First & Last: Jahmir Brown
Posted on May 6, 2026 3:13 pm
The latest instalment in our “First & Last” interview series is with Palace pro Jahmir Brown. We caught up with Philadelphia’s favourite son when he was visiting his hometown from his new base in London. Jahmir discovered skateboarding at a young age when a video game swap invited Tony Hawk’s Activision classic into his front room. Not only did this late 90s release inspire him to pursue his screen antics in the real world and recreate what he was seeing, but it also laid the breadcrumbs for him to discover the burgeoning scene beneath City Hall, a landmark he could see from his window. From his home base in Southwest Philadelphia, Jahmir was destined to carve a path embedded in his city, unaware of just how integral his role would be in the proliferation of opportunities for future generations discovering this life-changing passion in the same way he did. Via our “First & Last” interview format, we were able to trace back his origin story, the shops, the scene, the spots, and the events that have brought him to where he is today. We were also able to explore more current happenings and the pivotal moments that would see him transition from repping DGK to his current home on Palace Skateboards.
Another reality could have seen a side step, but Danny Brady, Chewy Cannon, and Jamal Smith had other visions that inspired them, and him, to double down on his unmistakable talent. Jahmir’s awareness of, and gratitude for, the occurrences that have led to where he is today shine through, and we delve into the places and people who have paved his way. His resilience and determination have made him an honorary London resident, another opportunity we learned he could have easily been derailed from by world events. We’re glad that he persisted and is part of the woodwork here at Slam, a regular visitor whose positivity brightens the day for our staff and customers alike. It was interesting to learn more about Jahmir’s London, the space he holds in our scene, his contributions, and how the city has slowly become his home. There is also plenty of trick talk, from some of the most impactful that he has rolled away from, through to the newest one he learned and put down on French soil.
The conversation travels from his new home in London back to Philly quite literally. We connected while Jahmir was back visiting the City of Brotherly Love to play a big part in skateboarding history. In Love Park’s wake, skaters began localising MUNI, but the Thomas Paine Plaza was earmarked to become the next spot on the city’s renovation list. When the fences went up, the scene knuckled down, and a series of conversations led to the powers that be recognising the significance of skateboarding in its history, to the point where they were willing to actively involve it in their future. This move extracts run from the narrative, leaving future generations with skate and chill as their options, freeing the police to tackle some real crime in the process. We spoke with Jahmir just days after the new MUNI Plaza was officially opened, a momentous event where he cut the opening ribbon alongside Mayor Cherelle Parker. This full-circle moment shows just how far he and skateboarding have come, so we were pleased to be able to mark this moment in time within the interview. We are glad that his conversations are destined to lead to further developments and hope that this progressive approach can trickle down globally.
We hope you enjoy this interview with one of Philly’s finest. We are happy to have covered his interesting story so far and are hyped that it comes at a point where things are beginning to get even more exciting for him. We look forward to seeing new footage and the fruits of his involvement continuing to bless the community…
Words and interview by Jacob Sawyer. Jahmir Brown on set in London. PH: Dominic Marley
You can check out an audio version of this article on our Listen In podcast. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other major platforms.
First skateboard?
It’s funny. We were talking about this last night at dinner. My first skateboard was an Eric Koston Girl skateboard. It had the Girl logo, one of those OG boards with just the Girl logo and their name on it. I had Indy trucks, Hubba wheels, Bones Reds, with some really cheap skate shop hardware. That was from Sub Zero. I got my first complete from Sub Zero. We had a store called Kmart, which is not really around anymore, and I used to get Rocket Power boards and SpongeBob boards and stuff like that from there. So those were like $15, they were cheap. Then, when I got my first board, it was from Sub Zero.
First trick you learned or wanted to learn via the Tony Hawk video game?
I learned kickflips in like two or three days. I remember I would go inside, play the game, run outside, and try to recreate the motion that they were doing, and I figured it out. I remember learning to kickflip, running into the house, and telling my mom I just learned kickflip. She was hyped. I was playing as Stevie Williams because he was from Philly, and he had the Philly map on there, so I was able to relate to that, and it felt good. I saw the City Hall building in the game, and living where I lived in Southwest Philly, there weren’t that many high rises, so you could look through the buildings and see City Hall. I just kind of snuck out one day and told my mum I was staying at my friend’s house, even though I wasn’t. I just stayed at Love all night, and it was really fun. I was like 10 or 11 years old, so I was really young.
It became an issue. I got caught the next day because I went back down there to do it again, and I broke my shoulder. I had to call my parents and tell them that I got hurt, and they told me that I had found my way down there, so I could find my way home. Eventually, they came and got me and took me to the hospital and stuff, but they definitely made me sit there for a little bit and think about what I did.
First visits to Sub Zero, Nocturnal, and Slam?
On my first visit to Sub Zero, there were a bunch of graffiti artists in there doing griptape art, and Schane [Von Hartlebon] was there. I remember walking in, and the smells, the looks, and everything felt like this is where I’m supposed to be. They had skate videos playing. I remember trying to get a board, and those guys were telling me how expensive it was. My mum was caught off guard; she didn’t know skating was that expensive, and back then, it wasn’t expensive like it is now. A complete was like 120 bucks, 140 bucks, but that was a lot of money to us at that time for a skateboard; it was foreign to everything my family knew.
I guess, to them with a young child, you want to make sure they actually like it before you spend that much money on something. It would be the equivalent of a $300 board now, I would say it was about the same. I remember those guys being really cool. They said they could put it on layaway. They suggested we could come and put money on it every now and then, and if I did good in school, I could get it for Christmas. My mum was hyped on that, so that’s what she did, and I ended up getting it later that year. I remember taking photos with me and that board; they’re somewhere in my archive of photos. Me and that board with my broken shoulder in a sling just waiting to skate, and I couldn’t skate. I couldn’t wait to skate that board.
Then fast forward, probably no more than three or four years after Sub Zero shut down. When you’re younger, boards last you for a minute, so you don’t really understand the concept of getting a new board. When I got a new one, I went to Nocturnal with my mum. This guy, Brax, was working at Nocturnal and holding that shop down; he helped make it what it was. I remember him realising that I didn’t have much money, and he asked if I wanted a free T-shirt. I had this purple Fourstar T-shirt probably up until I was eighteen or nineteen because it was the first thing I was ever given in skateboarding, and I cherished it. That was an amazing time, I remember walking in and seeing the bright colors at Noc, because it was different than Sub Zero. Sub was gloomy and dark, and then Noc was bright and had all this new art everywhere. They were making all these t-shirts and boards. They were printing them themselves in the back of the store, and it was really sick. I met a lot of my first friends there, who are all from Philly, and we all carry this torch of our generation together, so it’s pretty dope.
“Skate shops are the core essence of skateboarding…They always look out, no matter what city you go to”
Then the first time going to Slam was probably in 2021. I started going to London in 2020, but COVID happened, so I had to go back to Philly after like four days, which sucks because I was supposed to be there for three months. Then, when 2021 happened, I finally got to come to London and kick it for a while, and I would go to Slam a lot. To me, it just felt like Nocturnal even back then, it always felt like Noc to me. I go in, and I chat with the homies that work there and hang out, maybe watch a skate video, chat about life, and then go skate. So it just gave me a sense of home. Then fast forward to now, Slam is like a home to me. I go there and hang out with Lloyd [Davies] all the time and Cam [Barr], Tygar [Miles Smith], and Emilio [Molave]; those are the homies. I hold everybody close to my heart; they always look out for me, and I try to do the same for them.
