Stevie Williams

KRONICK: So how old are you now Stevie?

STEVIE: I just turned 20 a few weeks ago.

KRONICK: So you're not even old enough to drink suposedly.

STEVIE: Suposedly... but I do my thing though.

KRONICK: Well, they never card you for weed anyways.

STEVIE: Naw. Hell naw. Believe it or not though, some niggas get carded for weed though.

KRONICK: What?! What chu talkin' bout Stevie?

STEVIE: Not really carded, but street carded. If you look suspect then you ain't gettin' no weed. Nar'mean? But if you look like you smoke weed then you gonna get weed. See, like me, I'm always high. Motherfuckers see me, and it's like, "got the chronic, got that chronic". Always, always. Either I look like I sell weed, or something. But I don't really put myself out there like that.

KRONICK: What does the term "thugged out" mean to Stevie Williams?

STEVIE: Thugged out? That's a hard one, yo. I don't know, it seems like nowadays thugged out is just an image. But for me, if I look thugged out it's because I've always been like this. I ain't never had no cash as a young boy to buy all this stuff that I'm buyin' now, so that's why I'm buyin'. But today it's like, if you look a certain way, then you thugged out. I don't go out there robbin' niggas and smackin' niggas up. All that nuts shit will get you locked up. I just play my part, nar'mean? I just play my part, I'm a skateboarder. It ain't like nobody's fuckin' with me or nothin', but I could hold mine, for real.

KRONICK: I know you've been skating for a long time because I'd see you on videos once in a while. But it's only been in the last year that you've really blown up. How important would you say having good sponsors like Chocolate and DC shoes are in making sure you succeed? Because in Hip Hop being on the right label can make or break an artist.

STEVIE: I was just thinking about this earlier. Like what's my story, nar'mean? Like what could I tell somebody that don't know me what's my story. I've been through some shit with companies, dealing with people, everything. Cause I ran away when I was young, 15, to a whole nother state all the way over in California and did my thing, nar'mean? And I thought I was doing the right thing, by hoppin' on this company, and then it fell. So I was tellin' my mom that they got me gassed, and then I got her gassed on me. So anyways, I hopped on another company that fell. I was like, MAN! I got to do my shit. I got to push myself and focus on what really I'm supposed to do. That was like 2 summers ago. Niggas slept on me and didn't never give me no chance untill finally now. You just gotta be focused, nar'mean?

KRONICK: So how did you get on Chocolate?

STEVIE: Well, because I was in Frisco and I knew everybody. I was still in the skate scene, but I still knew everybody. My friend Sam knew Mike (Carroll), and at the same time I was pushing myself and I was gettin' footy that niggas wasn't touchin'. It was just some hot shit that nobody saw, they just heard about it. Put it like this, if it was Hip Hop, that would've been my demo tape. Still to this day if you saw that tape you'd be like, "damn, that shit is raw!" Straight, street, different style. Some 'ol new shit, but it's always been me. But I'm just blowing up now, nar'mean? That was the tape that set it off. In fact it happened right here (at Mike C's house). I had the tape, I wanted to do some other things with it, at the same time things weren't working out. Mike was like, "yeah, let me see that tape". Showed him the tape and it was over. Once somebody saw that tape it was over. That's why I wasn't givin' it to nobody corny no more.

KRONICK: So basically you shopped your shit to the right people.

STEVIE: And look where it got me. And then from there it was just boom, boom, boom. Nar'mean, if you're out there doin' your thing, niggas out there can eat it up or spit that shit out. My mom always told me to stay on a path, nar'mean? Stay on the right path, don't let niggas sidetrack you. You got to go forward, straight. No looking back.

KRONICK: I was noticing the jewelry you're rocking right there (pointing at Stevie's grenade shaped medallion). Is there any symbolism behind that?

STEVIE: Yeah, before when I first got it, it was like, "Yo, I'm about to blow the fuck up!" Now that shit is exploding, I'm about to get me some 'ol high powered shit now. Some shit that's like... I don't know. It's gonna be hot though.

KRONICK: Gotta upgrade.

STEVIE: Yup. A whole nother medallion, new chain, everything. But... I don't know, that shit's too flasy for certain mutherfuckers. They be like, "What the fuck do he do? He don't rap, he don't sell drugs, he don't play ball. What do he do? Nigga I'm on the low. That's my name, Incognito. I'm just that nigga on the low, peepin' shit, observing shit.

KRONICK: I just saw that commercial you had for Chocolate in a 411 (the premier skateboard video magazine). I just love that super high switch heelflip you did in the line.

STEVIE: Thanks man. It was a switch frontside heelflip, switch heelflip, backside tailslide, and a fakie hardflip. I was hot as shit that day!

KRONICK: All rappers have different rapping styles. How would you describe your skating style?

