all. Get your Marv Albert on.

Thursday

NOYFB! By Ludwig $29.00

Powerful, pertinent slogan–cleanly illustrated, equals message sent. Or the perfect response to someone you can’t stand asking what you’re doing this weekend.

Friday

Fly High by Destroy $29.00

So I might’ve preferred the shirt to say Ballin instead of We Fly High, but that doesn’t work with what they’re going for so we’ll have to accept this semi-corny slogan. The jewel here is solely within the Strahan print and that’s boosted by the unrelated fact that the Giants won the Superbowl. Make sure to send Jim Jones a “Thank You” card. This shirt gives you the right to act-a-fool. Perfect start to the weekend.

So I went to Expedia.com and looked up prices for a week long escape for myself and a lady-friend to Mexico, Puerto Rico, Aruba and Barbados during the week of July 1st to July 8th and found that we could live it up for about $1200 each, including flights and all-inclusive hotel packages. Words by Expedia.

Mexico

Royal Solaris Los Cabos 2-Person 7 days 6 nights all inclusive $2426.82

This lively family-friendly, 400-room resort is situated on a pristine sunning beach that runs for miles along the Sea of Cortez; downtown San José Del Cabo is 2.4 km (1.5 miles) away.

Besides unlimited food and drink at 5 eateries and 3 bars, this resort offers a kids’ water park, club for kids 4–12; a full slate of sports and activities, plus entertainment in the room rate.

Guestrooms include balconies with garden, partial sea, or sea views. Air conditioning, satellite TV, direct-dial telephones, toiletries, and hair dryers are standard amenities.

Gran Melia Puerto Rico 2- Person 7 days 6 nights all inclusive $2464.19

Located on Puerto Rico’s northeastern coast on Coco Beach, this Rio Grande resort is 20 minutes from Luis Muñoz Marin Airport and the greater San Juan area. The resort features a large lagoon-style pool with 4 spa tubs flanked by Balinese-style platform lounging beds.

Dining options at Gran Melia include a steakhouse and an Asian bistro; 5 bars are also on site. A casino offers slot machines, card games, and roulette tables. Guests can also enjoy an array of daytime activities and non-motorized water sports for a nominal fee.

The Gran Melia has 462 junior suites, including 96 Royal Service suites and 5 Royal Service oceanfront villas. All accommodations include beds with pillowtop mattresses, modern mahogany furniture, cable TV with pay movies, minibars, coffeemakers, and living areas with sofa beds.

Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino 2-Person 7 day 6 night all inclusive $2443

Adjacent to downtown Oranjestad’s shopping and dining, this resort comprises an adult section with elegant casino, a family beach section with casual casino, 2 malls, and a swim/snorkel island.

Guests may book either an All-Inclusive plan or a Room-Only (No Meals) plan. The All-Inclusive plan includes 3 daily meals at 17 restaurants, drinks, a children’s club, and water-sports gear.

An adult-exclusive section with nightlife offers guestrooms across from a marina. A casual family section with two pools and a swimming lagoon offers one-bedroom suites next to the Caribbean.

The Crane Resort and Residences Barbados 2-Person 7 day 6 night all inclusive $2273

Featuring panoramic views from atop a 21-m (70-ft) cliff, this Barbados resort overlooks a coral-sand beach, 16 km (10 mi) from St Lawrence Gap and 21 km (13.5 mi) from downtown Bridgetown.

The cliff-top lap pool features a marble sundeck, Roman columns, and ocean vistas. Views are equally impressive from L’Azure, the open-air restaurant at The Crane Resort and Residences. Gospel singers perform at Sunday breakfast.

Guest suites at The Crane Resort and Residences fully equipped kitchens or kitchenettes, two-person jetted tubs with separate showers, and large patios or balconies with garden or ocean views.

Romeo doesn’t Skate in SB’s. He says they don’t skate well. I disagree, but that doesn’t matter cause he actually does skate, unlike the majority of SB-wearers out there. Shoutout to PhazeOne Skate Shop.

1. What went through your mind the first time you saw someone on a skateboard?

I was always like, “Man I wanna be able to do that one day.”