Jahmir in Slam signing his pro board for an unexpecting mail order customer. PH: Lloyd Davies
Skate shops are the core essence of skateboarding. That was my first job, working at Nocturnal, doing all that stuff, and hanging out with my friends. Then, as a younger kid, it was a safe place to go when the cops came, and you couldn’t skate nowhere. The older guys always looked out for us and made sure we had what we needed. Then, if you were short a couple of dollars, they made sure you had it. Those kinds of bonds and relationships allowed me to be the person I am today. It gave me a safe place to be myself. Then, they always had cool stuff hanging around, and people would come in that I wanted to meet one day. I got to meet so many people and just bro down with a lot of dope individuals. It was cool, man. I think a lot of skate shops are losing that customer base because the kids don’t understand how important it is. To have the older guys be around you, seeing the scene, and everyone popping in and out. Even the random people who don’t know anything about skateboarding, that’s the place you go to learn. Then, for me, being a pro now, when I go to any city, the first thing I do is go to the skate shop. I want to know who’s in the scene. I want to know where everyone skates. I want to know what food I should eat, and what I should try? The skate shop usually has all that knowledge, that’s like the library for us. They always look out, no matter what city you go to, people look out for each other in our community. It’s nice.
First video appearance?
The first big video was probably this éS skateboarding ad that I had. My first big video was skating for éS, shout out Kelly Hart and Tom Asta for getting me on that when I was younger. There’s this ledge in Venice Beach that Bastien Salabanzi switch crooks in a Flip video. They took me there and said, “You like skating big ledges. How’s this?” It’s pretty tall, and the end of the ledge reached up to my chin. I was like, “I can switch front crook that!” I remember Kelly [Hart] just laughing like “No, you can’t”. I was like, all right, watch me, and I just did it. That was my first video appearance. It was an honour to be included in that and to have my first little shine meeting with Don Brown, and hanging out at the éS office in Southern California. It was dope.
Lofty switch front crook captured by Sam Olson. This 2018 éS ad was Jahmir’s first video appearance
My very first video part is from when I was thirteen, I was skating for this skateboard company called Green Banana Skateboards from New Jersey. We made this video called Going Ape Shit, and I was doing tricks at the time that still shock me. I was doing tre flip noseslides and toe flipping big 10 stairs and stuff. When I look back on it, I’m still hyped on that part. You can definitely see the style starting to develop, and I’m understanding tricks, but I still wasn’t skating switch or anything yet. That was my earliest part ever, the first thing I ever worked on.
First moment that really lit a fire under you?
I would say the first moment that lit a fire under me was seeing my best friend, Kev Bilyeu, and meeting him at Love Park. We were like sixteen or maybe fifteen, and he was doing the illest lines at Love, doing switch hardflip backtails, and stuff. That made me want to be better as a skater, and I was like, ” Wow, this is amazing”. Meeting him and all his friends, Chris Falo, Paris Summerville, and a bunch of those guys that became our little group called ILP, Infamous Love Plaza. Those guys were the people who showed me. I didn’t know you could be that good at skating, and it made me want to work harder. Then seeing all the Sabotage guys around us, [Dylan] Sourbeer, Penny [Brain Panebianco], and Jamal Smith. Around that time, Ishod [Wair] was around, and opening my eyes to that kind of skating at Love was something that changed the way I look at skating, and what I could do for myself if I got better. So I just started working harder to learn tricks, try to film more, and actually make a good video part.
First trick you dialled at Love that made you want to go back there every day?
I would say really just learning how to skate the big ledges up top, and doing lines in a way, because those ledges were huge. Learning how to just flow around the plaza was the thing for me, even if you’re just doing noseslides and tailslides, that was the thing that you just had to have flow. You had to have style and flow, and it had to look good when you were doing tricks. You weren’t doing tricks just to do tricks. One trick that I learned there that I’ve carried with me ever since would be switch back tails. I learned how to do them at Love and carried that to MUNI, and now I can do it around the world. That’s like my favourite trick, it never left, still with us.
“I learned how to do them at Love and carried that to MUNI, and now I can do it around the world”
Still feeling the love, Jahmir goes the distance with a more highly defined switch back tail
First mag appearance?
It would have been in Skate Jawn magazine, in a little article about the Philly scene. I don’t even remember it, honestly. I just happened to be skating there that day with Kyle Nicholson, Brax, and Zander Taketomo. Red Bull did this thing in Philly, where they were building spots. There was a random train station, and they built a DIY up there, and we were skating. That might have been my first photo experience in a magazine.
First time you met Kevin Taylor?
I met KT when I was probably thirteen or fourteen, just from going to Nocturnal, and he would always be there. He used to dress up as Santa Claus and bring out a bunch of Axion shoes, and Zoo York boards to us every, every year at City Hall. So that was always fun to have those guys come around, him, Manny Santiago, and all those fools will come down and hook us up with product. Kevin Taylor would always give me his old boards because he knew I was working hard to try to learn tricks. He would skate a board for like three days, and then every month he’d give me a stack of like six boards that he had skated for three days.
First photo that comes to your mind as a personal favourite?
There are so many photos of people that are favourites. Kevin Bilyeu’s switch backside flip over the Love can. Lavar McBride doing a switch 5-0 in Jordans. Karl Watson doing a switch flip out of this natural bump over a barrier, and then Josh Kalis’ gap to noseblunt at Love. My own photo would probably be my switch front noseslide on the MUNI rail that was shot by my homie, Quinton Russ. I don’t skate that many handrails, and that was at MUNI, and it was really hard. I didn’t have a choice. I was hurt for seven months, and it was coming up on the end of filming for Beta Blockers. I figured since I had just started skating again, that I would film my ender in London. Then I got a call, probably three days before I was supposed to leave to go to London, from [Jack] Brooks, and he was passing a message from Lev [Tanju] saying I’ve got to get my ender in Philly, you can’t come over here to do it. I was like, damn, alright, I guess I gotta skate this handrail.
Jahmir Switch frontside noseslid the rail at muni with a Beta Blockers deadline. PH: Quinton Russ
And all my friends were like” you’ve been talking about it for time, just fucking do it, stop being a bitch” and I was like, alright, I got you, I’m gonna do that shit. I had just had my video game character come out in Session, so we were on the homies Nintendo Switch, just doing switch frontside noseslides on the rail over and over and over again. I was like, all right, if I just do it like that, it should be fine, and I just did it in like five tries. I was literally terrified, but I told myself, no more than five or ten tries, I’m not about to skate this for an hour and get smoked. I’m glad that one worked out.
First trip outside of Philly and first trip outside of the U.S?
