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No Microwave Needed with Dashawn Jordan
167 Plays8 days ago
This week I am joined by the super talented Dashawn Jordan, we talk about how he got into skating. How the Arizona skate community helped him find himself. Working his way to having his own Nike SB colorway, the thought process. How important dunks became in his life and why he wanted to skate them. How important his family and friends are to him and how he made this thing called skateboarding work! Plus a ton more!
Follow Dashawn:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/dashawnjordan/
Faces Skateshop: Site: https://www.facesskateshop.com/
Podcast Linktree: https://linktr.ee/myfirstkicks
Sign up for the Patreon: https://patreon.com/MyFirstKicks
Intro & Outro by Sango: https://www.instagram.com/sango_/
Backing Music by The DoppleGangaz: https://thedoppelgangaz.bandcamp.com/
Recommended
Transcript
Growing Up Fast with Older Influences
00:00:00
Speaker
I don't know where that came from. I'm just gonna say, because it just clicked in my head for me just to say this, because you are wise beyond your years. appreciate that. Because like I'm like you talk and this entire time, like,
00:00:18
Speaker
You sound smarter than me, bro. You sound like you've been through everything, bro. Oh, God. You know, I've been through a little bit, you know what I'm saying? Like, my story, you know, is is no better or, you know, no less than anybody else. But I like to say that, you know, I've lived and an interesting, like, you know, life beyond my years. I definitely grew up faster, yeah you know, than feel, you know, feel like then a lot of people, you know, and maybe that's in my same, you know, age group or whatever, but I've always been,
00:00:48
Speaker
the youngest homie around the older crowd. Right. That's how i grew up the same Yeah. You know, when you when you are, I mean, I i grew also grew up with a single mom. Yeah. Like, and it honestly, are just me and my mom. So I went through a lot of the similar things where you're hanging around like the older people because you're just like, you're always hanging around older people in general. So you relate with older people. So you're just like, yeah, you know, or you're having these like in-depth conversations fact with like people five years older. Exactly. so
00:01:21
Speaker
What's good everyone. Welcome back to my first case. This is episode 256. And this week I got a special guest, an absolute monster. Uh, welcome to the podcast, the Sean Jordan, man. Thank you for having man. It's an honor and a blessing to be here. So I'm stoked to catch up. Nah, man, this is huge honor, bro. Like,
00:01:40
Speaker
Thank you.
Introduction of Deshaun Jordan
00:01:41
Speaker
Well, first, shout out Paco for putting this together. Yeah, shout out King Paco, man. You cooked up some some trophies, burgers. Yeah, we went crazy. My my burger, what do call it it? The go big or go home? Three three and of them. Three and of them. I don't know how you did that, bro. You ate all of that?
00:01:58
Speaker
I didn't, i to be honest, I ate, I forgot a decent amount of it, but ate a burger before that. So like, and then they hit me with that. They were yeah, so you're actually gonna be making a burger? And I was like, oh, shit. I think I got a little more room for some more food. Like, you know what I'm saying? So we made it happen. Man, I mean, yo, those burgers look bad good. I gotta go there one time. It was fire. It was fire. Shout out Trophies for, you know, for for letting us do that and Paco for putting that together as well. For real Shout out Paco man He's been cooking it whole He should be here soon Like in a little bit So like In the crowd But yo For people who are not ah Familiar with you How about you Introduce yourself So, yeah, my name's Deshaun Jordan. I'm a professional skateboarder slash musician, artist, singer, rapper, you know, whatever you want to call it. um But artist, I would say. um Business owner. Face a skate shop in Arizona is my skate shop. hey um Yeah, entrepreneur. entrepreneurrene I just like to just do dope stuff with dope people. Shift the culture, you know what I mean? And make an impact on youth, everybody, you know? Like one to just live on.
00:02:59
Speaker
Man, I mean, it's fire. Like, I listened to a bit of the album, too.
Valuing Friendships and Collaborations
00:03:02
Speaker
I was like, I didn't know Zion, right? Yeah. Zion came stupid on that one. That track was fire. In my opinion, he gave me one of his best verse, I feel like. He went crazy. I got to listen to more his stuff. didn't even know, because, like, I know Zion from, ah ah what's the trash shirt thing? King of the... Yeah, King of the Roads. Yeah. And, like, but when he went pro on that, i was...
00:03:22
Speaker
but I was so happy for him. I literally, I was tearing up watching that. yeah guy I called him right away. I was like, the whole thing called him as pops. Those moments are, you know, very special. You know, you got to make sure you give your brothers their flowers. You know, when, when anytime they accomplish them like that, you to let them know you see them. mean, I feel like it just goes a long way. You got to give people their flowers when they're here. 100%. Able to smell them. Facts. I'm a firm believer in that. For real. and And I'm glad that we're moving towards that too because like, ah man, there's so many times I'll be like, man, we I wish we could have talked a little bit more. Yeah. Or I could have told them how proud I was. 100%. And it's like, bro, even on the fact that like you just like, you brought up his music off of like,
00:04:02
Speaker
ah a project of mine and that's like my goal like I love collabing with friends and even if you know everybody has own awareness and their community on their own but if I can bring that like one more person um aware of their world through me like that's like like you know it's job done for me you know that's what I strive to do so that means a lot to hear that Nah, I mean, bro. but I was listening.
Engaging with the Podcast
00:04:24
Speaker
I only listened. I got to through the whole thing once, you know, give it a go. But I saw him on there and i was like, let put that on. me I listened to the Ty Dolla song. Yeah, automatic. That was fire. Shout out to my bro Ty for that. For blessing me with a feature and his presence on that record and, you know, being a part of the project. Yeah, man. I mean, yeah. I got to run it through for real though. Yeah.
00:04:42
Speaker
Thank you for listening to this week's episode with Deshaun Jordan. If you've been enjoying this, please do not forget
Deshaun's Skateboarding Journey
00:04:48
Speaker
to like, subscribe, and leave a comment on this YouTube video if you're watching this on YouTube. And if you're listening to this, please, please, please leave a five-star review. And of course, do not forget, you want to go the extra mile, hit up the Patreon, patreon.com slash myfirstkicks. It goes a really long way.
00:05:08
Speaker
It helps me out tremendously. And it's only $5. $5. I've added a newsletter. You'll get monthly a monthly extra episode. And the Patreon keeps growing. I'm going keep growing it out as much as I can. So looking to see y'all on the Patreon. But until then, let's jump back right into the episode. Well, you're here to answer the question that I ask everybody each week. And that question is, what's your first kick? What's that first pair of sneakers you absolutely need to have? So, I mean, I would say I kind of got into learning and like my knowledge on like what were like powerful sneakers, you know, at the time just through experience. And, you know, I was a big hand-me-down person. Like I didn i couldn't afford the sneakers I wanted. And so, um you know, people I grew skating with at my local skate park in Chandler, um when I got those sneakers, like those became the must-haves for me because I like, oh, You know, like my first pair of Nikes um was given to me by, like for skating, i was given to me by a local skater um from my park named Tyler Shuck. um He had these blazers that like had like a safari type swoosh on them, but they're like a low blazer. yeah um
00:06:07
Speaker
And I love those shoes. Like that was my first ever Nike. They were a little bigger than what my my size was, but to me, I'm saying, I was just happy to be skating Nike. So, So I made him do what to do. Yeah, I mean, that's fire. Especially because like it's given to you from another skater. like how How did that propel you into like really picking up skating even more?
00:06:25
Speaker
um I would say so, you know, I came across skating when I lived in Tucson, Arizona. um You've been over around there a lot around Arizona. And at that time, like, I was living there. My grandma lived there. You know what I'm saying? We originally moved there from Macon, Georgia to be with my grandma because I was born in Glendale, Arizona, left to Georgia and then went back to ah Tucson because my grandma was there. um And then Saw skating there, got familiar with it, the group of friends I was hanging out with, you know what mean? I was into it it. then when I moved to Phoenix from Tucson, saw more skating, went to some of my first skate parks and everything. And that kind of really pushed me to to keep skating.
00:07:00
Speaker
It's funny because then the story I always tell, you know, and in shorter terms was I moved into an apartment in Chandler, Arizona. um I had a board I was supposed to give to a friend, back to him before I left Tucson. But, quote unquote, I didn't have any time to give it back to him. So I just took it with me to to Phoenix. Yeah.
