Profilin’ With Neftalie Featuring Kareem Campbell
Ben Kelly
- October 13 2009
- 6,083 views
- 39 comments
Hello folks, welcome to the latest installment of Profilin’ with Kareem Campbell. I thought it would be great to continue with one of the people that Guy felt had the most impact on the game, the legendary Kareem Campbell. I caught up with Kareem to shoot some photos and touch base on what’s going on with him, the Dallas scene and the new City Stars squad.
Hey brother how is everything going?
Everything is great, the new site www.citystarsskateboarding.com just launched and it’s looking lovely. The new squad is already out there making it happen.
Nice! I saw that new footage of Andrew Pott and it was sick.
Yep, that’s the ‘hood Tom Penny right there. You can print that I said that [laughs]. Game anywhere you put him; Pott equals tricks going down, and smooth style. You saw him bang it out at Wallenberg. He held it down at the Maloof Cup, too, just slidin’ into the mix.
He definitely put in work there. He’s a skater every kid would be into because he’s just like them—working! I laughed watching him at the Go Skateboarding Day contest in Venice, he was just getting’ money. They had to start making him do two tricks to everyone else’s one for prize money because he was cleaning house.
Yeah I heard about that [laughs]. That’s how you know you’re from the streets, you gotta work twice as hard to get the same thing
He still got paid though, they told him two tricks and he just did two. I also think a lot of people were really impressed with him all around at the Maloof Cup. Everyone asked whether he was on Nike SB because he fit the team, and has been rocking their gear for a while. Care to shed any light on these rumors, brother?
Yeah, I know all about those rumors, but we can’t talk about that just yet. You’ll just have to wait and see on the that one [laughs].
Now I know he came from Shorty’s, where did Aquil come from?
Ahh, Aquil. He came from Zoo and I’m not sure which is more crazy, his skating or his mouth [laughs]. He’s like me when I was younger, just skating and being reckless.
I definitely experienced those things with him, the mouth and the skating were both off the chain.
That’s the truth, I remember you telling me he acted crazy, but he got the hardflip backlip in three tries.
Yeah, it was pretty gnarly. I don’t know what popped more sh-t, his mouth or his feet [laughs]. Ok, let’s talk about the rest of the new squad. Who’s on the team now and can you tell me a little about them and did you find all the new ams in Dallas?
The new pros are Andrew Pott, Aquil Braithwaite, and myself. The new ams are Ke’chaud Johnson, Ryan Strader, Josh Love who are from Texas and Tulio De Oliveira, representing for Brazil. Each of them has the quality that we looked for within the last City Stars Crew. We wanted kids who were just going to be 100 percent skateboarding everyday, and that’s what we have again.
I heard Chris Ortiz said they murdered all the spots when they came to L.A.?
Yep, you know how we do, industry takeover! We just put up Ke’Chaud’s footage and his press release and that kid is a beast. He can skate anything and just has no fear. He rolled into LA a few weeks ago and won the hometown heroes contest at the X-Games, too. Ryan Strader is like the Texas Marc Johnson, just on some next level sh-t. He’s getting his part done right now and it’s serious. Then there is Josh Love, the newest am, he reminds me a little of Tosh Townsend, not so much in tricks selection, but because he’s such a natural—that’s the way Josh is. But he’s tech, too, so he feels like an updated version. Just straight skate ability and he just shines every time we go out the way it used to be when we would go out with Gino [Iannucci] in the old days. Last, but not least we have Tulio, and he just proves once more that the Brazilians straight kill it. He’s been putting it down; there, here, and all over the globe for us, he actually just got back from Japan the other day. Those are all the new ams, but then we have the terror-squad, and those are cats we are grooming as our next ams when they are ready. Florida is about to represent on the terror squad pretty well soon too.
Is that where the best of the sponsor-me-tapes go?
Exactly. Kids send me your best footage, but remember I said your BEST footage. No slow-mo switch crooked grinds on benches. You need to send me the footage that shows you’re ready to be a City-Star.
Damn, I’m sure people remember how your old crew changed the game and can skate street and contests. It’s sort of the blueprint of having the best of both worlds and being pro these days.
Exactly, they’re all like that. Killin’ the streets, skate contests—it doesn’t matter. I’m telling you it’s the same as last time, City Stars raises top ams who become the best pros in the industry. I’m also going to let everyone know that I see you tryin’ to go after my ams ‘cause they tell me all the time. We have a family over here though, so I’m not tripping.
Now I know you have been in Dallas for a while, but I heard a rumor that you were moving back to L.A.?
Damn, where you getting all the dirt from [laughs]? Yeah, I’m getting a new spot here in L.A., so it will be easier for me with meetings and staying connected with the industry. I always love L.A. and it’s good to be here and have a steady base of operations. It also helps because the squad can always come back and forth to L.A. and have a place, too. We also have the place in N.Y., it just makes business flow easier. Then your east coast accounts know you have their back and are available, and the same for the West Coast and Midwest.
So, City Stars is handling their distribution this time right? How is that going and is it stressful?