My first trip outside of Philly would have been as a kid with my friends. They used to go to New York a lot to skate, and I was never able to go because I was always on punishment for getting a bad grade or something. Not even terrible, like a C, I just didn’t care about school. wanted to go skate. One day, my friends all went, and I had got straight A’s, so I was like, alright, I can push the envelope, I’m just going to go to New York and say I’m on the other side of the city. So I snuck to New York with my friends and my mum would call me and be like “what time are you coming home?”, and I’d be like “I’ll be home at eight”. Then she would tell me to come home at seven, and I was like, “Damn! I’ve got to catch an earlier bus now”. I was having to run to New York and sneak back to Philly, and that was crazy, but all worth it. Eventually, I got caught doing that, too. She was like, “I need you home in twenty minutes, you can get home in 20 minutes, just get on the train”. I realised that I was not getting home in twenty minutes, hahaha. I got yelled at over the phone in front of all my friends in New York, and that wasn’t fun. So, I stopped doing that, too. She knew, but now she’s hyped on it. She’s like, “I don’t even care. You were a good kid, you weren’t hurting nobody”, so it’s all good.
My first trip outside of the US would have been January 4th or January 3rd of 2020. I went to Milan with the Sabotage guys, and we made a Sabotage X Thrasher edit. That was eye-opening. I got to see the world for the first time. I had no money, I had like 200 bucks from Christmas still left over, and Penny [Brian Panebianco] just kind of surprised me. He was like, “What are you doing tomorrow? You want to go to Milan?” I said I was down but didn’t have any money, and I didn’t know how I would get there. He was like, “Oh well, too bad.” Then he messaged me again to ask, “Do you want to go, though?” I said yeah, and he was like “Alright, well I just bought you a ticket, it’s all good, let’s go, I know you’re going to get clips!” Shout out to Penny for believing in me and doing that. He really set the precedent of what I’m able to do now because I was able to see so much through their experiences and their opportunities.
First time London felt like home?
I would say I tried to make London my home in 2022, and I felt more like an outsider. It didn’t feel like I was part of anything, and I started to feel homesick. So I went back home after living in Bow with Dougie George and Dan Fisher-Eustance, Ollie, and Ellis; those were my roommates on Blondin Street. That was our crew, but I also tried to skate a lot with the Palace guys. I just felt kind of alone, I felt by myself, so I would go and hang out with [Jack] Brooks a lot, and his lady Anna. They were like my foreign exchange parents for a minute, but they’re like my best friends. I talk to them all the time about my life, what they’ve got going on, and catching up. They made it feel more like home than anything. Then getting closer with like Kyle [Wilson], Lucien [Clark], and Rory [Milanes] and Karim [Bakhtaoui], those guys helped me feel more comfortable.
“I feel in between now because I have two homes, and it feels weird to say that, but London definitely feels like home”
I would say 2025, last year, is when I really took another chance to be out there. Finding my girlfriend and really building with her. Hanging out with the Boardman twins, Mike and Will Boardman. I found my crew, I hang out with [Tom] Snape and Dan Fisher all the time, Kyle Wilson, those are just my guys now. I hang out with them a lot, and I hang out with all the youth at Southbank, and see what they’ve got going on. Twiggy [Cameron Gooden], Nelly [Mayele], it’s just like a huge family now, so even being home right now, I’m homesick for London. I want to be back there, but I also feel homesick that I’m actually leaving Philly and starting a new chapter in my life. I feel in between now because I have two homes, and it feels weird to say that, but London definitely feels like home. I know the city like the back of my hand now. Trying again in 2025 really changed things. I think I had more of a sense of community, and it took a little bit over the summer to get comfortable, but now, that’s definitely home. Those guys are like family to me.
Love learned pop unlocking London landmarks for Vague. Switch backside 180 nosegrind revert at parliament square. PH: Reece Leung
First thing that comes to mind that you think Philly and London are missing from each other?
If I had to give something from London to Philly, I would give the opportunities and abundance of creativity that London has. The people out there have so much drive in them, and the way that their community is reminds me of our skate community here, but as a whole city. So, just bringing that kind of vibe and the opportunities that are out there, I would bring that to Philly ASAP. Then, for London, I would bring more tough love. I would bring more plazas, and I would bring more tough love, kind of like I do now. I go to Southbank, and I see the kids having a bad day. I’m like, “Let’s take a walk, let’s talk, what’s going on?” That’s what my old heads did for me. Also, I’ve been telling people recently, just because you can do it, doesn’t mean you should do it. Cool, you can back lip a ledge, who cares? It’s the easiest trick, just do a back tail, forbidden 14. Let me see you work for your tricks. Yeah, you can smoke weed all day, but who cares? Like, let me see you do something, you can nollie heel, now let me see a nollie heel noseslide, a nollie half cab heel, let me see something. So just pushing them in that way and never accepting that what you can do is like the holy grail. All right, you can do that. What’s next?
If you film Instagram clips at Southbank, then it’s cool. But if you’re to film something legit, you’d better know your history, and you’d better ask questions to people around you to be like, has this been done? Is this dope? I only really film real tricks there if I’m skating the cheese block to bank, or if I’m skating like the main ledge in the back, to bank, anything that incorporates that kind of stuff. If you’re skating any of the new pieces, you might as well just film it on Instagram, unless you’re from there and can do something different. I can’t do anything that crazy there that hasn’t been done, so I have to really skate those cheese blocks to be unique and different.
I’ve tried to unknob a few spots I’ve bondo’d and puttied some spots and kind of put that in a lot of people’s ears that this is what I’m about. Then I’ve seen them do it in London as well. There’s been a creation of all these new spots. Right before I left me and [Tom] Snape came across an ill spot, some bumps, ledges, and natural bumps over stairs. And we were like, “Yo, this is so sick!” When I get back, we’ve got to rub brick that place and get it going. Now that I have that same kind of squad out there, we’re all excited to fix spots and build spots. I’ve been slowly but surely bringing that vibe out there, and I’m working on a part right now, so hopefully people will see me bringing my Philly influence, bringing the way that we skate here out there. I’ve been trying to open up that door for myself, to show any kids who grew up watching that kind of stuff, that they can also skate in that way out there. You know how London is, you travel an hour to go skate a spot, and it might be way crustier than you thought, or it could be different because they build so much in London. So it’s nice to know that we’re fighting for spots out there too, just like I have at home. Having to get down and dirty to make it the way that’s going to be good to skate, so it’s nice.
Jahmir shows Texas some Love and snaps a nollie shuv over a can. PH: Mike Heikkila
First trick you realised you could send over something high, and the inspiration for pushing that?
It probably would have been nollie shuvit, or it would have been fakie full cab. It started with the fakie cab, and then I realized I could nollie that high as well. I started doing nollie shuvs, and then all the varial flips, fakie tres, nollie inwards, all that came later. I would say that for going over stuff, nollie shuv and nollie inward definitely became my favourites, but it all started with the fakie full cab. Growing up watching people tre flip waist high over a trash can was insane. Seeing people do that, watching Tony Montgomery do kickflips over the can off the level. Just seeing people with this explosive pop made me want to skate like that. I didn’t realise I didn’t have that much pop until I met Kyle [Wilson], but we all try to do our thing when it comes to big skating, big ledges, big pop. So, yeah, it’s nice to know that other people feel the same about wanting to get over stuff and not just skating some handrail.