00:07:16
Speaker
And the wheel was always falling off. and i didn't know how to fix a board. I lived across the street from my auto zone. In my mind, they fixed stuff. So yeah so I'm going to take my board there. And in in there they put a little lock nut on the on the truck. And you know that board helped me for a while. It was a chipped up blind board. I didn't have a nose or a tail. yeah Didn't even understand what that meant at the time either. So for me, it was a perfectly fine skateboard. right When I moved in, the apartment complex, they warned me about a kid. They were like, yo, when you move in, say from the kid Curtis, you know, he's bad, you know, whatever, blah, blah.
00:07:43
Speaker
And I was like, okay. You know, i get on my skateboard, skate around the complex a little bit. And I run into a kid with a skateboard. And I ask him what his name is, and it's Curtis. And it became one of my best friends, you know? And shout out to him. His mom took me, you know, would take us to the skate park, which is my first time going to actual skate park and seeing other skaters and really learning the culture. So, you know, super thankful and grateful for that friendship and his mom, you know, holding it down. And then from there, I saw more skating and that's when started seeing the clothes and how people dressed and I wanted to imitate that. wanted to feel and look like a skater. And that just, after that, moving to Phoenix is like when I really like got really invested in the skating started doing more. Cause I come from like a dance group, football
Fashion and Self-Expression in Skateboarding
00:08:25
Speaker
background. And so like, yeah, I didn't skateboarding was the last thing I like really like started trying to do. Cause I was just like, Oh, if it was something I liked, I wanted to try it. And I wanted to get as good as I can at it. And skateboarding is just one that just stayed and stapled. right, we got to go backwards first. So how old were you during this time when you were like, oh, getting influenced by the fashion? would say...
00:08:51
Speaker
I always had a love for fashion. And to be honest, that came from like my sister. I would steal her pants and I would steal her shoes. like cause She had better shoes than I had. And then um as I like got into skating, um that kind of you know transferred over. It was like skinny jeans were a big thing. right yeah I didn't know where to get skinny jeans. My sister had them. So I'm taking her. that Nobody can tell the difference. friends you know that's what it looked like a skater so ah after that and i started going to the skate park you know started seeing other people wear them and so you know I would do this thing on my pants like when I wasn't taking her jeans where like it's like an old method you like cuff the pants and you fold it over and you tuck it
00:09:26
Speaker
And it like creates like a, like almost like a, like a jogger type look at the bottom the head, you So I was doing that too. you know what mean? Whatever, just to make me feel like I was dressing the apart and, you know, and and feeling stylish. But literally just learned about it throughout, you know, i have my own sense of style, but I feel like I didn't really develop into that and until probably like,
00:09:45
Speaker
you know, some years ago, but a couple years ago where i really started like learning out what was my style and dressing and I really like got in that bag. um But that's like the interesting interesting thing about fashion is in the beginning, you know, I saw somewhere it was, ah somebody said that fashion isn't a trend, like it's a feeling or something like that. Like, like you know what I mean? it's like It's like how you feel. right When you wake up. Self-expression. Yeah, yeah you do because you felt that way. You don't do it because you saw somebody else. And so I started practicing that.
00:10:13
Speaker
You know, my girl is super stylish. So, you know, sometimes I let her, you know, have fun, dress me a little bit, do her thing. yeah and did This is actually, you know, something we did together. This is fire. A little something we did together. But, but um you know, i really enjoy fashion and just like the creativity behind it and it being a form of expression, which,
00:10:31
Speaker
I've also learned from skating. yeah It's so independent and you express yourself with how you skate, your style, how you dress. It's all you. It's not like a team, a normal team sport where like we all have the same thing and the only thing separating is a number, which, you know, shout to that and that form of expression. But because i've I've been on that side. But for me, I just really
Skateboarding Community and Mentorship
00:10:50
Speaker
gravitated toward the freedom of expression through skateboarding and like, you know, fashion and music and that side because it's more free.
00:10:57
Speaker
That's fine. I love the one. So I've always been into skating for it. I just i just couldn't i couldn't get on. Like, I tried. There's a story i I've told on here a couple of times. I remember there was one time I was like, I'm going to figure out to either just how to kick push. Right? And this was like, I was already in my 20s at this time. yeah And so i got i was I went to like an OG. Like, he was to used to skate Brooklyn Banks and all that stuff. okay And he was just like, I was like, all right, teach me how to skate. I get on the board.
00:11:27
Speaker
That was it. I was like, I'm not doing this again. I can't do it. I don't got it. I don't got it like i I thought i thought i thought i could I could figure out my way at that age. But nah, you got to be with it for real. 100%, bro. is it's ah It's definitely committing thing. like like It takes time.
00:11:43
Speaker
like i'll actually was talking this other day about it because we were saying I was with you know some of my peers in in in Colorado for an event. And one thing we were talking about was like you know skateboarding.
00:11:54
Speaker
that it's probably the hardest thing to learn and pick up yeah and then i thought about it and i was like dang it's like if you think about everybody who is like you know been blessed you know to have a career and they like if you think of if you really think about your trajectory and like how long like we've been skating is like it's like anything else you lock in the person who's played football who's now in the league they played probably their whole life from elementary to college to to from high school to college to And that that's really what it is. Sometimes I lose, like, like i don't think about it. And sometimes it hits me when I'm like, oh, somebody wants to learn know how to skate.
00:12:29
Speaker
You're trying to teach them. And like, it really like resonates with me, like how hard it actually is to like understand. um And you're already at, you're at the muscle memory part. Yeah. Just like you just you just jump on the board and it's going. But like if you're a person that's never been on a on a moving object like that, where it's like the bottom stays still, but it's kind of like wobbly. You got to like balance. And then you and it's just. Yeah, it's not. It's 100 percent. um But like I'm so like you talked about growing up in Arizona and like the skate scene there. Like I didn't even know.
00:13:00
Speaker
Arizona had a skate scene. Yeah. Like, how did, do you know, like, what what was it that, like, pulled you in? And, like, how was the camaraderie around that, too? um It was good. You know, the the special thing about skateboarding is the community is so um welcoming. So, yeah.
00:13:16
Speaker
Even growing up skating in the local park, I grew up skating. Like, I had friends I made that I was, those are my friends was skating with, you know, on the weekends, the weekdays. And we had, like, a little, like, a little group of friends, like our homies, you know? And then once I started getting a little older, it was actually, you know, a good friend of mine who's um appeared to me as well, a mentor, Russell Powell, um started, like,
00:13:36
Speaker
taking me under his wing, you know, like in the homie Raul Gonzalez. And like they started showing me around and you know, my other ah good friends who's, you know, who I'm actually ah in business with today. And we and we've went on to create things for skateboarding. um Andrew Nicholas, Joseph Nicholas, you know, they're all friends of mine. um Those people took me under their wing and taught me more skating, helped me grow in skating, learned the other side of skateboarding, like outside of just the skate park. That actually helped me to grow, you know, in the in the space um and become the skater I am today.
00:14:10
Speaker
You know, w Russell Powell taking me on some of my first ever skate trips um and pointing a camera at me. yeah My first ever magazine ads. um how like What does that even feel like? it It felt crazy at the time. It was like, what's just insane is I didn't know what it was doing for me. yeah all It was more of a thing where I saw it and I thought it was so cool and I wanted to like do that. I wanted to like you know get that type of opportunity. I wanted to be in the magazine that was the Arizona's big skate magazine, AZ Steeze.
Competitions and Sponsorships
00:14:40
Speaker
and all that stuff. So at the time I just was like, yo, like I'm getting a magazine ad, you know? but I didn't really like, now, looking back into those things that happened, like ah ah put some you know I show so much ah thankfulness towards it because you know it was part of my my journey and and and helped me to get to where I'm at today. um So I'm very thankful for all of them, you know, and everybody who invested their time, energy um into like helping me grow. Yeah. um But it's crazy to look back, you know, like I know what I had and opportunities that were given to me and the people who looked out for me like I, you know,
00:15:16
Speaker
Like I'm inspired to ah to be that for other people I see who have the same potential or people who I know is like, oh, this person can be this great if they have this type of like leadership or mentorship or questions or advice. So I take pride in like being very responsive to like ah to people who who seek advice and, and in you know, direction. i mean, that's amazing because like, you know, you always hear how about how like skating you didn't have like a ton of that, like especially like.
