Leave it up to NY to bring back what we once started

Forever

freshhh!!

Elevate

one of my boys put me on to this clip i forgot about Expedition team, don't sleep on them! here's the youngest guy just turned pro.

some catching up to do, Pretty Sweet, Instagram among other things....

...yeah sorry for the absence ladies and gentleman, NYC's most hated had to take care of important shit this season as well as catch up on some skateboarding, go to video premieres and, as the title of this post suggests, among other things. So in skateboarding news, ive been braving this cold shitty weather, putting on beanies and sweaters and going out skating in the city, working at my local skateshop in the Bronx (if you're ever in the Castle Hill area, check out Grindhouse and say whattup to me), and a old dog managed to learn some new tricks along the way! Yes, I'm 24 years old which isn't exactly old by most people's standards, but not gonna lie I sometimes feel old anyway haha. I've been skating solo alot lately because it seems this new generation of NYC skaters my age are too pussy to skate at night in the cold and the homies my age got girlfriends to stay warm with unlike me so yeah what else is there for a brotha to do? Also, what is so hard about putting on a flannel and a sweater and continue night skating like you did in the summertime? Pussies I'm telling you, we are in the age of Justin Biebers and this shit has gots to GO!!!! Okay, now that little bit of ranting is out of the way, lets get to the more positive things. Rick Howard, Mike Carroll and Spike Jonze's highly anticipated video from GIRL/CHOCOLATE titled "Pretty Sweet" has FINALLY hit stores last week after five long years in the making. They premiered the video in LA on exactly the same day Fully Flared premiered five years previously and then they had a showing at Sunshine Cinemas at LES here in NYC. It was a pain in the ass to get tickets at first because everybody and their mama pretty much rushed me to get one, then i sent an email to the guys at DQM for a ticket a week before the premiere but no one responded (THANKS ALOT DQM), but I ended up going anyway and I ran into Eric Koston and Rick Howard outside the theater and me and my boy Luis ended up getting hooked up with a ticket from them so big thanks to Rick for hooking it up. Not gonna say anything for those that still didn't see the video but i will suggest kids and grown folks alike to actually go out there and BUY the DVD or at least buy it off iTunes, trust me when I say this: Pretty Sweet was more than...pretty sweet, the video was one of the best edited, best shot, gnarliest videos I've ever seen in my life. Vincent Alvarez kicked the video off with one hell of a first part, linking together lines I couldn't even imagine anyone else pulling off, skating spots I would have quit on and having one hell of an ender ( a certain flatground trick PJ Ladd created gets taken to a new height), Stevie Perez surprised everyone with a breakthrough video part as an am, Raven Tershy stepped it up with the heshlaw, Cory Kennedy had more combos than KFC, Marc Johnson failed to disappoint which was amazing considering he did pretty much every trick imaginable in Fully Flared, but the highlight of this video goes to Guy Mariano. The man is 36 years old and still got what it takes to not only keep up with the young generation, but he is putting alot of kids to shame with his tech wizardry. He got last part and for good reason in my opinion. He had 20 plus never been done tricks and combos and one hell of a ender that may well be the best trick on a handrail ever done. Needless to say i bought the DVD the day it got released which was December 4th, kids get out there and get your parents to get a copy of the DVD which also comes with a Blu Ray version of the video and over one hour of throwaway footage, some of that footage should have been in the video itself but hey I'm not complaining. OHHH...almost forgot, Jack Black and Will Arnett make special appearances in this video too thanks to Spike Jonze's connections as a movie director. That's all i can say for now about this video until whenever the Plan B video drops ( which is pretty much NEVER) Yes ladies and Gentlemen, I know I'm late as all hell but I started an Instagram account last month, this shit is actually quite addicting! It's pretty much twitter but with photos and makes everyone seem artsy which is kinda lame but I am not ashamed to say I became a photo addict. It's pretty cool to see people like the random dumbass pics I put up on that app and documenting what I see via a smartphone camera. Anyways, if you actually give a shit, follow me @viktor_vaughn7 and I'll follow back. Peace....for the time being

Lets Travel....