First people you hit up to skate on a sunny day, in London and Philly?
First people I hit up to skate if I’m in London? I’m hitting up the twins, I’m going to hit up Will or Mike [Boardman] and be like, yo, what are you guys doing today? I’m hitting up Dan Fisher and [Tom] Snape; we have a group chat together. Then I hit up Kyle [Wilson], and I always see how he’s doing. That’s like my people right there. I hit them up first. Then if I know [Jack] Brooks ain’t busy that day, I’ll hit him up too, but usually he’s busy doing work for Palace. So I know when to leave him be; he’ll hit me up when he’s free, or I’ll call him if I haven’t heard from him in a week to see what he’s doing. That’s like my London squad, and then if I’m going to Southbank, I definitely hit up Twiggy [Cameron Gooden], or if I see a spot that I know he wants to skate, I’ll hit him up, but he’s like the mayor of Southbank, so I know he’s always there. That’s a given; I don’t have to hit him up. I can just go and see him.
Then, when I’m in Philly, I’m hitting up Penny [Brian Panbianco]. I’m hitting up Chris Falo, Kev [Bilyeu], my homie Q [Quinton Russ], I’m hitting up J-Son, my homie Paris [Summerville], there are so many people here I hit up depending on what day it is. I know if they’ve got work or not. Kevin Taylor, I don’t really have to hit up, I know where he’s at, he’ll be at one or two places skating, so I can find him. That’s always been the good thing about Philly skateboarding: I don’t necessarily have to call anybody. I just know that they’re in one of two spots skating, so I can just show up and go skate. Especially now that the plaza is back, I know everyone’s gonna be there, so I just show up when they’re there.
First cover?
My first and only cover would be a Skate Jawn cover. It was from a DC trip to Chicago. I found these benches that no one had really skated in that way. They were heavy, and I got the homies to help me pick them up and stack them to make a double bench, and I did a crooked grind on it. Then I quickly kicked it over and made sure that if somebody else wanted to skate it, they would have to work as hard with their friends to make it skateable. It was down the street from a skate park, and so I thought these kids are going to just gnarly back tail it or something like it’s nothing. I just wanted to make sure that I get my little shine real quick and do something first. I would imagine it’s like Bobby Puleo doing back fifty on some amazing spot that looks super photogenic, and then some kid comes up and kickflip crooked grinds it. You would be like, “Damn,” although you would probably still like the Bobby Puleo fifty more. I just wanted to let my little crooked grind shine for a little bit. Andrew Reynolds came there probably a couple of months after my cover came out and did a kickflip noseslide on it. I was like, “Yep, see, that was my point, there we go”. I just wanted to let it shine for a couple of weeks before someone shitted on me, and it’s a Skate Jawn cover, shout out to home town magazine. I’ve never had a Thrasher cover. I don’t know if I’m ever gonna get one. I don’t like doing tricks that scare me anymore. Every now and then, I’ll wake up on that side of the bed, and I’m ready to do a stunt, but I don’t really like stunts anymore. I just want to have fun skating ledges with my friends. I don’t like to do the Ricky [Oyola] and make a spot then destroy it, but sometimes you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.
Bench stacking required for this crooked grind cover of Skate Jawn. PH: Mike Heikkila
First DC shoe you would be stockpiling if they brought it back?
The DC Legacy was my favourite shoe; it was a favourite shoe for a lot of us in Philly. All the hood boys on the corners would always give us love for it. “They look like Air Maxes, they look dope. What’s that? That’s different”. You felt good wearing it every day, and they skated amazing. They would last you a year, each pair. It’s just classic, man. That was a great shoe. I still got a few pairs of them, but I don’t know if I want to skate them.
First place?
I skated competitions when I was a little kid. We had this contest called Philly Am. I tried it probably twice or three times, and I remember each time just being like, “This isn’t fun, I don’t like this!” Everyone was looking at it as just having fun, just skating with their friends. I’m like, bro, you guys all skate skate parks in the suburbs, I don’t have a car, and I’m not in the suburbs, I can’t really get to these parks to practice, so this isn’t fun for me. I just get nervous up there. I could do well in practice, and then the contest comes, and I’m like, yeah, I don’t really care. I don’t want to be better than any of you guys, I just want to do me. I don’t really like contests for that reason. I couldn’t do it anymore, so I never skated in contests again, and I probably never will.
At the MUNI event, I didn’t skate; I just left my board at home. There are too many people, and too many people with expectations, and everybody wants to see people do certain things. And I’d be damned if I fall in front of that many people, expecting me to be a top-tier pro. I’m a pro, but I’m not that kind of pro. I can do the crazy tricks on my own time, but not when there’s like a thousand people watching. I don’t even like it when I’m filming a trick, and there are people congregating to watch me try it. I just tell them to go live their life. Like, hey, go home, have a nice day, do your thing. I don’t want a million people cheering me on. I just want to do it for me and my friends. Like, go watch it later when it comes out, I’m gonna try and land it. I can’t do all the hype stuff. It’s just overwhelming. Some people like it, though. It feeds their ego, and it gets them hyped, gets them amped, and makes them want to land it even more. Not me, it makes me not want to try. Every little thing bothers me, maybe it’s just me wearing glasses, and my peripheral is different than what I’m seeing. So every little thing, I don’t know if someone’s about to get in the way. It could be trauma from growing up with cops chasing us. I don’t know what’s going on around me, and I can’t focus. So I just need everyone to be quiet for a second, and not look at me, and I can just land my trick, and it’ll be fine.
There have been moments. I wanted to try a trick at Southbank. I was trying to do a trick from the cheese block into the bank, and I was fine. I was getting close. I finally got into my zone, and then a million bikers came through. This little kid was on a bike, and he kept riding towards us, and I just couldn’t focus anymore. The guys were telling me to just try a few more. I tried a few more, got close, but every time someone would be near the ledge, or it looked like they were going to walk anywhere near it, I just couldn’t go, and I lost focus. So eventually I just stopped. I’ll try it again when I get back, but it’s just little things like that. I start thinking about everything that could go wrong instead of everything that’s going right. I’ve learned from my many injuries to just take it slow, and if it’s not feeling right, just come back later because it’s not worth it. I like to skate, I don’t want to be stuck in the house for seven months again because I couldn’t focus.
First Palace box?
My first Palace box was probably around this time of year in 2020. I had just quit DGK. I was talking to those guys, and it turned out they wanted me on the team. Gratefully enough, I have a skate career because of those guys, and I get to live my life. That first box was insane, though; it came in one day. Shout out [Danny] Brady, and Chewy [Cannon], and Jamal [Smith], those three really blessed it. I think I got like ten boards, and I had a whole season’s worth of clothes. So many undies, socks, jackets, track pants. It was dope, and I remember that first day, just being so hyped. I went to my childhood spot where I learned how to skate, and I just filmed a line for Instagram, put it out, and just tagged Palace. I didn’t say anything to anybody, I didn’t say I skate for them or nothing. I just posted it and tagged Palace Skateboards, and it kind of just blew up.