No, I know what needs to get done and I have a good team under me. Right now we have Push Distribution, which distributes City Stars and we have Hype! Skateboards under our roof, as well. I’ll was at ASR with the boys, so everyone who wants to know what’s up can come by and see me.
You guys were tearing it up last ASR!
Well, you know how it goes, we know ‘Reem knows how to have a good time!
Do you plan on going on tour anytime soon? And how is Street Cinema II coming so far?
[Laughs] You do know everything going on huh?
I keep my ear to the streets! That’s my job. We haven’t even talked about Axion yet [laughs].
Ok, well I’ll answer all that but you sure you got enough space for all this [laughs].
I’m sure I can convince these guys to let me keep the tape going.
We are working out our tour schedule right now, so if people want to get on the tour they can just hit me up at the show. Japan really wants us to come through—we’re working on that and Spain, and we have been doing little domestic tours in the Midwest lately. Just going on missions and doing surprise appearances at contests, etcetera. We are going to do a big domestic tour in a minute too. My main thing is to be available to the shops to let them know City Stars is down for them and what’s gonna stoke out their kids. None of us are far from where we started, and I want the company to reflect that, we are all just skateboarders, man.
Well said. Do you feel like this new squad is going to be as big as P.Rod, Mikey, Devin, Spanky and the boys?
This is just the new version with the same strength as before. Trust me the future is lookin’ bright.
The rest of my interview with Kareem went on for another three hours. We talked about the old squad, his favorite skaters, Axion’s history and relaunch, Guy and Gino, Menace, Girl/Sister, Rocco and Rodney, and the joys of skating in Japan. However ‘ Reem was right, we can only have so much in one interview… stay tuned for part 2…
But here’s a gem for all those who can’t wait….
So tell me how Axion started?
Originally, I had done some designs for Jeremy Wray’s company Dukes and I got a call from Steve [Rocco] when I was in Japan on tour. It was totally out of the blue and I didn’t expect it. He said, “Kareem those designs you did came out real nice, but Rodney and I want to talk to talk to you about something.” I wasn’t sure if I was in trouble or not. I kept asking him what it was about, but he wouldn’t tell me. It definitely made me think about whether or not I had done anything wrong in the past weeks, which of course I had [laughs].
To be continued…
—Neftalie
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October 13th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Nice skateboarders…
October 13th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
damn KC's killin it with that 2ft backside ollie
great team but maybe its time to retire and let the young guns run with it
October 13th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
Why would anyone retire from skateboarding. Hes having fun doing it who cares if some hater on the internet likes it or not.
October 13th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
whack. Like real whack kareem needs to be put down the whole team is just as bad nobody wants to see this sh*t
October 13th, 2009 at 8:44 pm
Haha i love my haters and as for the photo that was just something easy to run im not going to give away all the bangers just yet and i promise you when you see my interview you will be silenced for sure and for life. Its funny becuz probally whoever wrote the hate is one of my competitors in the game and you can put your money where your lil internet fingers is ill be there any day. Checkout citystarsskateboarding.com to see the truth my squad is untouchable. As for me retiring your are so lost i just begun and please keep the hate it only lets me know your watching and you care. CITYSTARS 4 LIFE
October 13th, 2009 at 9:01 pm
ehh.. anonymous "GOD" poster. screw you, get a day job . your hate is just advertisement.
October 13th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
ANDREW POTT RIPS SHIT UP!
October 13th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
its sad people dont respect legends like kareem.
October 13th, 2009 at 11:58 pm
i hope you stopped smoking that crack reemo! it'd be great to see you back on the board but no one looks good smoking crack. for example, Lawrence Taylor from the NY Giants was a beast, but when he started smoking crack, he went down hill fast. it was sad to see. and stop pretending to own axion. you don't own it. it was owned and sold 3 times already without you even knowing. i have your back if you make a run kareem, but only do it if you are serious. no half assing it for the cash.
October 13th, 2009 at 11:58 pm
Hell yea kareem! Glad to see you back in the game. Don't worry about these lame ass internet haters…in real life these are the same fuckers asking you for free shit! Cant wait to see city stars back in the game! Keep the shit up bro.
October 14th, 2009 at 12:06 am
you're the shit Kareem, keep it up.
October 14th, 2009 at 1:14 am
whoa is Javier for real here? What the?
October 14th, 2009 at 1:39 am
great interview ! karen always knows wasup
October 14th, 2009 at 2:02 am
HELL YA FOOL… GOD U HAVE NO CLUE HOW THESE TEXAS BOYS BE DOIN… REEM IS THE SHIT AND ALWAYZ WILL BE THAT NIGGAZ BEEN PUTTIN DOWN SOO SUCK DICK CITYSTARS 4 LIFE!!!!
October 14th, 2009 at 2:14 am
kareem is the man. So much hate, weak.
