Every once in a while we find an am worth mentioning and Ki Realer is one of them. Well, this is the first am we've ever featured but what the hell. Pros aren’t the only one ones defining skateboarding dammit. Ki lives in South Philly in a big crazy house with roommates and his girl and two dogs and there's a really nice lady down the street who gives blowjobs for only $5. Oh, and if anybody wants to hook him up with a place to live in Arizona then drop us a line. Or just look for him on Myspace. Search for "gonna be pro soon" or something. Photo courtesy of Focus, a cool new mag all you lil' bastards should go check out.
BM: Where do you live, and where do you skate?
Ki Realer: I live in South Philadelphia right now. As far as skateboarding goes, Philadelphia is awful. Spots are knobbed, you get kicked out, or they just outright suck in general. Thankfully I have a car. I just work, save up, and take as many little trips as I can. When I'm home, I usually skate in the sketchy neighborhoods of the Northeast and West Philly. I never skate in Center City anymore. Love is shut down, but sometimes you can sneak a session or two in there. City Hall is completely knobbed and the notorious “Bridge Spot” was bulldozed not that long ago. Even all the indoor skate parks are shut down. Within the last two or three years, Philadelphia has lost about four parks. Winter is here, and now I don't know where to go. I skate the Habitat TF whenever someone is in town that has a key, but that's few and far between. Oh, thanks Kerry!!!!
BM: Who do you skate with, who influences you?
KR: I skate with so many people who influence me. Mostly my friends contribute to any sort of progression. Certain people who I skate with are just a real treat. Every now and again I skate with the Hot Wax guys, Hate Prop, Nocturnal crews, my roommate B Dolla, Infinite posse, the Exit Crew...The list is endless. We have some of the best sessions. It's amazing how you can do some of the shit you can do when your friends are around. Hell, when I'm by myself, I can't even land a kickflip. Wait a minute, half the time, when I'm with my friends I can't even land a kickflip. Scratch all that; I don’t really know what helps.
BM: Who do you skate for?
KR: I am very proud to be a part of this new company out of Philadelphia called "Infinite Skateboards." The team is still being built, but we have some talent on there already. People don't even know.........Shit is officially about to drop. There's already a buzz, but we've been pumping the company like a drug dealer on the 1st. People are gonna be hooked. I also ride for Darkstar Urethane, Movement Clothing, VonZipper Eyeware, Nixon Watches, and this relatively new shop called Spectrum. This shop is the nicest I have ever been too -- it looks like a boutique. If Jay-Z rode a skateboard, he would shop there.
BM: Is skating a job, or do you skate for fun?
KR: Actually, skateboarding is a job in a few senses of the word. Right now, I work for a valet company called Royal Park, where we actually use skateboards to get the cars back to the customers. People are either really bummed, or really impressed that we use skateboards to get their car. Trust me though, when it's cold out, people don't give a shit HOW we get their cars, just as long as it's fast. Half the skateboarders in the city with licenses work there. As far as being a sponsored skateboarder, you get out of it what you put in it. If you bust your ass, you'll make something out of it. I'm not in the best position in the world but I'm doing better than I was doing last year, and the years before that. The only place I can go is up. But as far as it being fun, if it wasn't I wouldn't do it. I don't care who you are, if you skate, you know the best feeling in the world is rolling away from a good trick and hearing people go, "OOOOOHHHHHHHHhhhhhhh!!" That's some shit right there.
BM: I heard you've been skating the DC skate plaza. Tell me about that?
KR: Heaven. The kids there are super cool. That place is like something out of THPS. You have to see it for yourself to believe. I mean, of course that place could be better. But that's like saying, "Damn someone gave me a Benz for free and I hate the color." It's stupid to complain. I would skate that place every day if I could. If anyone is looking for me in the summer, that's where I’ll be.
BM: Why haven't you moved to the west coast yet, or at least somewhere warm for the winter?
KR: I'm broke. I just bought a VX2100 and a G4 iBook. I'm still paying that off. Plus, I'm used to the weather. By the time I really start to hate the weather here, warm weather shows, or a new spot pops up, and I'm fine again. Taking trips helps. However, right now I am looking to move to Arizona for a bit. I have some friends out there and I it's beautiful. Everyone should visit the desert at least once before they die.
BM: What's the worst experience you've had with a cop recently?
KR: I was in Manhattan a few weeks ago and to make a long story short, about 15 cops rushed me with guns drawn. We were skating in the projects and someone mistook my VX for a gun and called it in. The police came in full force. All of them had their guns pointed at me. Seriously, I thought I was going to die. They had me face down on the ground. They weren't playing any games. Funny thing about it is that I have it all on tape. I was shook. New York cops are no joke. In the end, they gave me a shitty apology and let me go.
BM: What's the worst trend in skateboarding today?
KR: Ah, skateboarding. People use skateboarding to sell anything and everything. It's out of control. Right now it's more punk to rollerblade. Rollerbladers are the new rats of society. Skateboarding is cool. Go to your local convenience store and pick one up for yourself.