“Once that part came out, everyone wanted to see more of me. It motivated me to stay in skateboarding and just try again”
I had already left DGK, but I hadn’t said anything to anybody publicly. Some people found out, and I kind of realised that I had love from the whole skate community because people reached out to me and gave me offers to skate for their board company, and other team riders were hitting me up from big brands to say they could get me on this or that. I was just burned out on skating. I was thinking I’m just not gonna skate for a living. I just wanted to enjoy skateboarding, get a job, and go back to school and stuff when Palace was down to do stuff with me. I didn’t even ask to get on the team; I just asked Chewy [Cannon] if he could send me a board every six months or something just so I could continue to skate because boards were getting expensive, and I didn’t really have it like that. He said he was down, and after going back and forth, he was like, “[Danny] Brady wants to talk to you, call him”. Brady and I talked, and he asked me to send some footage. I sent them what at the time was potentially going to be a DGK pro part, but it turned into my DC x Thrasher part, my welcome to DC part. They were hyped on the clips that I had so far, and they said we can’t just give you one board every now and then, would you want to try out for the team? I was down. I got that box, and it just got me hyped that someone sent me so much stuff. I had never gotten that much stuff in my life. It motivated me to film a couple more clips in the new stuff that I got for my part, and I got to film some ill clips. I learned switch back nose blunts and filmed that in New York, and then it kind of changed my life. Once that part came out, everyone wanted to see more of me. It motivated me to stay in skateboarding and just try again.
First one-season garment that comes to mind, you’d like a steady supply of?
Honest opinion, I would love that first Avirex jacket with the Tri-Ferg on the back if I had to choose anything. Something that I wear all the time that I actually love, and I feel like I can never get enough of, is the baggy tracksuit that they make. It’s not something they do all the time, but when they do, it sells out so quickly, and I always want them. They’re the light cotton swishies, and they’re the best. They have zippers on the pockets, they’re super OD baggy, which I like. Something that they do make all the time now are the unisex sweats, that’s my favourite thing. I wear them all the time when the weather permits. Sadly enough, it’s getting hot outside, so I can’t wear them anymore, but hopefully they make some track pants again, and I can wear those. They do the Pro Team ones too now, but the cotton ones were my favourite just because of how soft they were.
First impression of Victoria benches?
Damn, these jawns is tall!! But they are the same height as Love Park was; the only difference is that they’re not as long. When you get in, you’re literally getting out, and they’re floating. I’m not a fan of floating ledges, but I’ve gotten used to them, and now I love those ledges so much. They’re so fun, the sound they make is amazing, the way they feel, the grit lines on it. Everything is just dope about those ledges, but they’re not easy to skate, I will say that 100%. Manor Place saved the winner this year for sure. It allowed me to meet a bunch of homies from Wales and Leeds. There are so many people that I got to meet from skating there every day. Even being from London, I would have never met these people if I didn’t go there in the wintertime because London is so big. So it was cool, and also being able to help the kids. Also, for me, learning how to skate steep banks and skate other things that could have been different for me growing up because I didn’t have skate parks and stuff. So it definitely opened my eyes to things.
It’s just a nice community, I can hang out with all the artists that do residency there, hang out with Lou from Nike over there, and just kick it with people. They’re just good guys and girls. So it’s nice to just hang out with people and kick it. If I can help, I’m always down to be there and help people. It’s a nice community, man. It really showed me the way of how London is, and how hyped people are when something is done for them.
First time the city of Philadelphia started to recognise skateboarding as something they wanted to embrace?
When the guys in Sweden decided that they wanted to have a section of Love Park in Malmo. That opened the eyes of the city to question that, like, why do you want this? Then they realised that they had a huge community here who started a huge movement that they never knew anything about. Then they did their research and started to understand things that were right in front of them that they were never aware of. That project kind of started the whole idea of Philly doing something in Philly, versus giving away the materials that everyone recognises as a global push in skateboarding. It was probably about five years ago when those conversations were going on, and they realised that they were wrong. Then, once MUNI was gone, they tried to do everything they could to work with us and make sure that we were able to keep the space. Shout out to Sweden and Gustav [Eden], and Malmö. Those guys really helped us out a lot with getting the city to recognise us as a community.
First and last switch backside noseblunt slide?
My first switch back nose blunt would have been at MUNI on the metal domino. There’s a clip of me doing it. I was still on DGK, and it has City Hall in the background. You hear the bell go off as the clock hits a certain time, and it was really, really dope for me. That was the first time I ever did it; the last one I ever did was two days ago at MUNI on the new granite domino there, so that’s pretty dope. As for the one at pyramid ledges, Penny [Brian Panebianco] tried to get me to do it a year before I did it. I was like, I can’t do that trick. I had just learned it, and I couldn’t hold it that long. Then I bought a recycled plastic bench that was about the same length as pyramid ledges. Unintentionally, I just fell in love with this bench. I could skate it outside my house, and I was doing it every day.
Jahmir’s first ever switch backside noseblunt slide was on the Muni domino. PH: Mike Heikkila
Jimmy Astleford at DC at the time called me and was like, “Jah, I heard you switch inward heelflipped this street gap. Did you get a photo?” I said that I did, and he asked me to reshoot it with [Mike] Hiekkila. It was pretty dope. He said, “I didn’t want to tell you, but you’re killing it, and we want to give you an ad. I was like, “Alright, send me to New York. I’m going to go to New York tomorrow, and I’m going to switch back noseblunt pyramid ledges”. He was like, “No, you’re not, you ain’t got that!”, and I was like, “Bro, watch me, you don’t know who you’re talking to, watch this. I’m going to show you. Just give me the Amtrak ticket. I’m going to New York”. I went to New York and got with my Bronze family, Bronze 56K. Shout out Peter [Sidlauskas], Dick Rizzo, Danny Dipalo, Grady Smith, so many more, that was family at that time. I would go to New York a lot and hang out with them. We all just skated that whole block called Water Street, and everyone was getting clips that day. We destroyed Water Street that day and ended it with me being like, “Right, yo, I’m ready. Let’s go!”
We went to pyramid, and I think I switched back nose blunted it in like 15 minutes, 20 minutes. There’s a video on Instagram, maybe on Bronze or maybe on mine, of every single try, and I did it like three times, so it was fun, it was really sick. I did it over the course of two days. I did it on the first day, and I kind of slipped off the grate that was on the end of the curb. So I was like, I’m definitely going to do it again, but we needed to shoot a photo, and there’s no photographer here today. I thought it’d be cool to film it fisheye as well, so I got to get Penny up here. Then a bunch of the homies came up from Philly, a bunch of homies that moved to New York, like Euro John. Everyone was in New York filming this trick for me, so I had like eight different angles. It was crazy. So I did it twice on the second day. I did it long lens and I did it fish.
“Just give me the Amtrak ticket. I’m going to New York”
Trick evolution, Jahmir’s name hits the NYC history books by taking it to pyramid ledges in his “DC” part
Last person on the Palace squad who surprised you?