Amplify Ninja Bandanas on sale!! @ Blades NY!

you can cop now!! $9.99 only at our Downtown store, here's the address http://www.blades.com/stores/ and if you're ever in NyC and want to shop for good clothing brands Skate/Lifestyle/skateboards/snowboards etc. swing by our Downtown store just mention you found out about the shop through the Amplifynyc blog! by the way i got some T-shirts coming soon! i will sell them through here then get them at the store stay tuned my ninjas!

Sunday night MiX*!!!...ENTER\\\\

http://www.captainmurphy.xxx <~~Copy & Paste at your own risk.

Wise, True, words from the Heart

No Hate just Love.

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes=Who watches the watchmen

is incredible how a comic book story! written in 1985 "The Watchmen" is in parallel and relevant to what's going on now in our time (which also shows how things have not change despite what you think and we stay the course of this so called N.W.O). is basically the book of "understanding who the real leaders of this world are for Dummies" i suggest you read the cominc book if you haven't i got lucky in finding the complete MOTION COMIC 12episodes on DVD for $5 it was awesome! the movie doesn't give it any justice it was so tamed down. it basically underlines the powers that be which control our government, i mean c'mon one of the watchmen is a OWL if you are deep into that illuminati stuff you'll get it.

thanx Vanessa i love u.

A new way of thinking...WAKE UP!

Pay close attention! to this insightful man and understand how your your vote means nothing, there has always been a hidden agenda with this government a higher power that takes care of that. don't let the media manipulate your decision think for yourself, next time around cuz now is to late....and pass this on.

Yeah your vote definitely gets dunked...in the garbage!.

This one is just for laughs, comedy relief that has always been good to point out the serious situations in our government.

Feliz Dia de los Muertos to all my Mexican people

under a pale grey sky we shall..

FOR MY N.Y PEOPLES GOING THROUGH THE STRUGGLE ARISE!

TORRO skateboards in full effect

This is what we like to call "A New York Skate of mind" out here,despite all the skate parks that have been popping up the street mentality of a NY skater is always there it never goes away, is the way we grew up skating out here and this is a solid statement of how we do it and adapt.

Torronyc.com / NY stay strong we will get through this.

This is what's going on..

New York is one tough city. After the widespread devastation and destruction caused by Superstorm Sandy, leaving nearly 2 million of us without power, flooding thousands of our homes and businesses, and claiming the lives of over a dozen of our fellow New Yorkers, we know what it means to pull together. In what could be among the most expensive natural disaster recovery in United States history, the citizens of New York City have begun trying to piece this city back together, and help out their neighbors. An emergency blood-drive was held at Columbia University, the MTA is offering free bus service throughout the five boroughs, and parents all over the city are organizing clothing and food drives in their children's schools. In this difficult time while the pace of the city has most certainly slowed, we are always in motion - moving toward recovery.

WE STAND STRONG

Talk about real entertainment!

i would have to admit the first time i heard and saw these guys i was like WTF?! i didn't know weather to like them or hate them, as i kept listening and watching their videos they grew on me and i realized these mothafuckas are on some next level shit! very smart too, i did some research and found out they were completely different from their last group they had (Max Normal) that's when it hit me the JOKE is on us! and i respected the shit out of them ever since, always pushing things forward not jumping on the band wagon or following trends etc. basically being a puppet of the industry Die Antwoord steps up the ante and leaves you with your jaw wide open while dope beats and rhymes penetrate your ears and leave your brain confused, this is what i call originality! and creative music from the heart. Now, Lady caca recently had the balls to dis them over some bull shit "i fink u freaky but you don't have a hit hundred thousand tickets sold in South Africa" who the fuck cares bitch! talent and Originality is not based on sales of any kind either you got it or you don't...anyways this shit was so stupid to me but i did not expect these guys to have a come back, specially on a video! haha. now peep it and try to listen to the lyrics which is pretty much about all that "fruity pebbles" music in the industry (i will talk about that soon)it might be hard cuz of their accent but that's why google was invented.