October 14th, 2009 at 2:39 am
hell yea abstractedminds.com THANKS REEMO, been filmin with tulio a lot too
October 14th, 2009 at 3:24 am
Nice to see my edit up here! Abstractedminds.com BABY! and also check out my blog @ heavyindastreets.com
October 14th, 2009 at 5:19 am
gangsta rap and hip hop is gay, skateboarding is better off without hippity hoppity gay rap crap. rap music is from jail and dosen't take any real talent
October 14th, 2009 at 7:53 am
Kareem! Whatsup with caine Gayle nowadays? Where is dude at?
October 14th, 2009 at 10:03 am
CITY STARS 4 LIFE!
October 14th, 2009 at 11:26 am
i think this is funny…..question…… hey god how many video games have you been featured in? hey god how many people give a rats ass if you can even kickflip? hey god how many companies have you started or relaunched? oh, and god ive admired kareem for a while but im not on his dick or nuttn im just sayn think b4 u speak, cause some ppl will cut you down over little shit. i mean come on what trick did you invent.
October 14th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
ryan strader! ma nigga STRAYDAWG! goes so hard and that fool will take your girlfriend, i seen it! haha his entire household is nuts. josh love be all like steezy n shit. kechaud is just got that monster pop! good lookin reem. u got that all star city star lineup.
October 14th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
im down for ma nigas and whatever they down for. fuck the hate
October 14th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
To all the haters on here, Im in Barcelona Spain right now, and on the daily i have dudes asking me about City Stars, and stoked that its back. Yall just sit on the site and hate on every post on here. Sorry you didn’t get you’re special interview. To all the supporters, keep a eye out on http://www.citystarsskateboarding.com and keep makin it happen!
Holla at Reem, Manny, Corey, Dorian, and Jake. I see all yall on here!
CITY STARS 4 LIFE!!
October 14th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
I love to see the hate and i know this isnt Jave so keep up the hate it inspires me to know how much you love me. Ooh yeah Axion has never been sold and i own it so keep bring the inspiration. Time is of the essences. CityStars 4 Life ….. Checkout the website you haters http://www.citystarsskateboarding.com
October 14th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
Good lookin out and the internet haters are just that internet haters hoping to get noticed and i love them they spread the word of greatness. CityStars 4 Life.. Checkout the site http://www.citystarsskateboarding.com
October 14th, 2009 at 6:52 pm
Watch out god the boys are lookin. http://www.citystarsskateboarding.com
October 14th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
DUDE FUCKING RIGHT I'VE HAD MY EYE ON JOSH LOVE FOR A WHILE DFW!! I SAW HIM ON MYSPACE THIS DUDE WHO ADDED ME (THE GARBAGEMAN, GARY STU) THAT KID'S GOT STEEZ FOR DAYS AND HAS GOT TRANNY ON LOCKDOWN!! GLAD TO SEE CITY STARS IS BACK YOU GUYS HAD THE FIRST REAL RIPPERS KEVIN LONG AND EVEN P ROD RIGHT???
October 14th, 2009 at 10:50 pm
YEEAAHHHH, thats right! My boy Josh Love doin it big with the rest of the squad. Josh holla at me when you guys doin the midwest tour. Kareem, tell PJ to holla at me if PUSH need anything out here. And tell Jordan I think I got some clips of Aquil and Pott when we skated at Eastern Hills. and oh yeah…GARY STU CLOTHING ALL DAY!
October 15th, 2009 at 1:38 am
You can't hate on reemo, he is the only skateboarder ive seen doing switch hardflips over picnic tables!
Im stoked on City Stars!! Ive gotten three boards so far and they are legit. The new Squad is INSANE. just like the Old Squad
And I cant wait for PT 2 I wanna know whats going on with Axion.
October 15th, 2009 at 5:06 am
Damn Dude, if you guys are so close and you're really concerned, how about you send him this shit in a text or call the fool instead of blasting him on the TWS message board. Lame. Is that too much to ask for the guy that held you down forever? Think not.
October 15th, 2009 at 7:11 pm
psyched
October 16th, 2009 at 12:12 am
yeah definitely a bit of an asshole move…
"hey everybody guess who did crack!"
October 16th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
damn, javier avent you been down with Reems for like 10 years?
I think you should go back to Axion and City Stars instead of Shut.
October 17th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
Yo i speak to Jave so who ever this is he a fake so dont trip he just a internet hater hiding behind his computer. Plus doin crack thats just craze i smoke kush so get it right. HaHA CityStars 4 Life…. http://www.citystarsskateboarding.com
October 19th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
felize bombado compadre! so good seeing you back reemo! stay off that dope though homeboy. i got clean and you can stay clean. lets put the old squad back together. much love. send me some axions. they still make the marianos?,,.
October 21st, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Haha Paulo knows i never did dope but some good Kush lockwood days like always. But just like Jave this probally just a internet hater who try and use the homies names i grew up with to make FAKE replies. Never works my real homies know me… http://www.citystarsskateboarding.com... CITYSTARS 4 LIFE REEMO
October 23rd, 2009 at 3:53 am
as if this is the real javier. javier too busy rippin it up to be slaggin off ppl on the net