I mean, they all surprise me, but I would say Rory [Milanes] and his pop still surprises me. He carries himself like a regular guy, quiet, keeps to himself, and then he just has this huge explosive pop out of nowhere, and you don’t see it coming. I look at him as someone who skates banks, and does the ill back smiths and stuff like that, but I didn’t know he had bunnies like that. I’ve always been a fan of Rory, but to see him be able to switch it up and skate stuff that is really tall is really sick to me. I was actually shocked, I couldn’t believe it, how unique he could skate, and seeing it with my own eyes was like, wow, like that’s a rad dad right there! You’ve got a kid and everything. Shout out to rad dads.
Last trick you learned?
The last trick I learned would have been nollie heel front noseslide. I learned it in Philly last October. One of my older guys out here, Dave P, he’s the nollie heel front noseslide expert, he can do it in his sleep, no warmup. He can switch heel-tail, switch heel-out, any flip in, flip out, he’s the guy, he can do them so good. So one day I was just like, “Yo, Dave, teach me that trick. How do you do it?” and he was showing me some little tips. I ended up learning it two days later, after he showed me, and I left Philly, so I didn’t get to show him that I landed it. We went to Marseille, and I made sure the first thing I filmed was the nollie heel front noseslide in a line. Then, finally getting back here this time around and talking to him, he’s like, “Jah, I’m hyped, you did it”. I’m like, “Yeah, I did it for you. I was wanting to show you that I learned it and that I could do it”. And he was like, “Nah, it was really good, I’m hyped.” Having someone that’s always been a presence around me teaching me a trick, and then them being hyped on how I did it is an honour. It’s really dope, it’s a good feeling to have.
Last product you had a hand in designing?
I’m always helping here and there with little things. I try to do consulting for brands and stuff like that sometimes, so I don’t even remember the last thing I did. Levi’s made a skate jean a couple of years ago and they kind of stole the design from another company that I helped design a pant with. It was based off this old 90s vintage Guess jean. It was an old women’s jean that became a men’s jean, and I loved the way that it fit. It had a really deep taper, but it was really baggy, so it kind of went out, and then came back in at your ankles, so it didn’t go over your shoes, which I thought was really cool. I used to run shoelaces through the hem of the bottom of my pants to tie them up like track pants, so I wouldn’t catch the denim underneath my shoes. For me, that was always huge, so to see a big brand like Levi’s even try to recreate something that I had a hand in was cool. I’m always in the ear of the guys at Palace. Maybe you could tweak this, or maybe you can make the pockets bigger or something like that. I’m always just trying to help out wherever I can. I wouldn’t say I necessarily design stuff, but I’m always coming up with ideas and forwarding them to friends who can execute them well, and then hopefully I can get it for free or something.
I guess the last thing that I’ve had a say in was when the Palace unisex sweatsuits came out. The pockets were really small, and I just asked if they could make the pockets bigger because my phone kept falling out of my pocket. Then they fixed it, and it was like, this is the best pant ever! Before that, there’s this brand called 18 East who are like family to me. This guy Antonio, works over there and runs that company. I got to work with them in the past in my earlier days, on my come-up. I suggested they put drawstrings on the bottom of their sweatpants so people could tie them up, and do little things like that. That helped push a small angle of what they got to do over there. That brand is amazing, and I got to throw my little taste in there, of hemming up pants when I was a kid, and that’s something that they utilise all the time now, and for me, I love it. I can go wear some other sweatpants or some other denims and wear them the way that I like to. Now most skateboarders like to wear it like that, so it’s a cool thing to be able to have a tiny, but memorable influence on.
Last place you thought you would ever end up?
Not being in Philly is the last thing I thought I would ever do. I never thought I would ever leave Philly and live somewhere else, so that’s crazy to me. It’s still blowing my mind, and now that I’m in Philly, knowing that I’m leaving, is a trip to me; it is insane. Now that this plaza is back, and being able to give something that meant a lot to me back to the city, and see these kids enjoy it in the same way that I was able to enjoy it. It definitely makes me feel at home again being here, and it’s going to make me miss it a lot. Then also, every time I look at my skateboard, and I see my name on it, I’m just like, this isn’t real.
Last bit of Kevin Bilyeu gold that inspired you?
Kevin inspires me every day I see him skate, and I tell him that every time I see him skate. Every time I see him, I tell him, “I know you’re tired of hearing this shit, but thank you so much for being you, and pushing me to be a better skateboarder, and a better person”. Kevin’s a really quiet, to himself kind of guy, and not in any bad way at all. He is just to himself like Rory [Milanes], they’re just quiet people. They like to skate, they do what they like to do on their own time, and they hang out. Nothing bad to say about either one of them, they are great people, they’re just quiet and a little shy, and they do their own thing. I’ve got to bring that out of Kev every time I see him, get him gassed, and get him to smile, and stuff like that. He’s like a brother from another mother, man. Everything he does motivates me to want to be a better skateboarder, especially his switch flips. I learned switch flips watching Kev do switch flips, and I still can’t do them like him, but I can do them in my own way, and every time I do it, I think of Kev. He’s one of my biggest motivations in skateboarding.
Last good piece of advice you got from Josh Kalis, and last clip of his that got you stoked?
Josh is always giving me advice, but I’ll say the best advice he ever gave me, especially going into wanting to be a pro skateboarder one day. He said, “Always be prepared for what these companies want. Be five steps ahead of them”. If they ask you to film a video part, you should already have a video part done. You should always be skating, always be filming, because it’s what you want to do, so always be prepared. If you’re doing your job and you’re skating every day, then nobody should ever have to ask you for nothing, because it should already be done. So, that’s how I’ve always moved, and made sure I’m always doing what I have to do as a pro skateboarder to just do the job. Go skate, film, and inspire the kids. If you’re doing that, can’t nobody tell you you’re doing your job wrong.
“Go skate, film, and inspire the kids. If you’re doing that, can’t nobody tell you you’re doing your job wrong”
An autumnal switch back tail with a front shuv exit strategy. PH: Mike Heikkila
The last clip of Josh’s that got me stoked is something that didn’t even come out yet; he did a back noseblunt on the domino when I was doing the switch one. He was like, ” You’re doing a switch one, all right, I’m gonna get your back with a regular one”. He was just skating with me the other day, and watching him do that was just like, “Wow, this is really my friend, this is crazy, I looked up to this guy, now that’s just my homie”. Everything Josh does is sick. I love watching him just do tre flips on flat, skating around, and doing nollie flips and back nosegrinds. Everything those guys do from that generation always inspires me because they just get to be themselves. To see them doing it at the age that they’re at now, just showed me that if I keep taking care of myself, and if I learn from what they have to give me, and learn from their mistakes, as they would say. Then maybe I can skate till I’m 60 or 70, who knows, it might hurt, but I can still do it.
Last music you played out or put together?
I DJ’d the after party for the MUNI opening, and to see everyone in there dancing for three hours straight was amazing. Everyone was having a great time, and they all told me that the DJing was nice. I have always liked DJing, that’s my thing. I don’t really make music too much, but anytime I get to DJ and do that for the community or just the homies, and see everyone having a good time and dancing, letting loose, that means the world to me. It’s like having a session where you don’t miss a trick.