00:15:42
Speaker
in the 2000s and stuff like that. it was a lot of just like, this is the anti-establishment. We just, we going, going, we going vault to the wall, like early Supreme stuff. Like, facts you know, like people were just like, they don't give a fuck at all. And so hearing about that now, it's like, it's, it's amazing. Cause you know i love skating. I love skate culture. like I've always wished I could be part of it. like But watching X Games and SLS and and seeing like how everything has grown so big. yeah like It's is beautiful. and like You've been crushing it. like i like what is it like I want to know like the how intimidating the first like ah um competition. I was i almost messed up saying competition. The first competition is like... um
00:16:25
Speaker
Man, is the first kind of contest for me was nerve wracking, but I was so hyped to finally get the chance to like skate with an audience like that and like showcase more of me or like my you know my skill to people. So I was super turned up and happy. you know i If I remember like my first contest, was like,
00:16:44
Speaker
in the middle of the contest, I rolled my ankle. oh no And I wanted to keep skating, so I kept skating, you know what I mean And like after like ah like the second trick or third trick, I just stopped because it was like bad. yeah um But even you know my family, everybody around me like knew that I was really serious about it just from the emotions I showed. um but You're a gamer, what they say. bro i Yeah, I was like, like I wanted to get it off. like I wanted to get my tricks off, like you know what saying? And so I was like, i don't care, by all means. um But...
00:17:11
Speaker
that it was It was more of a feeling of excitement in that like I wanted to like prove myself you know that like I can like be the the skater that like I imagined our dream to be. yeah like I want to get there. I want to be good. I want to like compete with these guys. I want to like you know be in the same community and and just like keep growing as a skater. and that was a good step to like pushing myself to do that. Cause I was around people who were better than me that helped me grow, you know? And, and I love that. Like I, I'm a sponge to the game and, and inspiration and, and, and just like motivation from, from people around me. I don't take people being better than me as a threat. i take it as like, Oh, you know, like if that person can do that, like I can get there. If I just put in the work that that day they did, cause,
00:17:53
Speaker
If they are better than me at something that like I want to be good at, that just means that they probably have a little more reps and time and knowledge than I have, but and I want to learn. Exactly. So, um yeah, I love that. like my My energy for my first contest was exciting. yeah I was stoked. You you said you was on a dance team and football. Yeah. Does any of that play into like how you see like like the how do you see yourself in competing within you know skateboarding? um I would say, yeah, like my my background on like being in dance groups and and and football and stuff, I think it does allow me to have like a little bit of a different perspective when it comes to like things. and Yeah. and and And how I view it um as far as like culture things and and and and how to, you know, leave an impact on people, how to shift the culture, how to how to help grow it. um I feel like um a lot of my inspiration comes from the outside things that I've done, you know, outside of skating that's influenced me and helped with my skating. um But all like for greater good, you know, like that's allowed me to have knowledge and wisdom um on certain things that I feel like all it does is just help.
00:19:02
Speaker
my career, my skating, my style, um and all that. So I'm very thankful for everything I've done in the past. um I feel like it's all ingredients of yeah of, you know, who I am today or who I'm still cooking to be, and Exactly, yeah. I mean, look, bro, you got a ah Nike SB. Yeah. But like, I want to know how do we how do we get here? How do we get to the point that like, you know, man, I want to I want to hear that journey. OK, so, you know, talk a little bit about the skating journey um in the midst of that.
00:19:31
Speaker
You know, we'll go all the way back to when I got my first box of shoes. um I was on a local shoe. I was not a local shoe brand. I was on a skate shoe brand ah called Vox Footwear. Yeah. um you know with the you know with the the opportunity and blessing from ah a repper a rep who used to live in Arizona um named Taylor Woods. um She was like, a you know in different companies, everybody has a rep that goes out and makes the accounts the stores and everything. She was like the Arizona rep, our West west Coast rep for like that that brand and some other brands. um I was on that street company for a while. And then I also got on a brand called Crew, which is like a clothing brand. You know, everybody, you know, yeah you're familiar with Crew.
00:20:07
Speaker
It was running stuff. yeah um And so I met a ah dude through crew, which actually happened because I was skating a competition at a skate park in Arizona out in Peoria.
00:20:19
Speaker
And dude walks up to me, you know, by the name of Steve Clare, which is one of my great friends and and and mentors in my life as well. um He walks up to me and like, yo, you Deshaun? And I was like yeah. He was like,
00:20:30
Speaker
Yeah, you know, like a friend of mine, Garrett Gilbert, which is like another local skater in Arizona, um like told me about you, you know what i mean? And, you like thought I should like tap in with you and, you know, like, you know, start flowing new crew stuff pretty much. And connected with him, became, you know, a big homie to me, sending me clothes, was blessed with that because, you know, like I couldn't afford anything like that, especially if I were clothes to mess it up. So I'm like, it was a blessing to get,
00:20:54
Speaker
in contact with him and be that part of that brand. Right. Yeah. Um, and so after being with him for years, you know, let me come out, stay at his crib, go to contests with supporting me. You know, was meeting homies through him. Uh, he would always ask me like, yo, like what's another shoe brand you'd want to be on if you had the opportunity to be on a shoe brand.
00:21:10
Speaker
And for time, I just kept saying Nike, Nike, Nike, like every time he'd ask me Nike. And so finally he was like, yo, well I think I have a friend that, you what mean? Works for Nike. We might be able to like figure something out. So I was like, Oh bet. Like for real, like,
00:21:23
Speaker
Let's do it. And so he connects me with his friend, which is Oliver Flores, um who is also a a person who plays a major role in a lot of my success and where I'm at today. We connect at the next year of a contest they do in Arizona called Phoenix Am.
00:21:40
Speaker
And we're chopping at like the bar of the hotel where I was sleeping on Steve Clare's floor for that weekend of the contest. And I remember the words. Oliver was like, yo, if you're ready, I'm ready.
00:21:52
Speaker
And I remember being, so remember saying, like, I'm ready. You know? Like, that that's a no-brainer. Let's do this. And so I got home after the contest. We were in contact. ah contact And um he was telling me he was going to send me out some shoes. I got my first box of shoes. It was...
00:22:10
Speaker
all royal blue pair of costume ones and this other shoe they had the time called Team Edition yeah yeah and I thought you're talking to a Nike SB yeah so you know yeah so you know so I was super excited I got the boxer shoes I couldn't lace them up but I couldn't wait to put them on to to the skate park you know and skate I went straight to the park and I felt like the coolest person on earth because you know I mean I got a box of like my dream sponsor shoes I wanted.
00:22:36
Speaker
um And from there, me and Oliver went on to build a friendship um and him being a important part, ah be ah ah an important person in my life. ah Just to introduce me to people, me learning more through him, him just helping me grow in the community, um you know, in his boxes of shoes, you kept supporting me and and helping me, you know, keep my feet good. And then through that, through competing more um and, and just like,
00:23:02
Speaker
Growing, creating more real estate in the space, you know, went up in rankings, which is like first is like representative flow, which like a person who works for the company and the rep for them. You know, they have it's not even a budget allocated to do so. But within their budget, if they see fit or you guys, you know, click like they'll take it upon themselves to flow your shoes through their budget. Oh, yeah. And so that's kind of what Oliver was doing. And that was my first step. And then as I, you know, leveled up in the sponsorship, you know, I started getting like team manager flow, which is like now your flow from direct to like team manager of the brand, which you might get more shoes, you know, more opportunities through that. And then through that, you kind you know, you go up in the company. And the next step for that is like,
00:23:45
Speaker
you're contracted, you know, then you're you know, however the support or, you know, formally you're getting supported to the brand. Um, then that's what that is. lot people do not talk about this. Like never, I've never heard this. You're blowing my mind. Cause thought it was just like, yeah, you get free sneakers and then, then you're on the team. Like that was it. Like, you know, it's, it's levels to a man. And that ultimately depends
Influence of Family and Role Models
00:24:05
Speaker
on you.