CREAM

Come out to Blades uptown for the premier!

Oh yeah i'm back from Vaca and charged up..

Im out!..

Your moment of zen

the state of skateboarding...

I think skateboarding kinda suck now in a way as far as the new generation is concerned. It's as if no one skates just to skate anymore. Nowadays I see nothing but kids dying to use skateboarding as a way to come up or be sponsored, no one is ENJOYING skateboarding. Yes, there are some sick video parts going down and more talented kids ripping out there, but alot of you are not only doing it for the wrong reasons, but ya'll have no respect for the legends that's been holding it down for years. The other day some kid at LES Skatepark said that Eric Koston sucked. Yes, I shit you not he said Eric Koston is trash...simply because he don't put out new video parts every month like the new generation of skateboarders are doing these days. I had to educate the kid about Koston and how he is one of THE most influential pros of our generation, the man been on a skateboard probably longer than i was thought of, probably before the kid's mom and dad met. Another example of no respect for the OGs will be the infamous Pyramid Ledge moment between Josh Kalis and Grant Taylor (search Kalis's Quartersnacks interview for the story on that). Granted, there are some new kids out there that have respect and get their inspiration from the legends but alot of kids in skateboarding flat out suck, hands down. Another thing about kids in skateboarding is that they are TOO DAMN COMPETITIVE!! Back when i first started skateboarding back in 2003, skateboarding was kinda dead and skateboarders in the hood were pretty much unheard of. When a skater spotted another skater in the street, they will roll up to you and say what's up, and ask to skate around with them and talk and vibe. Nowadays, a skater will roll up to another skater and not even say whats up, instead they ask for a game of SKATE or they ask what's your best trick...that shit is super tacky and sucks the FUN out of skateboarding. I blame this on these big money contests like Dew Tour, X-Games, and more recently, Street League. The point of this post is to tell today's generation that to calm down, stop being so competitive and thirsty for a sponsor, relax and ENJOY skateboarding

The realest sh*t i read in a while by Ed Lover

What happened to the music? Everyday that I get into my car and listen to the radio here in NY/NJ/Conn I get more and more frustrated. The music is horrible. It doesn't reflect my generation. Either it's extremely old or extremely young. Mind you, I don't have a problem with the younger generation and the music that they like. Every generation should be allowed to have their own set of stars. It's your time so enjoy it while it lasts. My problem is that a whole 2 decades of music is missing on the radio. Well not exactly, but it is boxed into an hour on the weekdays and maybe a few hours on a Friday and Saturday nights. Most of the black music that we loved from the 80's and the 90's don't get exposure in rotation on the radio. Or should I say FREE radio. The backspin channel on Sirius XM does a good job. Why can't I turn on the radio in my car and hear Brownstone, Total, SWV, Wu-Tang, Sparkle feat R. Kelly, Kriss Kross, Pharcyde, Ice Cube, Snoop, Dr. Dre, or even Puffy? We didn't get any Heavy-D until he passed away! What was wrong with his music while he was alive? I tried my best to figure this out and I've come to a conclusion....... The Telecommunications Act of 1996 really screwed us! It allowed corporations to own more than one FM in any market! Radio became big business. If they own it, they control what you hear! Radio One is the only black owned company out of all the major corps that own most of the stations across the country! But they don't own enough stations in major cities! Am I the only one who has noticed that this kind of disappearance of music doesn't happen to rock&roll? When music disappears from the radio, history disappears along with it. And when you don't respect your history you tend not to respect those that created that history. Our music has become disposable. And today's artist are not fighting it. They don't realize that one day they will become old school too. And they won't hear there music on the radio either. Just like Big Daddy Kane, KRS One, Public Enemy etc. Why is their classic Rock stations all across this country but not classic Hip Hop stations? I'll tell you why: Cause if you can kill the music, you can kill the respect for the music. And if u kill the respect for the elders, you kill the respect we have for each other. Once that's gone, it's easy to kill one another...... And we're doing just that. History gives one a great sense of self. You gotta respect where you came from to understand where you're going. Music saved my life! I learned a lot of history because of music. It started in school ( most of that is gone also) and continued throughout my adult life. Radio was always there teaching me about the black musical superstars of the past. Even when my parents were working 2 jobs, I had the radio. Now what is radio teaching us? It's really sad.........