2. Tell us about your first board and how you got it.

My first board was a green Hulk board. I got it from my friend because he never used it.

3. Who did you look up to when you first started?

Just all the people we thought were good.

4. Whats the skate scene like in your part of Florida?

It’s pretty chill. You got sessions all day at the park because it’s free and there are no rules.

5. What kind of music do you listen to when you’re skating?

Lil Wayne. Maroon 5. Mae. Rick Ross. Jay-Z. Nas.

6. What current skate trend pisses you off at the moment?

The whole Vans thing. I love Vans. They are by far the best shoes I ever skated.

7. Who in your opinion is the best skateboarder right now?

I would have to go with Stefan Janowski.

8. Do you have any sponsors?

Nope, not yet, but I am working on that.

9. What skate company do you want to shout out?

PhazeOne skate shop.

10. What was the last good skate video you saw?

Nothing But The Truth by Nike SB.

11. What was the last bad skate video you saw?

Really Sorry by Flip.

12. How do we beat you in a game of skate?

Um, big spins and bigger spins.

13. Do you watch “Life of Ryan” and/or “Rob & Big?”

Yeah sometimes when I am just chillin.

14. What would we see if you had a reality show?

I would do the same stuff I do now.

15. What does your family think of your skating?

“We gotta get [him some insurance].”

16. What do you want to do with your life?

I wanna be a pro skateboarder one day. If not that then I wanna be a Chef.

I set out to explore why the wheel was being re-invented, and the only answer I could come up with was that people were bored with plain-old-water. VitaminWater is my measuring stick. Everyone is familiar with it and I can drink just about any flavor with the exception of a few. It’s safe to say that VitaminWater is the reason why these incarnations below exist, so it’s not included in the assessment. But if you really want to know, my favorite flavor of VitaminWater is “XXX.”

Propel Invigorating Water

Propel is made by Gatorade, the pioneers of rehydration, and that’s supposed to mean they’ve got a winner here. Unfortunately they don’t, at least not where taste is concerned. Propel is vitamin-enhanced like all the other drinks in this section, but caffeinated. That’s a turn off, even if it’s only a fifth of caffeine of a cup of coffee. When’s the last time your coach told you to drink some coffee before tip-off? I tried the Citrus one and it doesn’t make me want to try the other two flavors, Strawberry and Berry. Citrus comes on sweet and leaves you with a bad aftertaste. I can’t even describe it and you probably wouldn’t want to know anyway.

I learned of Dasani Plus while walking through the aisles of the supermarket. I never saw a commercial or billboard or anything. I actually like Dasani’s spring water, so I believed I ought to like their flavored, medicated version. I tried the citrus flavored two punch combo of “defend+protect” which contains Vitamin E and Zinc. I actually liked it more than I hated it, but I would never buy it because it’s just not good enough, Because of this, I won’t try the other two varieties, (cleanse+restore and refresh+revive). Simply put, I know there’s better out there.

Sobe Life Water (Vitamin Enhanced Water Beverage) – “Infused with herbs, low in calories and naturally sweetened.”

Nice campaign with lizards doing the ‘Thriller’ dance routine, not. Then on top of it they make five over-concentrated flavors (challenge, shield, energize, calm and enlighten) in this beverage. Challenge, the one I tried, tasted like a sleep-inducing syrup. I finished the bottle, painfully. I felt very lifeless.

Snapple Antioxidant Water

I haven’t seen any commercials for this product, which comes in seven flavors (six of which share the same three names—protect, awaken, and defy). The seventh flavor is called restore. The defy I tried was composed of Raspberry and Acerola and it tasted horrendous. Acerola is a fruit-bearing shrub native to the West Indies and northern South America. The fruit is high in Vitamin C, such that a drop of it in apple juice gives it the same strength as orange juice. Nice in theory, though poorly practiced here.

8th is an emcee from South Jersey who always had a knack for writing rhymes. You can check him out in one of our back-issues teaching readers how to pen poetic prose. Here he sheds light on each track of his impressive album “Love Money and Music.”