00:24:05
Speaker
what you do with it. Granted, if I was a kid who Oliver started flowing shoes and crashed out and, you know, wasn't doing i needed i wasn't doing what I needed to do, that would have went nowhere. yeah It would have been, I'll send you some shoes. That would have stopped. Then I would have been getting no flow. That would have, you know, but... One thing I always told myself and I even told him a couple of times is was like, I won't let you down. Yeah. You know, like I'm going to do it. I'm going to stay focused. and and And if I didn't talk about it too much, I just hope that I showed that through my hard work and what I was doing. I just was like tunnel vision and I knew what I wanted to do and I was going to do it. There was no ifs, ands or buts, you know. Where'd you learn that from?
00:24:43
Speaker
ah You know, you know, what's crazy is I think it was a little bit of like, you know, my grandma yeah and my mom in the sense of because as a single parent, I didn't feel the stress of what it was like when bills were late or food can't be on the table.
00:25:03
Speaker
She just got it. Yeah. One way or another, she just went and got it. And we me and my sister was fed and the bills was paid and I had a roof over my head and I had the shoes that I wanted to start school and the clothes, you know, I never really felt that. So, Maybe that's where that came from. And my grandma being a hard worker, my grandma worked her butt off, bro. I mean, like, you know, she worked at Raytheon, which is like a missile building place for years. yeah And she went and got it, self-made, like, you know? And and I feel like just kind of like- That's insane. That job sounds crazy. Yeah, She retired after that, after like, you know, like building missiles, you know? And my grandma was by houses. So like, I really learned a lot from her as well. I went to, actually, when I was younger,
00:25:40
Speaker
I lived in Macon, Georgia, my mom and my sister. I left when we went there for a Christmas and they drove us back to Georgia. I went back with my grandma and left my mom my sister and they came out later. So I only lived with like my grandma and then I was around like her and my aunts yeah for some time before my mom and my sister came out. So I really...
00:25:57
Speaker
learned, had like, had time with my grandma, was kicking over my aunts, learned from them, you know, like, the life they had built for themselves, and, you know, she helped really raise me, you know, and and and teach me those things, and and so, forever grateful for, you know, her being in my life and being a role model as well, because um the person I am today, i feel like is is a lot of offspring of of of her, um and just being careless, you know, you know, in the midst of, like, things my mom has, you know, demonstrated for me, um that's important, because I didn't grow up with my pops, so,
00:26:26
Speaker
I looked for that in like them and like oh older cousins and uncles and stuff. um But felt like that drive came from there and it was something, don't know, like outside of that, you know, like ah like a lot of it comes from that. But to be honest, how it fully clicked,
00:26:42
Speaker
I'm not sure. no I don't know where it came from exactly, like the rest of it, but a good amount of it was from them. But it was just something that just like, I don't know where that came from. I'm just going to say, because it just clicked in my head for me just to say this, because that you are wise beyond your years. I appreciate that. Because like I'm like you talk and this entire time, like,
00:27:08
Speaker
You sound smarter than me, bro. You sound like you've been through everything, bro. Oh, God. You know, I've been through little bit, you know what I'm saying? Like, my story, you know, is no better or, you know, no less than anybody else's. But like to say that, you know, I've lived interesting, like, you know, life beyond my years. And I definitely up faster, you know, than feel, you know, I feel like then lot of people, know, and maybe that's in my same, you know, age group or whatever, but I've always been,
00:27:38
Speaker
The youngest homie were on the older crowd. Right. That's how i grew The same. Yeah, you know? When you when you are, I mean, I i grew also grew up with a single mom. Yeah. So like, and it honestly, it just me and my mom. So I went through a lot of the similar things where you're hanging around like the older people because you're just like,
00:27:55
Speaker
you're always hanging around older people in general. So you relate with older people. So you're just like, yeah, you know, we're having these like in-depth conversations facts with like people five years older. Exactly. So you can't do that with people your same age at that all. It's tough to to relate on that level because we're seeing the world at a faster pace. Facts. Because we're seeing the, there's always going to be a buffer of like, oh yeah, the bills and working and doing all this stuff. It's it's kind of like,
00:28:22
Speaker
You're either like, yeah, I'm outside playing. yeah But like for ah for us, it's probably just like, yeah, I got to go home. Exactly. Yeah. I wasn't worried about none of that. like I just was like, oh, got to get home to go to school. yeah Or I'm trying to link up with the homies like or go do something fun. I wasn't worried about none of that. um And just through, like like I said, seeing uncles, cousins, um and all those dudes do their thing and the clothes they had, or my uncle was driving the trucks they had,
00:28:50
Speaker
That also like inspired me be I want that when I get older. My uncle fly. you know My cousin, where'd my cousin get those shoes? you know He having it. you know But um yeah, that was kind of how i how I just learned and saw things. And I feel like seeing other people who worked hard outside of my family also, just something you know in my mind, i just was like I just understood the value. like I learned the value of that through my peers. Yeah. of, you know, working hard and just being hungry and being motivated and just like getting it and and not having excuses and and all that. I just have always had that hunger. Yeah. You know? I mean, it's, there are definitely, like, I feel like you also are part of this group of like skaters that have figured out to be more than just,
00:29:33
Speaker
a skater. Yeah. And, you know, you got P-Rod, you got, I mean, I'm just naming your your teammates. No, no, no, that's a good one. You know, like just a quick little note on Paul is like, Paul has been a part of my career from, ah from almost, you know, the jump when I moved to LA and all that, you know, we had the same agent. So I was looking in for a lot of advice on things. So a lot of the things I do and how I am and how I move and, and how, you know,
00:30:00
Speaker
I take a lot of pride in that because I learned from people like
Challenges in Pursuing a Skateboarding Career
00:30:03
Speaker
him. right He helped me understand the youth. He helped me understand professionalism. He help helped me understand you know longevity. You know i mean? And so, and I think I said jevity sometimes I'd be like saying words that be wrong, but think longevity is correct. I'm making up words sometimes, bro. I'm also making up words. But yeah, so Paul taught me you know longevity and and how to be that in,
00:30:27
Speaker
taught me a lot earlier on in my career that, you know, i take with me, you know, to this day with everything. So, uh, like forever grateful for that. Now shout out, Paul. Yeah. Shout out P-Roll. Um, all right. So you were saying, you know, you're moving up the ladder and then like we're at contract, right? Yeah.
00:30:46
Speaker
Like, how does that feel? You're sitting at the table and you're like, yo, how about this I'm about to sign. But you know what's crazy is I was in Arizona. Yeah. And I was chilling there. And I remember kicking in. i You know, i was checking my emails. This was years ago. Wait. Oh, um real quick, though. Like, were you heavy competition during this time? Like, were you pulling, like, you was going You was winning everything at this point? I wouldn't say i was winning a lot. I was winning some good wins here and there, um but I was definitely more competition driven you know before I started getting into street skating and understanding the importance of that. Well, definitely contests and park heavy. And I used to hate when people in Arizona would be like,
00:31:24
Speaker
you know he's's he's good in the park, but we gotta see him in the streets. And so I i had that chip on shoulder, like, okay, I'm gonna film parts. And that's when my homie Andrew and Joe and them came. yeah They were filming me more, you know along with Russ, giving me video parts and all that. And that helped me show that part of my skating. But was definitely competition heavy you know from it in you know Now, even at this point, um I've invested a lot of time in you know my mental space and I really wanted to be on the other side of skating. I still compete a lot. We'll still skate the main ones, but this time around, you know, 2026 and before i want I want to do a lot of street skating and and give more parts and all that stuff. Because I like that's a side that I can do more in, you know? I mean, look, you get like a, well, hopefully like and we get a Nike SB video. Oh, yeah, no, I got one coming. No, I mean, talking about with everybody. Oh, yeah, we need that. I know they cooking on some stuff, too. um I had a part in the last one they did, Trust Fall. It was like with some of the Europe homies and stuff. I know they're working on some stuff now. um Hopefully, you know, i um ah I'm in the the vision to be a part of some more video parts. we all I'm working for that.
00:32:27
Speaker
um So, yeah, Nike has B-videos, man. that those Those things, saved they're so cool. legendary they need to do more of them you know and i think they have plans too so i'm stoked to see like what this next year and ford you know i think yeah we get like a i mean like a fully flared level type of you know that would be nuts bro viral bro we need that that would be crazy uh but yeah so yeah you're signing that contract like what was that what did that feel like like for you So I remember i was in Arizona and I was chilling and I was checking my email and I got an email um from Casper, which was the, you know, the old ah like honcho at SB who was like deciding who gets the contracts and stuff.
