Friday, March 25, 2011

Out Here with Jabari Pendelton

Out Here with Jabari Pendelton
skateboarding is my life
~Pendelton

WATC:You been in these streetz for a long time….when and how

did you start skating?

Pendelton: Ive been skating all my life, I got my first board for my birthday from Target back in 87' or 88 ',I think. At this time, I never seen anybody skate before and i didnt know anybody who skated, but i knew i wanted a skateboard.I think I still had it when I met Bobby.


Skateboarding Is My Life



Back then we couldnt even ollie yet, just racing down Niphers and The Magic House's hills and crashin into each other. LOL, I dont know when I started skating for real like my first ollie.

Matt Miller and Jabari Pendelton in the Mission
Joe Herbert and Jabari Pendelton OUT HERE

WATC: Describe one thing that Skating has taught you about

LIFE?
Pendelton: I just look at life like skateboarding you have to try, you have to put some kind of effort towards what you want or nothing will happen. Falling on a trick is like failing in life but it doesnt hurt everytime and you will learn from it, get up and make it happen next time. And sometimes you suceed right away. I could go on for hours with metaphors and shit but I aint gonna bore you with that.


WATC: What does success mean to you?
Pendelton: Being able to do what you love and taking care of yourself and family all at the same time. Fuck loving what you do but cant take care of yourself, Im too old for that shit. LOL But fuck hating what you do just to ball out that'll just kill my spirit, trust me Ive been there. Jim Jones got that Balliiiiiiin shit from me. Ask about your boy back in the Lou. LOL.

Jabari Pendelton-kickflip

WATC:What is an average day like in your life?
Pendelton: I either wake up dumb ass early or dumb ass late, roll a couple, turn the computer on and check out new music and footy. Then I get to the money and skating all day, thats all I know. Actually, lately Ive been in the studio with P.W. I broke my hand so Ive been taking it a lil easy on the board. Im solo alot so Im all over the place on some other shit .
Jabari Pendelton and Adrian Williams @ 3rd N Army

WATC: Also, what were some of the deciding factors which lead

you to relocate to SF?

Pendelton: When your born and raised somewhere you sometimes get stuck in your ways and your expected to be a certain person or act a certain way. When I started back skateboarding I still felt real insecure about it because of my childhood experiences, so I kept it a secret from everybody. I knew I had to move when I went skating for the second or third time and was faced with some ignorance while trying to enjoy myself in the CWE at the fountain. We were skating across a four way intersection and we had the right a way but this old skool with five bitch ass niggas in it hits a right and almost hits the homie. Then stops in the middle of the street and starts mean muggin us like we're in the wrong. Me being the only nigga out the whole group of course they single me out and I sware this nigga looked at me like I shot Tupac

Tupac and Jabari Pendelton...making classic hits..somewhere in the middle east..circa 94


and threw his beer all over me in broad day light in front of everybody, bad ass chicks and all. I just lost it
and snapped, I was so upset I had tears in my eyes. I started running after the car holding my board in the air, they pulled off all scared but stopped again. Thats when I swung down and busted out the back of their window with the truck of my board. The window completely shattered with one hit and made the loudest sound, it sounded like a gunshot, they skirtted off so quick. Everybody in the nieghborhood was staring at me like WTF so we all skated back to our cars so quick and dipped out. All the homies were hella scared that they were gonna come back with guns, its funny cause that never crossed my mind. As I thought about it more, I realized how stupid that was of me, I couldve really hurt them or vise versa. That type of shit happened to me all the time(in STL) as a child and I used to just take it, so I just lost it, I have so much pinned up anger from my childhood I wouldve killed one of those niggas. And thats when I realized I needed a new environment, a new beginning, I felt like if I didnt that type of shit would just keep reoccurring in my life and would have to keep hiding a huge part of me from the world outside of skateboarding.



WATC: Thanks for doing this interview…I would like to ask you


what does the statement, “WE ARE THE CITY” mean to you?

Pendelton: I am the city, the city made me and I made this city so collectively we are the city ya feel me
Jabari Pendelton-swicth backtail @ 3rd N Army


WATC: Anybody you would like to thank?

Pendelton: God & Mother STL & SFC Friends & Family, Ando at FTC, Daughters and Troy over at Gold Wheels, Tony over at Venture Trucks, Sean, Lumbo and Weston over at Diamond Supply Co. Tyronne over at LRG, Kent and Ian at Western Edition and Sean and Jimmy at DC And thank you for reading this