Last spot where you felt the same strength in numbers or energy as the Love community?
It would be the East Street Estates. Skating those ledges and it being a little grimy, a little ratchet, a little hood, but also just having a good skate spot where you can go kick it with your friends, and there’s a food place around the corner, I can go down the street and hang out at Manor Place. It’s given me a piece of home, and it’s actually called the 2-1-5 estate, so it really feels like home. Skating there, just having two ledges in a row with flat ground in the middle, where I could just do three tricks on good ground with good ledges, and it flows. It just felt like home. It was great. I like skating there by myself sometimes. I would just go there and kick it, or I’ll hit up a bunch of homies and be like, yo, meet up at the estate. Let’s go skate. It’s nice. I really like that place.
Last trick you put down at Love, you’re proudest or fondest of?
Wow, I didn’t get to do too much there, but back nosegrinding and back tailing the out ledges over the planters, and down the three stair. It’s something that I always loved to skate, and I got photos from that time of me doing it, so it’ll always live in my heart. I wish I could have done it switch on the other side, switch back tailed the whole long outledge into the street or just did things that I could do now that would have been easier to try back then. It wasn’t even a thought back then, because I wasn’t that good. I could do stuff, but compared to what the older guys were doing, I wasn’t on that level yet. I definitely wish I could change the clocks, go back, and do some things that I could do now. But back nosegrinds and back tails across that long ledge out of the main entrance of the plaza would be my fondest memories at Love.
Jahmir back tailing out of Love Park before signing off with a bigspin. PH: Ben Hull
Last skate at Love?
My last skate at Love, I didn’t know it was my last, but I did know the end was coming soon. It was a big eye-opener when they actually put the fences down and shut it down so we couldn’t go there anymore. But all the homies continued to go there. If you remember Brian Panebianco’s Till it’s Dirt video. For me, it was just too sad. I was like, “Bro, I don’t get it. I don’t get why you guys are still skating here?” Like, fuck this spot, I’m over it, it’s gone. Just accept it. Then, seeing what all my friends were able to do, even towards the end, I wish I had been able to have that same mindset at that time, and continue to skate with them there because they killed it. They did everything they could to utilise every inch of that plaza until it was completely gone. So shout out to those guys who helped make that video and did the same at MUNI. I think I just get too emotional, and I can’t even fathom this shit is gone, so I’m just not going to show up anymore. Now I have a different view, but it’s gone, so it is what it is.
Last days on DGK?
The last days on DGK were a bit weird for me, but it’s always love with those guys. It’s kind of like a crazy story, but long story short, I just didn’t really see eye to eye with someone over there, not to name names, but it’s all good. I wish those people the best all the time. Shout out Matt Daughters, shout out Troy [Morgan], shout out [Josh] Kalis. Marquise Henry did a lot for me, Jack Curtin did a lot for me, and Wade Desarmo also did a lot for me. They were like family to me, and coming from a city where it started, and being raised by original DGK members, that’s always going to be home, that’s always like family. To this day, if I can help in any way, I always try to, or I try to guide those guys or hit up [Matt] Daughters, and give them marketing advice or anything I can do to help. I just want to see those guys win. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out for me over there, and it made me feel a kind of different way about skating, where I didn’t really want to skate anymore on that level; I just wanted to have fun. Then Palace came and changed that mindset to me wanting to work hard again. So it was the end of an era and the beginning of a new one. What I like to joke around and say, I’ve never said it on a platform like this, but the Dirty Ghetto Kid made it to the Palace. That’s it, I’m still a dirty ghetto kid, I just got a little cleaner in my clothes, and that’s about it. I just look a little fresh now, that’s it, but I’m still a dirty ghetto kid at heart.
Jahmir glides a Clyde Slide for Closer under the watchful eye of Oscar Wilde. PH: Reece Leung
Last Tenpin bowling achievement?
My best game on record is 256. I had two rough frames, or I could have had a perfect game. I’m still chasing that perfect game, getting my first one. The 256 game was at my home lanes here in Philly at South Bowl, where my friends and I were the champions before I left Philly. I had a team, and Palace made us jerseys for it and everything. We became the Philadelphia champions in 2024; it was the 2024-2025 season. My best game was in a competition. It was a 26-week league. Every week you show up, and you pay 20 bucks whether you show up or not, and it goes into the pot towards the end of the season.
Last thing you learned that you feel will expand or enrich your world?
I would say giving back to the city and opening up MUNI, I’ve been able to make so many city connections in government and political friends that I’m going to have lunch with this week, and continue to further my community in a way that will probably suit them best, and allow them to grow further than what me and my friends were able to do. Maybe one day I’ll be a marketing consultant or something, getting to work with other brands and communities to uplift what they already have, figure out what roots they have, and how to make it bigger so the next kids can grow in a way that’s still morally correct to their community. Making sure that they don’t feel like something has changed. For us, it was making sure the plaza isn’t a skate park, making sure it’s still just a plaza, that would be morally correct for us. Whatever that means for people, it allows them to prosper. I just want to be able to help people and give them opportunities and spaces to where they can be their best selves, their best version of themselves.
Jahmir cutting the ribbon for the newly reopened MUNI alongside Mayor Cherelle Parker
Last time you cut a ribbon with Mayor Cherelle Parker?
Last Friday, my great grandma was there, my great aunt, my mum, my aunt Rosie, and my little cousin Logan. They were all out there. It was phenomenal to see the whole city treat them with respect and give them love and support just for being a part of my family, and allowing me to be the person I am today, being able to do the things I did to inspire people and to eventually get to this point, working with my community to get this done. It’s an honour, bro. It’s something that I’ll think of for the rest of my life. Not many people get to make their dreams come true, but even fewer get to do something like that, so it’s an honour.
Last thing the skateboarding community achieved you think the world needs to see more of these days?
I would just say get back to community, not too many cities and skate scenes have such a strong sense of community like Philly, Detroit, Chicago, London, Prague, Marseille. Not too many people have what we have in these places. That sense of community, and looking out for each other, and building your friends back up. You fall every day, get up, and try again. Giving them this area and vocal fortitude to want more from them, and want the best from them, is something that I would ask everyone to have in skateboarding, and to give back to anyone in any daily life. Because that’s what I take from skateboarding. It gave me a sense of humanity, and it gave me a sense of wanting to be better every day. That’s what I carry with me. I even tell the kids to this day, you ain’t gotta be a pro skateboarder if you don’t want, but just remember that this community is always here for you. If you become a doctor, hey, skateboarders get hurt, we need doctors. You want to go into politics, we need people to help build more spaces like this and make skating recognised in a way that works for us, not just another skatepark. You want to be an engineer, a photographer, a videographer, or an animation artist. Whatever you want to do, skateboarding needs all of that. You know, a musician, we need music for parts. No matter what you do, remember this community and give back to it in any way you can.
Last graphic you were super stoked on?