00:33:07
Speaker
yeah I read an email from him and it said, Deshaun, do you have an agent or anything, you know, to talk to because you want to start talking about supporting you on a more formal level. And for me, I was like,
00:33:19
Speaker
what does he mean like formal level like I don't really know what formal level of to me it only means one thing you know like maybe pay I don't know yeah and I just got with my agent at the time which um was connected through like a a friend like a good friend of mine Jagger Eden Cersei Wallace We connected right before I got that email. So it was like crazy timing. Right at the... Because I got with her and we didn't, I didn't know that was going happen. I just got with her because maybe it was something that she saw in me and that they did connecting us. You know, I didn't know. I just got connected with her and I was like, oh, dope. You know, shout to Jeff Eden, Jagger Eden. know, that's the family, the pops. Shout out, shout out.
00:33:54
Speaker
They connected me with Cersei. Yeah. From there, I got the email, sent it to her, started having a conversation, and that was actually going into like when they were giving me my first contract. um And for me, it was crazy because at that time, I'd been living in L.A.,
00:34:06
Speaker
um I had 300 bucks I had saved up before I moved out there. Like, know what mean? From working like a mall job in high school. And I had a contest in Chicago, but I had to get my flight straight from Chicago to LA just to like try to make this, you know, this thing called skateboarding work. And then as doing that, that conversation happened. I'm living in LA at the time. I'm living off Jack in the box tacos. You know what I'm saying? $200. Like I went through that fast. Like,
00:34:32
Speaker
um And ah like, how did you have a spot? like No. So um shout out to, you know, my one of my good friends, Christian um Henderson, his sister, Brittany, was letting me and my friend Caleb stay there. My best friend, Caleb. um And she literally had one bedroom apartment in K-Town. The bedroom was like her room. Yeah. And she made the bedroom her studio because she made music. hmm.
00:34:55
Speaker
she had a daughter. So she's letting us stay there, you know what mean? Like, invading her space, like, five people in there. Like, shout out to her because, like, now thinking about it, like, holy shit. That's like, like, to have a lot of that type of energy in your crib with your daughter is like, you feel me? So, like, it's things like that where now thinking, I'm like, bro, like, those are moments that made, like, if I didn't have the opportunity to stay with her and be able to spend that time in LA, rent free, she wasn't charging us rent. Wow. Like,
00:35:18
Speaker
that are big things that help me do what do what I do now. And so um if I never told her thank you, you know huge thank you to her right now. As I'm getting older i'm and thinking about these things, those things are important, but started making a little money, you know what mean? A couple hundred a month. It was helping me eat, you what mean? It was helping me like really be able to eat out there and and not focus so much on that part of you know i mean? And family could hear to my voice. they They begged me time to come home because they could tell I was like stressing and didn't have money and I was always hitting them up to send me $20 here and there to eat um and put gas in the car for me and my friend Caleb because we didn't have money so we was splitting gas $5 here $5 there. Damn you was really making this work. you like Yeah. How did you like yeah not quit at that point? Man I was so like
00:36:04
Speaker
I literally told myself, even when times would get hard, it was, I'm not going back home empty-handed. i yeah I cannot go back home with nothing to show for why I came here. yeah like I can't do that.
00:36:18
Speaker
This is going to work. It won't fail because of me. You know what i mean? And like, I'm going to like, it's going to work. Just keep grinding. And if it doesn't, at least I gave it all. And I, you know, but what I'm not going to do is give up. I do not give up. Right. Like I'm resilient, bro. Like if it's something I have a passion for and that is heavy on my heart, like I don't need to do that. I'm to do it and try to do it to the fullest. And so that was my mentality. You know, times was hard. You know, many times where it was like, where am going? I'm 17 couch surfing. I don't know how to really do that. I'm like, I had a homie, which was dope.
00:36:48
Speaker
And These are some other people that's really ah ah important in my career. um Sean and Corey. Corey Populous. Yeah, shout out to Corey, bro. That's the homie. You know Corey? Yeah. Oh, what the hell? Okay, so bad. See, this is even better, man. I knew something good about this podcast. And then shout out to my homie, Sean Lyles, um who is also, and those two dudes right there, like,
00:37:12
Speaker
I would go to LA for summers and they both worked at the Diamond store this time. Yeah. And so, this was like the OG one on Fairfax. This is when the Fairfax was Shout out Nicky too, Yeah, shout out Nick Diamond. This is when Fairfax was lit. Like, I mean, Tyler. Tyler. Riding his bike up and down the block. He put up with the Diamond. Everybody out there. Bro, YG, Dom Kitty, everybody on the block. Bro, it was popping, bro. Those summers was to die for in LA. And...
00:37:37
Speaker
They would let me, like, Sean Lyles, I would stay Sean's crib, you know, for good amount time. And Corey would let me stay at his crib, too, you know, um in l L.A. And, I mean, I lived there. Like, when I didn't have nothing going, I was literally on the block at the Diamond Store from, like, 9 a.m. m to 5 p.m. just because I didn't have anything to do. And I was trying to, you know, I would see instigators come in. They was helping me get to know people. And then I got on Grizzly, Grizzly Grip Tape. Shout out to Tori Powell. Shout out Grizzly, man. That's always the grip taping when I was playing Tony Hawk. Oh, God. So, like, you know, so I was on Diamond and Grizzly. yeah
00:38:07
Speaker
I mean, at that time, I'm getting love. They're sending me home with boxes, gear. You know i got Diamond gear. You know, I'm starting look fly. You know, I'm in l L.A. You know what mean? Got my first ever Grizzly ad. You what mean? Shout out to Grizzly Grip Tape. Remember, the bros, Corey, them, got me an Uber from ah the Diamond Store to Hollywood 16. You know what mean? And I remember, like, when I skated the 12, like, that was my first ever ad in Thrasher Mag. That's sick, man. So...
00:38:32
Speaker
All those things, you know what I mean? Like, bro, all these people, like, um I can't forget them and I won't forget them because, like, those moments is, like, literally why I'm here today. Like, bro, I met Corey at a street league in Arizona, i think, last year before they stopped doing it there. yeah And there was no, like, in the beginning, it like, they were hyped on my homie Caleb, you know? Like, they were like, yo, like, you know, we got to start hooking you up with stuff. And Corey was, like, there, too, like, show him, you know, like, yo, Deshaun, you, too, like, you know, show me love. So, yeah. The fact from that moment to like now, like I was talking about the other you know, and he asked me like, you know, like we're talking about some stuff and I literally had to tell him like, bro, like anything you need me for, bro, like I got you. Like say less like brought like what? Don't even question it. So I mean, that man is traveling. Oh, bro, all over the place. bro Yeah, he's in China right now. Yeah. So, you know, although like, bro, that it's really important to me, you know, and and then when that happened, when me starting to get supported formally by SB and everything, um
00:39:29
Speaker
It meant a lot to me because now I can actually focus or continue to focus on just skating. Shout out to Steve Bear as well. In that time, he let me live with him and gave me opportunities to have my content broadcasted on The Bear, which huge platform in skateboarding. It changed a lot of people's lives.
Designing a Signature Shoe
00:39:45
Speaker
I love The Bear. Did you ever win a game of... I didn't. I was in one of them playing background skate. I did all right. You know what mean? Like played... I'm going to run that back when I get home. Played game of skate. Yeah. But had a good time, you know, skating that park and having that facility as my backyard too. Like I lived inside of that park. Like I was there in the morning at PM skating all the time. And that also contributed to where I'm at today. So, you know, shout out to everybody. I mean, that's wild. to the contract moment to now. Yeah. You know? That's wild. We got it. Let's...
00:40:16
Speaker
This shoe is fire. Thank you, brother. was telling you, when you showed up on Kai's stream yeah and to give him the shoe, I was like, I need those. Yeah. appreciate that. I'm such a, well, one, i I instantly knew the reference from the Diamondbacks. Yeah. But like, like this, the how iconic that is.