My man J-Zone drops the realism haha

start your week!

just came up...

I may be a little late but legendary producer Alchemist collaborated with Domo Genesis from OFWGKTA and needless to say shit is ill

PJ MANIA part 2

This was the part that blew PJ Ladd up to legend status today. Watch this and learn your history kids

PJ mania

For those not in the know, PJ Ladd has been one of my all-time favorite skateboarders since i started skateboarding back in 2003, this recent part filmed in NYC will show you why. enjoy peeps

Diary Of A Madman

is funny how the new hip hop heads think tyler the masturbator and his bugger crew is "edgey" "different" and what not...but Gravedigaz along with flatliners,Necro and many others  where laying it down in a true scary way that made you NOT want to move NY. shit was rugged and raw back then. here's a toast to OLD NY respect the Architecs!

Morning Rants and catching up...

sup yall this is V. Vaughn checkin in. August...whew what a month i had man, it's been one hell of a month for skateboarding for real yo. Afropunk Festival was sick, for those that don't know, Afropunk Festival is a music and arts festival held in Commodore Barry park located in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn and it boasts performances from great artists such as Santigold, MIA, Cee-Lo Green, Mos Def and Common. The Festival also hosts the Nike SB Battle for the Streets skateboarding competition, which was the main reason i came to the fest. This year's comp to me was pretty tight as this was only the second year of me participating in the Afropunk festival, and this was the first year i chose to compete and represent for the new skateshop i work at called Grindhouse Sports. Another draw to the contest is the guest appearance of Nike SB pro skaters Ishod Wair and Shane O'neil judging the comp on day 1. I showed up early to the event and I was one of the first dudes to sign a waiver to skate the course and check it out before the comp began at 1, it was supposed to have started at 12 but fools were behind schedule. The comp had jams of different divisions: under 15, under 18, and 18 and up (sponsored and unsponsored. The DJ was playing some ill jams to hype up the crowd and the participating skateboarders. I guess I was hyped on the fact that all my homies from different boroughs came thru and skated with me but once the contest began it was a madhouse. Oh yeah i almost forgot-the course consisted of a 3 flat 4 doubleset with a round rail, straight seven stair, a mellow quarterpipe with a bench and a picnic table as well as a sick bank to ledge. Back to the contest-it started off with the groms trying to show us what's up. there was a kid that was pretty consistent with noseslides and he pulled of a halfcab noselide nollie fs shuv out which is impressive for a 12 year old kid. Sorry if i can't give full details of the comp and what tricks went down: its been a week and your author has a habit of lighting up haha but back to the comp. The main event which was the 18-up sponsored division started off on the picnic table where homies were getting tech. Piro Sierra pulled off a nice halfcab noseslide 270 out and Gavin Nolan followed that up with a stylish kickflip backcrook on the top part of the picnic table. Shane McGrane came thru with a flatground backside blunt and front bluntslide on the top of the table. Next came the quarterpipe and bank to ledge session where we see dudes like Cheeto and Leo Heinert flying around the course. Leo was one of the dudes flying around, pulling off sick bonelesses and indy grabs across the quarterpipe, but he was also getting tech too, going at the bank to ledge with nosestall nollie lateflip out. At the end of the day, it was Dennis Miron, Leo Heinert, Nate Rojas, Cheeto Olay, Gavin Nolan, Piro Sierra and Pat (forgot his last name sorry). Right after the event, Ninjasonik came thru and got BUCK!! The Moshpit was pure insanity, crowd