My very first graphic was my favourite one because it had the Liberty Bell on it. It had an eagle for the Philadelphia Eagles, and my homies came up with this idea that the mummy that’s on the board is because it took so long for me to go pro. That was my favourite one. Maybe an all-time favorite is like the Josh Kalis Palis board, where it just says Palis. I have got one of those. Then I have a bunch of like random Palace boards that are like my favourites because they did interesting techniques. Like the UV board, wherever it hit the sun, it would change a different colour. I always liked those kinds of boards, just where it was different. And then any dipped board that they do, there was a GT R32, all pink, NASCAR kind of board. That was one of my favorites because I love racing and driving, and stuff like that, even though I don’t have a licence.
Last life-enhancing purchase?
That would probably be the compression legs from Hyper Ice that I bought. That was a good investment, they’re pretty expensive, but if you’re going to choose to be an athlete for a living, maybe you should invest in yourself and take care of your body, not just go drink and buy jewellery. I highly recommend them, and they have cheaper options now. So I definitely recommend some kind of compression legs after skating. You put those on, and you definitely feel fresh the next day. You don’t feel like you just skated for 12 hours and drank for 10. It’s instantly noticeable as well; you feel new blood flow in your legs and stuff. I’m not about to be like a science nerd or a health nerd on you guys, but it definitely helps, it helps a lot. I highly recommend them. I was against them until I tried them, and now I recommend them to everyone. It’s hard to stay on top of stuff when you’re actually healthy and doing things. When you feel like shit, you actually realise you have tools, and you need them, you need to use them. So, if you have tools or you have a way to feel better, do it every day, even if it’s ten or twenty minutes, just do it. That’s something that I’m learning right now is that I need to just stay on my health stuff, and even when I feel good, just keep doing it.
Jahmir crooked grinds a tall one Harnessing the assist of a popped cover. PH: Mike Heikkila
Last new names to emerge from the Philly and London scene, you think we will be seeing a lot more of in the future?
This younger guy, Bryan [Duhur] from London, he’s been skating for like four or five years, and he’s been getting so good, switch frontside flips down the set, bangin’ nollie backside flips. Watching him skate ledges now and learning a bunch of tech ledge stuff. There are a lot of kids coming out of London, but Bryan is my favourite, and I’m always rooting for him. I want to see him utilise his talent in a way where he can push skating, push himself, and just do things for himself. I know, coming from the areas that we come from, we experience the world in a different way, and it really showed me that there’s a lot more possibilities out here, so I’m looking forward to seeing what he does with his life and with his skating. He’s a Southbank local, he’s skating for Supreme and Nike right now, and he’s always killing it. He’s just a really nice kid; he tries to be a better person every day. Just seeing someone like that, you want to root for that guy. You want to root for those kinds of underdogs that have talent, you can see their potential, and they’re trying every day to find that for themselves. That’s the kind of person you want to root for, so I wish him the best, and every time I see him, I tell him I’m rooting for him, and I just want to see him keep shining. So that’s the young G.
Then, for Philly, I haven’t really spent too much time out here to even know all the new young kids. I’ve been meeting them little by little, and hopefully, this space gives them a place where they can come back together and find community, instead of them all being in separate areas of the city. Hopefully, in the next couple of months to years, I can see what’s happening in Philly more and see who’s on their come-up. But for now, my generation is still holding it down, and everyone’s still on their come-up, or they came up, and they’re still doing their thing. I’m just rooting for all the guys, Chris Brown, Mike Ward, Joey Morrone, Kevin Liedtke, Graeme [Turner]. I’m just wanting to see what those guys do with skating, and hopefully, they can end up with names on boards too.
Last video part you rewatched?
There’s this old guy called Sven Kilchenmann who skated for Darkstar, he had a part in Battalion, and he dropped a Free Skate Mag part not too long ago, and I watch that all the time. The way he does switch back smiths, and the way he skates ledges is in a way that I like to skate. I watch that part all the time for motivation. That part is so dope, and I want everybody to go see it if they get a chance to, just because it’s so inspiring. When I’m with [Tom] Snape and the homies, I’ll show them, look at this, and they’re like, “Damn, who’s that guy?” I’m like, bro, he’s like 40-something, and he’s doing these tricks like he’s like 18. He’s killing it, and the music he skates to, the style, the trick selection, everything is on a par with what I like to see from skating. I watch that a lot, and then I watch this kid from Boston a lot. He dropped a local video with this guy named Paul Young, it’s Ben Tenner in the Down By Law video, that’s another video part that I watch every day. Just the style, the music, the way he skates. Trick selection means a lot to me. You could do everything, it doesn’t matter. Just because you can do it doesn’t mean you should do it. I know that’s kind of the complete opposite of what the homies that always say “Always do what you should do”, but when it comes to trick selection and skateboarding, there are some things that you just probably shouldn’t do, on camera. You could do it for fun, but just because you could do it doesn’t mean you should do it all the time. Can I kickflip darkslide? Probably, but should I film that? No, it’s not Rodney Mullen ever, bro, no one cares; no one wants to see that.
Last thing you introduced that has improved skateboarding?
Just staying inspired, remembering what it felt like to skate for the first time. Just being in the sun with my friends and hanging out, and just coming together for a common goal and having fun, remembering to have fun. It’s not that deep when the camera’s not out, and you’re not filming for some brand, just remembering to keep it fun and enjoy each other. Even if you’re not going to skate that day, just pop out, see your friends, and root them on as they’re trying some trick that is new for them or when they’re trying to get a clip. Remembering to stay a part of the scene in the community, and just add to it any way you can. Go clean up the trash, make sure you bring wax in case people need wax, or have a skate tool in case somebody needs a tool. Clap for people if they land a trick, or tell them they got that, and to keep trying. Whatever it is, just being there as a beacon of light and supporting your homies.
Last trip that brought you somewhere you want to spend more time?
I’ve just been to Portugal. I went to Lisbon over December, and I was there for five days with the Dime guys. They invited me out, and it’s one of those places where I never knew what I was going to get myself into, and I had the best time with all the locals. The food that I got to try, and just being in a beautiful city like that, which was built so many years ago, I would love to go back there and spend more time. Then also Marseille, I’ve been there twice. The first time I was hurt going there, and the second time I got hurt there on the second day. But the scene there, the people, the food, the skating, the spots, everything is so on par with what I want to do. It’s one of those places where I think I can add something there and find gold. Hopefully, I get to get back to those places soon, spend a lot more time with those locals out there, and actually film some stuff that I feel really proud of. Then I can come back and drop it, and everyone’s hyped on it hopefully. I’m looking forward to that one day soon.
Last words?
Shout out everyone in Philly. Shout out everyone in London. There are so many names I could say, but you know I love y’all, and anyone I haven’t got to meet yet, I hope we can skate soon. If you know me, you know I’m always here just trying to have a good time, so I love all y’all motherfuckers, and thank you for accepting me for who I am, allowing me to skate, and thanks for the opportunities that come my way. Thank you to all my endorsements. Thank you to anyone who’s ever shared any space with me and created a moment; it all plays a role in my life, and it means a lot to me, so thank you.
We want to thank Jahmir for his time, it was a pleasure to connect. Be sure to follow him on Instagram, as well as Palace Skateboards for clips and future updates. We also want to thank Dominic Marley, Mike Heikkila, and Reece Leung for sending photos.
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