00:40:34
Speaker
And like, if you, if you, you got to get, and this is just random, but you got to get like the Diamondbacks jersey with yeah the the snake skin on it. Oh, yeah. Yo, that would go crazy Let's talk about the significance of the shoe And like you in the in like the moment they brought it you You were like, yo, you're gonna get your own shoe like What is that also does that feel like? So, man, actually, leading up to this moment, one of my friends, KB, from Korea that I met on a trip when I went through some time ago with some friends, um we became like, you know, good homies and he wanted it to help me design some shoes. And this was years before that, like at this point, there's not even a blimp about maybe a possibility of me getting colorway. He was just like, yo, when you're getting a shoe? And I'd be I don't know, know. And he was like, yo, like they like like, let's work on something. Yeah. he made a whole PDF for me of like colorway inspirations off of Arizona, everything that I have been hanging on for, for like five or six years. Yeah.
00:41:28
Speaker
So when they came with me up with opportunity two years ago, i was like, boom, like I'm ready. Like, this is like what I want to do. Like, you know, they probably thought they were like, oh we're probably gonna have to sit with him. He's not going to understand what's going oh on. a percent They were tripping. When I, when I gave them that PDF, they were like,
00:41:41
Speaker
you like you did our job like you did our job for us. What the heck? And so it felt good, bro, because like I said, like I haven't held that close to my heart for so long. And so it was like i was like it was like we manifested it. you know like And when it happened, i was so happy too that they all loved the idea of you know it being Arizona. yeah And they agreed with me to do Arizona. um We didn't know what direction I was going to go in at the time. It wasn't D-back specific. I had the inspiration that I wanted to do D-back specific, but seeing that vision come to life on on the sneaker like this, it made me even more proud. You know what I mean? And so, you know, my inspiration is AZ. Like I said, I don't watch a ton of baseball, but um I knew moments that I would see around with like the Randy Johnson moment of that game The Bird, Randy Johnson, Randy Johnson, D-backs, the 2001 World Series. yeah um And I've been a lot of places, you know, um humbly speaking. And I've seen people wear that hat. Yeah. A lot of places. I've been here in New York and see people wearing that D-back set. fire hat I just was just somewhere. I saw somebody walk in with it with a D-back set where we were. Actually, I was like doing it on the radar and a dude walked in with a hat on. I was like, see, like there's a hat. It's iconic. But it's such an iconic hat. And for me, being from there is like, bro, like.
00:42:53
Speaker
I want to represent. I owe it to Arizona. Like, that's the place that raised me, the skater I am. That's where I started skating. um It only makes sense. And I just love the colors and the, you know, the the mesh of them and and how they, you know, go along.
00:43:07
Speaker
um So that was, like, a lot of, you know, the inspiration, you know, the purple, um ah the snake skin, you know. um And not only with wanting to shoot it, like, look good, you know. Like, it's it's a it's a very – nerve wracking scary process. yeah um you You get the opportunity to make a shoe and you want it to be you. Yeah. But you also want people to be hyped on it and receive it well and you want the shoe, you want people to be confident wearing the shoe. You want people to want the shoe outside of that. So, you know, fully going 100% on like... Once that drops, bro...
00:43:39
Speaker
It's going to go crazy. I appreciate you, bro. It's going to go crazy. The love overshot. If I had any expectation of what I thought people were going to about it, it has exceeded the good feedback and positive feedback I've gotten on the sneaker. Outside of looking good, I was really firm on I want it to feel good. The shoe to feel good. want to be comfortable. I want to be hyped wearing my shoe. I want to say that I'm hyped to skate the shoe because it feels good. And so materials, you know, I went really with the influence and the inspiration of the Fogs, which is like, you know, one that came out with a little bit ago. Yeah. Let's talk about the Fog Lows or the Fog Highs. The Fog Lows. Yeah. I love those. I have the Fog Highs.
00:44:22
Speaker
highs Okay. From the pink box. Yeah. So like that was one I used to ball in that shoe. Yeah. I was insane. So you know like that shoe colorway. That's so good. Bro the materials like I wanted to go with the suede and even with the snake skin feel like sometimes it's hard with doing different pattern stuff because sometimes it changes the material because you want a certain material to show the details and really shine that on and so when I got a couple of you know palettes of like different materials for the snake skin and in different ways we could do it We landed on this one because for me, it met the the requirements that I wanted of like, it has to be comfortable. It didn't feel too thick or like make this make the connection, you know what mean, of the the toe box and the the shoe feel different and like too stiff. um It was a softer snake skin, but it still gave the details. um And so, yeah, we landed on on this one. And, you know, when I got the sample and started wearing it, a lot the shoes out I throw in the microwave for a minute, it was like a tougher material. Right, yeah. um And with these ones, like, I'm like safe to say that, like, me personally, how I feel about this shoe is like,
00:45:24
Speaker
You can take the shoe box. You don't have to break it in. You got microwave it or nothing. It's so comfortable. mean? Like first wear, first skate. Many times I've just got the box, just put on and skate it. You know, in some instances, I've, well, the shoes feel like I've had to put in the microwave, you know, to loosen up the leather and the stitching. But this one, the materials, they went together really good. You know, shout out to the team for being really hands on this process because they killed it. The paper should say no microwave needed. Oh, God. Yeah. Something no microwave needed for show, like as the disclaimer, you know what I'm saying? But they killed you, you know, all way to like the the the hit on the shoelace, you know what I mean? Like like the tag.
00:46:05
Speaker
That's obviously like the Diamondback, you know, the snakehead, you know, showing that. um And this was the last rendering we did of it because um the first one we made, the teeth were longer u and they crossed.
00:46:16
Speaker
And I was, you know, I i was running around a little bit, testing them out. and made Like go puncture? Yeah, it was kind of like like touching the top of the the foot. So I was like, let but let's try to work on something else. And they came back with this one. And when I saw it, I was like, I'm sold. That was amazing. The way the shoelace goes through it, the where it sits on the shoe and it doesn't interfere with the toe box. You know what I mean? It can it can flow. You can put it anywhere in the shoe. It could be in the middle of the shoe. yeah You know, anywhere. I mean, it looks good. And it ties that copper in because right we didn't really know where we could put the copper um with the silhouette. But it made sense to just have that little copper here on the toe box. It does a good little, with me personally, I feel like it has a good little action of like involving it along with with telling the story of like where the influence comes from, you know? Um, but I'm super excited, man. The details, you know, we have some, uh, on the insole. We did, uh, if I can get this out.
00:47:04
Speaker
We did, um, Like my initials, um which was a logo they they made from scratch for me, um you kind of see it's like the snake that goes through the D yeah on the left and then on the right is a J. And the snake goes through both of those, you know what i mean? So super hyped on details like that. didn't really have a logo in this process. So it was stoked for the homie to see how he created this. yeah And now have a logo. Now you have a logo, bro. Like, I have you know, on the shoe. Now you got to get that patch on the side. Oh, yeah, for sure, bro. Like, somewhere on the hat or or something. Shout out to my homie Vic, too. This on the head is actually, like, very rare in this whole drop, like we did a friends and family run from. So, like, you ain't on the friends and family list or you ain't at Face the Skate Shop, you know I'm saying, March 14th, like, you're not going to get the hat.
00:47:47
Speaker
all. You know what I'm saying? I need to find my way. I need to find my way on that, bro. But... But yeah, man, like a lot of other good details and things. You also have inside the tongue. Yes, the inside the tongue is another graphic, which is the snake as well with like the purple and teal highlights.
00:48:07
Speaker
I don't got Zoom on here. But they're going to see it when they cop it. You know what I'm saying? Nah, man. Yeah, these are. Because like, so first looks, I mean, when you pulled up on and First of all, shout out Kai. Yeah, shout out to Kai, man. He's going through his rebranding whatever you want call it. Yeah, which is tough thing. I totally understand that. Amazing work, though. Yeah. But you're, like, in front of close to a million people just being, like, check out. The most people I've ever been on a platform. Like, it's crazy. feel like, bro, that was a blessing because that was, like, the first official me saying I have a shoot. Right, exactly. You know? So that was, like, a huge announcement, you know? Like, way for me. So I was super appreciative for that moment. you did I think that...