“Death of a Slacker” has a conversational intro and then you get real philosophical. What’s the idea your trying to get across in this track?

This song was written out of the realization that I needed to change my situation. My goal in life is to get to a point where I can focus on love and nothing else. When the music and money is under control and all I have to do is wake up and be in love. This song marked the beginning of this journey. This was me beginning to let go of the junk that I have been carrying with me, that has been weighing me down and suppressing my being.

“A Fool’s Lullaby” takes on an insecure position we often find ourselves in when it comes to love. What made you voice this perspective in this track?

I was in love and I never felt anything like that before. There is no drug, no drink, no roller coaster, nothing that compares. She just called me one day and I was so happy that I couldn’t hold it back anymore. lol
I was a mess and I didn’t care what people thought anymore. I had to say something. It was after this song that I knew I wanted to make an album and just bare my soul. Cleanse the negative and rejoice in the positive.

“Money;” You always put out your music with your own money. What in your opinion must one do to make money as an independent artist?

1. Respect the value and practices of a good relationship. A successful artist’s most vital relationship is between he and his fans. Everyone working with you on your business endeavors should be fans first.

2. Make sure you are putting out your best. I believe if your product can’t sell itself, something is wrong.

Both are equally valuable.

“Runnin;” What’s the idea behind this track?

The frustration of not taking the easy way out. I dropped out of school and I had not accomplished enough in music to know if that was a good decision or not.

“Life;” Many will agree with you that “life aint shit but love money and music. ” Tell us where you were and what you were doing when you came up with this concept.

This song came when I began to understand what was truly important to me. I began to see the things that were making me move. This hook took me a while to come up with. I believe this came after Runnin’ so it was my sun after the rain. The sunshine of understanding that which isn’t infinite doesn’t matter. It is not worth moving for.

“Fresh;” Fresh is only used today to describe new material possession or deordant. You use it to describe a state of being. When’s the first time you heard the word ‘fresh’ and what kind of meaning has it held for you over the years?

I am an ’80’s baby’ so that word is an antique. I was beginning to discover myself in fashion.
Fresh simply means cool. I’m cool, Period.

“Drunken Saturday” is the only joint you produced and is by far the most unique song here. You sing a hook that sounds very UK. A mix of the Austin Powers vibe with 80’s pop. Then you kind of sing like Eminem. Wow. What’s the deal? Also, what did you use to make this song?

This song took me 15 minutes to write and I put it on the album as an experiment. It’s a flashback to when I overindulged in alcohol and didn’t know how to control myself.

“Heartbeat” is another example of how you use multiple meanings and convey them in your songs. What was your thinking on this track versus “A Fool’s Lullaby?”

This is the logic combatting the emotion of ‘A Fool’s Lullaby’. I watched people in relationships and I was having my own frustrations as well. I began to feel like, ‘Who in their right mind wants to be in love?’ It is a young song made out of my lack of experience in dealing with women because of a lack of experience in dealing with myself.

“Posers;” Why’d you write this song and why does it sound like youre rapping over a PA system?

I was going through some business difficulties. I was in a contract that I didn’t want to be in and I had a LOT of animosity towards this person. It was bad energy that I needed to release. I was a dictator giving a powerful speech to a nation of people betrayed. Thats why I used the vocal effect.

“The End to Begin;” What albums have you enjoyed that opened with an intro that had the same beat as the outro?
Mine. :)

10DEEP “GLOBAL EXPRESS” GOTHIC GRAPE ZIP HOODY $210

I’m not into all those crazy patterns with dumb ass emblems. A nice colorway here with properly implemented stripes.

LRG The Grow Down Track Jacket $100

Again, evidence of my boringness. White works as the weather gets warmer. Just don’t wear this if you’re not trying to be seen at night.

Temple Effectives: ‘Chuck Nasty’ Windbreaker $121

This item here is so 90’s in style but 80’s in color, so welcome to the neighties. Dope either way.

Obey: ‘Fixed Gear’ track jacket & Zip-up Hoody $135

This is here because people stay combining these two, so why not sell them together and have them actually match? I love rhetorical questions.

Penfield: ‘Full Spin’ Windbreaker $86