was live as fuck they performed some new songs as well as their classics such as "Somebody Gonna Get Pregnant". Cerebral Ballzy came thru and turned shit up to the max bringing the vibe of old school punk, no more of that bullshit ass emo music that you kids call "punk". After that I checked out a band called The Memorials, a talented band out of the Bay area. First time i ever heard them and needless to say, they will be goin on my Ipod lol. Das Racist performed and had such an ill set and the night ended with Ms Erykah Badu performing and on "Love of My Life" Mos Def showed up and kicked a verse out of nowhere, that i didn't expect!! Day 2 of the festival, the day started with the finals of the Nike SB Battle of the Streets competition. I skated the course but I didn't qualify so when the comp began I just sat down and watched everyone kill it for, in Keith White's words..."that tuition money". Like the day 1, day 2 was a madhouse. One of the highlights was Brandon Johnson back 360 down the doubleset in two tries and Carlos Cerrezano with a bluntside first try down the hubba. Brandon and Carlos got 1st and 2nd respectively in the under 18 division. in the 18-up division, homies was goin HAM!! Piro Sierra was straight owning the course, hitting every obstacle with style. One of his many bangers was a nollie backlip down the doubleset rail which earned him the big win with Leo Heinert coming in 2nd and Cheeto came in 3rd. Right after the comp, Flatbush Zombies came thru and got every one turn'd up Brooklyn style!! Alot of beautiful women was in attendance, but they mainly came to see Travis McCoy and the Gym Class Heroes perform. Janelle Monae performed and killed it with such high energy, not to mention she is gorgeous as all hell haha. The funniest thing is that Gym Class Heroes didn't even perform because Travis was sick, but i did get to see Reggie Watts perform like a god live and TV on the Radio rounded out the night. I wanted to stay for the afterparty but by then my knees were sore from skating my ass off in the course all day and I just wanted to go home and sleep the weed n booze off. Thanks to my job Grindhouse Sports for giving me a board when I needed it to skate the contest and promote the brand and shout outs to all the East Coast brands that were holding it down for our city and shout outs to Keith for making the comp live as fuck on the mic with his commentary, shout outs to Afropunk for being the ONLY festival where not a single ratchet hoodnugget was spotted. Goodtimes and I will be back again next year. This is V. Vaughn and I'm signing off for now, Peace GOD

peep game yall

greetings from Mr Vaughn...

wassup yall this is V. Vaughn making my introductory post thanks to the Capt. for letting me put my views on here as well as giving me the chance to hit yall wit some bangers haha this is all im gonna post for now until maybe the next twenty minutes or so enjoy nahhmean!!!

Purple Haze at LP studio

OG with mad Steez

shake it all about!!

Quicksand reunion 8/24/12

i thought i was not going to get tix for this amazing show when they first went on sale (ticket master sucks!) and as i was trying but couldn't get them through the site, my buddy Andrew texted me to tell me he had 4! tickets i was so fucking excited Quicksand is a legendary NYC band that inspire me and influence my style of playing so much along with Helmet and plenty other bands that i grew up with in the 90's even though i've seen them a couple of times back in the day, this was a show not to be missed with original line up and playing their classics (they only had 2 albums and one Ep) it was at the Bowery Ballroom one of the last spots of LES venues along side CBGB's Coney island High and others which are long gone. these guys definitely created timeless music.

Dean L. pic. Wolfs (anonymous)

Classic stuff

Raw uncut

Stimulate

a drug dealer tape

Occupy Mars...yep, this just happend

Space

Ninja Steez