00:48:47
Speaker
Cause like you did it so unconventionally Cause like not yeah A lot of people were doing that You were like Nah I'm pulling up Let's go you know Like that That was sick in ah And incorporating that And getting everybody Who like the streamers Like a lot of these kids Is just like You know They're staying inside a lot yeah You know so and and and ah And because of that They're not really like Going out to skate shops And trying to Trying to get shoes So it's just like Yeah you brought that They're probably They definitely That's what saying is yeah They coming for these bro I want that like what what is it like 2010 or 2009, 11, 12, Phil, we were lining up for them Jordans. You know what mean? You ever lined up for Jordans? I did. One time for the, they were for, were they 12s?
00:49:31
Speaker
the black Were they black and white 12s? Taxis? not the tax Not the taxis, but it was the, they had the white that white outer and then the the main part was black with the red lettering on the with the letter red lettering on the the tongue.
00:49:45
Speaker
Okay. I'm trying to think. forgot what they were, bro. I'm blanking. Sorry, sneakerheads, but I can't remember which one they are. Chicago? No. they were. You're saying 12s, though. You're talking about 12s is like, you know, like they got one side's like how do I explain it? It's got like a bulb on the outside. Yeah, got to look it up. I got to look it I got to look Or is it the 13s with the big padding on the outside?
00:50:08
Speaker
Jordan 12. See, we're doing this right during the podcast because I need to get this right. They ain't about to be on me. That's it. They're going to be like, you're going to post your video on Sneakers And they're going to be in the comments like, you don't know Jordan's like that.
00:50:21
Speaker
ah um'm So, it was the retro playoffs. Okay. Yeah. it was the playoffs. I went up so bad. It was 2022. Yeah. I had And those are ones that I like. Like ah like the only ones I i feel like I properly like I set the homie's crib. Yeah. And I drove with him to get it.
00:50:39
Speaker
um The homie Christian Petty in Arizona. And ah we drove to to get the shoes. And I was in line for him and got the sneakers. And that was the first one I ever really camped out for. But, huge fan of the Jordans, you what I mean? I had the orange and white, eights, you know what I mean? Those came out, Aqua eights. Yeah, all those, but I wanted that feel to kind of be like that. Like I wanted it to like, especially in AZ, like I was like, yo, like I want that moment. I wanted to be like, you know, OG, like people really want to shoot, they're lining up the store going crazy, like, and you know, bring it home. So I hope people love them, man. And they're like, no.
00:51:19
Speaker
So two years ago you debuted, right? Or you started working on these. yeah and And so like, is there is the process of of like, because I don't know how the processes are for a skate shoe because it obviously has to functionally work. Right. Like skating the SB fours.
00:51:36
Speaker
Like, I'm pretty sure it feels crazy different than just games is regular fours. So like, Going through the process, you made sure that these are so out-the-box ready. Yeah. Like, when you gave it to another, when you hooked up somebody else, that they also had that same feeling? Yeah. So, yeah me, all about comfortability. Like, yeah you know you know, as a skater, you know when a shoe skates good, off the rip. Did you always skate, like, dunks? So I started skating dunks a little bit like, um like later, like, like in my career where like I was skating a bunch of different shoes, but then dunks like the last shoe I've been skating for like the past, yeah you know, years. yeah um And once I started skating that shoe, I skated earlier on, but in my mind I was like, oh, I don't have, I can't feel my board. And so I was in my head about it. And then fast forward, like a lot of people weren't skating at it a lot. I was like, I want to start skating dunks again. You know, i want to like, just not even think about the first experience of about kid like, I'm going just completely black it out and just start skating and fall in love with them. yeah And I fell in love with them and I was just skating a bunch. like ah Like it was some time a little bit before the Travis came out and they spiked back up. yeah um
00:52:41
Speaker
I was skating a couple of colorways they had. I just fell in love with the shoe. I've been only skating dunks for the past, you know, I don't how i don't know how many years. um And it's been amazing, you know? So to to get the opportunity to do a dunk colorway, like it meant everything for me. I really, I wanted a dunk colorway so bad because it like, I was really true to it. yeah You know, what I lived by the shoe. all Like only shoe I've been skating. And so um it meant a lot for me and to see it come together, you know, how it does and trying different dunks, being a little, being a little familiar with different materials and yeah and all that stuff.
00:53:15
Speaker
So what I noticed was at one point, well, obviously these are not the same lows as that. And it's like, the feel is totally different from here. Or even the highs, I haven't seen a high in a minute, but my favorites are the highs. And so like,
00:53:30
Speaker
wearing those, you you feel the difference of like, yo, it's cramping up top on the top here stuff like that. So I know it's got to be like hard to definitely skate a dunk like just straight out the box. Yeah. yeah Some, you know, leather dunks are a little harder because the material is tougher. I think the stitching is a little tighter. Yeah. um I personally love all s suede dunks because they feel good and they skate so good. um So that was my inspiration.
00:53:56
Speaker
i was like, how do we use suede but not make it look too, like, casual but and still bring a pop to it, you know, with the snakeskin and stuff? So I was really happy when I got that palette snakeskin material yeah because i was like, okay, this is the thinness in that I want and the comfortability I want, and I hope it matches well with the suede.
00:54:19
Speaker
So when I got it back, that official sample, I was so stoked. Yeah. I mean, that's got to like. It was exactly how imagined putting the shoe on felt good. You know, I was happy with that. And then when I skated it, that obviously put theil the nail on the column for me. You know, I was like, it skates great.
00:54:35
Speaker
Yeah. I'm actually comfortable really skating the shoe, you know? that I mean, bro, like, like I said, I can't gush it. Again, one once I seen him, I was like, I need him. I need him. I need him. So. So now they're in front of my face. I'm like, i need them even more now. I that, man. Because like, yeah, the next drop, I'm trying to get the Bronx girls skate. Yeah, those are fire. Shout out to them too.
00:54:55
Speaker
Shout out. Congratulations on that, on the the collaboration. Mel, and this is why I didn't want to say, I know I'm trying to get Mel to do an episode. So like Mel, and I forgot her name. I'm so sorry, but shout out to the crew. You know Mel?
00:55:06
Speaker
ah Is it a girl yeah yeah the girl? Oh, the girl who did the scene? Okay, bet. I'm trying to get them on ah on an episode to talk about you know them and growing up in the Bronx and stuff like that. fine so like That would be dope, but like it should be coming in this year. but um the it's it's just It's just so wild. Also, I just wanted to say this real quick. You definitely got to do a Blazer Lowe.
00:55:30
Speaker
the stars align and they want me to have that, I'm down to work on one of those too you know cause I mean like yo would be full circle moment bro for sure that was the first shoe I felt was super flying man the first Nike I had shout out again to Tyler Shutt he was like the fly skater at the park he had all the shoes and then we would go to his car like what extra shoes you got you giving away and I got those I wanted I took them was like yeah I need them I saw the swoosh I was like yeah I need them I need them All right.
Advice and Philosophies for Success
00:56:01
Speaker
Since we mentioned that, ah we're towards the end of the podcast. so the last question I have for you deals with a little visualization. i want you think back to younger Deshaun, right? And he's about the, well, he got he got them gifted to him, right? So the blaze of lows, as he he holds them in his hand, what would you tell your younger self as he's ah as he's like getting them?
00:56:22
Speaker
I would say, man, it's not it's not as far as you think it is You know, it's all obtainable.
00:56:32
Speaker
you just stay hungry, and stay humble. um And find ways to be expressive um through what you're passionate about, you know, and don't really look at the end goal.
00:56:45
Speaker
Fall in love with the process. yeah You know what I mean? And and just know that um anything, i don't know if I'm saying it right. I could be making this up, but I'm to with it. um Like anything,
00:56:59
Speaker
worth having feel like it's different or something like you know like anything worth dreaming of is worth having there you yeah you know what mean that's fire so like I would say that mean know if that's way but that's my way I would say it felt good put on a shirt man not wrong with that wrong with that but yeah I would say that you know Like dream big, dream beyond, you know what I mean? And nothing's out of reach. You feel me? If you want something as bad as you want something, you can get it. You will get it. Be a good person.
00:57:26
Speaker
You know i mean? Like ah like the quote I said earlier, um always like to say, like, it won't fail because of me. And I actually got that quote from ah Virgil ah in the beginning of like the off-white when he was like seeding skaters and stuff. He sent me a box that had stickers in it and the sticker said it won't fail because of me.
00:57:41
Speaker
I just love that saying, you know, like you can keep that. in the that i love ne and i love just dropping that. Yeah. yeah is Oh yeah. ver virgil Virgil just seated me. Now that ride that tatted on me, you know mean? Like, and and there's nothing arrogant about that. Like it won't fail because of me is meaning that, you know, just just doing everything I can, working hard, being a good person, you know, dreams and and and those things aren't, are not like,
00:58:06
Speaker
They're they are all obtainable. Yeah, there's no way I always push on my best foot forward and, you know, like accomplish those things. And everybody should think like that. For sure. I always i always preach that where it's like ah we can only control what we can control, you know. And so if you continuously control your your forward momentum as much as you can, then you will see your way to where your goals will take you. Facts. Plan B. Ain't no plan B's. Ain't no plan B's, bro. Ain't no plan B's. That's plan A every time. Every single time, bro. Every time, yeah.
00:58:40
Speaker
I definitely think it's just like the the way, you know, i always say that the world is always is made to beat you down, right? But if you are just resilient, like, you know, as you are as well, like, you will continuously, you know, propel yourself forward because, you know,
00:58:55
Speaker
there are We will always have two steps back, but that one step forward going to bigger than the two steps back. fast it' It's like boxing. That bell keep ringing. I'm getting up. yeah Every round. I'm back up. I'm back up. I'm ready. My face might be swollen, nose might be broken, but I'm getting back up. I'm getting back up.
Deshaun's Current Projects and Community Support
00:59:15
Speaker
Let everybody know where find you. i'll Also plug the album, too. and Oh, yeah. um Deshaun Jordan, once again, you know, on Instagram, you can find me at Deshaun Jordan, D-A-S-H-A-W-N, J-O-R-D-A-N.
00:59:27
Speaker
that's I'm on Instagram the most. That's my main handle. Also, I have a YouTube. ah You can look under my channel. It's the same name. That's my artist name as well, you know, as a musician. um Album dropped last year, The Bridge, you know what I'm saying? Appreciate all the love and support people have been giving on that. Make sure y'all tap in if y'all haven't done so um Yeah, we got another project coming soon with the shoe. You know what part of that. um So, yeah, stay tuned.
00:59:50
Speaker
March 14th. I was going to say. Yeah. Yeah. March fourteenth You know what I'm saying? The shoe comes out. Project. Video part. the fifty All that. You know, we got some good stuff lined up. So, if you weren't aware of me, you know, it's a pleasure to meet you guys um and and hopefully make you aware of me and you guys tap in. You know mean? my story. You know mean? And, you know, get a part of the yeah the journey. Yeah, for sure. You know where to find me. Who is Hassan on social media? Follow the podcast and My First Kicks.
01:00:14
Speaker
Pod. I almost fumbled that. Hit me Tell me your My First Kicks story at info at myfirstkicks.com. Follow the Patreon. Patreon.com slash myfirstkicks. And, you know, i really appreciate you for pulling up, man. like yeah this is I know I was being real and real annoying in the DMs. We're like, yo, we're locking it in. We're locking it in. Never annoying, bro. Never annoying, bro. Anybody, like, always tell people, bro, you never annoying me. Like, if you dope people, you're connected by great people, I vouch for a bro. Like, it's, you know, i I just want to do dope stuff with dope people. So, I'm never annoyed. Like, yeah it you don't even, like, I wasn't saying it take a lot of, like, i don't even get annoyed, bro. I support people who are doing dope stuff and are genuinely good people.
01:00:54
Speaker
You know, like let's keep shifting the culture. You know what mean? we all need each other. There's no I in team. Like, zach you know what I mean? So I'm a firm believer in that. And, you know, like I said, we was connected by somebody very good. You know, Paco is a great person. And, you know, I vouch for his judgment. And so it felt good. It felt genuine. You know what mean? appreciate you, man. I'm going to kick it to myself. I'm going to do the outro. Thanks for tapping in. Peace. Peace.
01:01:16
Speaker
I hope you enjoyed this week's episode with Deshaun Jordan. man this was so wild again another big shout out to Paco you haven't seen Paco's episode go see my episode with Paco Pedro yo vote for Pedro he is a great creator especially in the food space he does it very uniquely he's getting people behind the grills and we talk about it in his episode what it is about building community especially within like the creator space or just like networking and getting to meet amazing people that do amazing things it's been really, really dope. So having Deshaun Jordan on again talk about his journey, skating, sneakers. We got a really good tidbit right at the end before this. about you know staying in line and waiting in the line for the Jordan 12s that he was trying to get. And then him wanting that same reception for his Nike SB dunk that's coming out in March. like Hopefully we get that. I'm extremely appreciative for him to pull up super short notice. like I bugged him like crazy to get on here. and
01:02:24
Speaker
and Paco did the same thing. So it's just like, we're building this little ecosystem, um you know, like we're spreading guests and hopefully i get hint I can get Paco some cool guests on his cooking shows and stuff like that. I also want to fix a little quick correction. I said, I couldn't say Kava's name, because I totally forgot about it during the episode, but Bronx Girls Skate, they have their dunk that recently came out. I was ah i was fortunate to win on sneakers, and I'm very excited to have that shoe. like i've only This year, there's not a lot of shoes that I'm like, or I'm forcing myself not to get a lot of shoes this year. As you can see behind me, this is getting a little out of hand, but extremely appreciative to anybody who sends me sneakers and also you know thinks about me, because This is this is crazy. like
01:03:14
Speaker
I started this and people are sending me sneakers. like I never thought I'd be one of those people that that gets that. And this was really dope because Deshawn Shue, when I first saw it, like I said in the episode, when I first saw it on Kai's stream or like the screenshots on... on like Twitter and stuff like that. Cause I definitely didn't watch, I don't watch Kai stream like that. So when I saw the shoe, i was like, I need to have those. So going to bring them. I get to hold them. Like i I need them. It's one of those shoes. I was like, add it to the list. Cause I saw the Bronx girl skate club, the Bronx girl skates shoe the dunk. And i was like, those are fire. They represent New York.
01:03:55
Speaker
It's got train subway lines coloring on it, like pebble leather. Like, yes, please. Like, let me get that. So I won those. Can't wait to to wear them on an episode. And then Deshaun Jordan's, like, colorway. I'm excited for him. It is a dope shoe. And it's really, really crazy that I was able to have him on my show. As a longtime SV head and...
01:04:20
Speaker
The reason why I got in into sneakers mainly like around the culture and like the stories and the myths. was mainly around Nike SB. And so getting to talk to an actual Nike SB skater, wild.
01:04:34
Speaker
Wild. So I hope you guys enjoyed that convo. I think like we learned a lot. As i'm like I was re-watching it, I was like, I couldn't stop making clip after clip because it was such a fun and insightful conversation. Like, Deshaun Jordan is so ambitious and i'm excited to see how far he gets, especially in like the circuits or like he was talking about, you know, doing skate videos again or you know, getting a dope part in a skate video, like that is So I'm, I'm rooting for him. I'm hoping, you know, hopefully he'll come back around in future. Um, and it'll be really dope. So, and of course we got to do Patreon shout outs, but you too can become a Patreon patron and help out the podcast by signing up for patreon.com slash my first kicks.
01:05:25
Speaker
I only have one tier. It's currently $5. $5, you get a newsletter and you get a shout out on the end of an episode. All the money that I get from Patreon goes right back into the podcast because I currently pay for this out of my pocket. And so it goes a really long way to help me book studio time and hosting and everything else. Hopefully eventually I get a video editor also. You too can help the podcast with your hard-earned money for just $5 month. But of course, Patreon shoutouts. So let's start it off. We got Plox.
01:05:57
Speaker
We got Derek Hawkins. We got Derek Lipkin. We've got Ross Adams. We got Adam Neustetter. Jordan Kaiser. We got Samia. We got Jesse. Jesse G. And we got Adam Butler.
01:06:11
Speaker
So i appreciate all of y'all for sticking with me so far. Starting off the year very strong. This episode with Deshaun Jordan was so fun. And I hope you enjoyed it.
01:06:23
Speaker
But of course, if you want to check out more of this podcast, you can check out these two episodes here. Subscribe to the podcast right there on that button. And of course, you know, we say each week, wear your kicks.
01:06:36
Speaker
Peace.