STEVIE: Just raw, straight ghetto shit. Ghetto pop. It's like even mutherfuckers who come through Love Park that don't even skate will be like, "he good, he good" Nar'mean, that's just me. I get that from my Mom and my Dad. It's just like blouw, blouw, blouw. When I'm really hot, there's just no stopping me. Man, when I'm hot, I'm just taking it to a whole new level. Like with HORSE (a skateboard version of the basketball game) when I'm playing with my niggas, I feel like... digital. I'm Bobby Digital. You know what it is? It's all about individualism, if it's done, it's done by you. It's like, it's all you. Have you ever seen a person skating and be like, "he skate like how he act" Nar'mean, I skate like how I act. I get wild out, I could be on the calm, I could flow, I could do whatever. Skateboarding is the thing I can control, the only thing I can control in this whole world. That's why I think niggas love it. But they don't understand it like me though. I don't know, I probably took it too deep...

KRONICK: Naw, go ahead. Keep it movin'.

STEVIE: But If you think about it, skateboarding is the only thing you can control. You can't control your nothin'. You can't control your money, your emotions, you can't control your life or death situation. But you can control this peice of wood and metal and plastic with your mind though.

KRONICK: So who are you listening to right now?

STEVIE: Who am I listening to? I'ma tell you right now that nigga Jigga is hot as fuck! And Beenie Siegel, niggas betta watch out for Beenie Siegel. Niggas betta watch out for Philladelphia.

KRONICK: Who's commin out of Philly?

STEVIE: Who? Everyone. Me, Allen Iverson, Beenie Siegel, Eve, The Roots, who else... Rasheed Walace is out of Philly. Nar'mean, like Philly, Philly, Philly. Especially when Beenie Siegel comes out... Philly all the way. I represent that shit all day, everyday. Philly.

KRONICK: So what gets you amped?

STEVIE: Skating with all my friends, skating with everyone I know. Especially my niggas back home, that really don't skate but are out there doin' their thing. You know, it doesn't take much to impress me. If I see some ill shit, I'll be like, "now that's what's up". But If somebody is in my face trying to toss tricks around, I'm like, "get the fuck out of here!". I'd rather see my nigga do a kickflip for like the fourth time of his life, than to see someone throw a 360 flip backside tailslide shove-it it front of my face, like LOOK AT ME. C'mon man, get the fuck out of here with that shit. I mean keep that shit real, just skate. That's retarded.

KRONICK: So what does "keep it real" mean to you?

STEVIE: Just be a skater... no, just be yourself and control your shit. I don't really know, that's just what I say, keep it real. Cause I ain't really like every other skateboarder that you see. Niggas be like, "Skate or Die", or trying to be in the X-Games. I'm just like, "naw, just skate on the streets". I just wanna learn my tricks and do my shit.

KRONICK: What made you wanna come to Cali when you were 15?

STEVIE: Just destiny calling. I was just like, "fuck it, we out! We gone". Yo, peep this shit! The boy that I went with was from DC and his name was John Wayne. You know who John Wayne is don't you? Who was he back in the day?

KRONICK: I don't know, a cowboy guy?

STEVIE: Yeah, a cowboy guy. Me and this other kid named Jimmy was at John Wayne's house. For some reason nobody chilled with this guy. But for some reason I was like, "this boy kinda cool". I went back to Philly and called him in DC a few times. I remember I had just turned 15 and I went back to DC and I was talking to Lavar and Marcus (McBride) in Cali. We was like, "damn, it's cold as fuck in DC let's go out to California". Lavar and Marcus were like, "yeah, you should come on out here". So then we went skating and it was cold as fuck, something like negative 19. Nigga Marcus was like, "come out, come out". So the boy John Wayne just had gotten a brand new 95 Ford Espire and we drove all the way to California in that thing. But something happened in L.A. and dude was like, "I'm going back home". I started fighting with him and shit, we were supposed to go to S.F. and he drops me off in L.A. I fucked dude up though. But peep game, that was my destiny right there. Like John Wayne out of nowhere, I never heard from him ever again. It's like I was cool with him for 3 weeks at the most and he drove me to California, and boom, that's when my shit started.

KRONICK: So you're living the American Dream, sorta.

STEVIE: Naw, I'm living the Martin Luther King Dream. I'm chillin' with everybody, with every different race. You see, skateboarding is a whole different thing. Mutherfuckers try to knock it because they don't understand it. I'm with Black, White, Asians, Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, Brazilians, Europeans, fuckin' niggas from everywhere chillin' all in one squad. Mutherfuckers look like, "Damn!". They don't understand it, they're just like whatevers. But if you really look at it and break it down that's some ill shit. That nigga spoke on that shit back in the day, and I'm living it right now because all my friends are like a big mix of mutherfuckers. And we're all peoples. It's like all combined in one through a peice of wood and using your mind to elevate. That shit all works. But then again, if you don't understand... I mean, not us, but regular people. Like mutherfuckers don't understand the fact that I'm 20 years old and that I'm way above them. But they look at me like I'm this thugged out kid comming through trying to rob 'em and something. But I'm seeing them, and they're so little to me now. Cops, niggas in the big ass corporate offices, they're little. Trust me. I ain't puttin nothing out there, but they're little. I'm just laughin'. It's just like the way you do things.

KRONICK: Not to talk to much about Josh (Kalis), but he really helped you come up in the game didn't he?

STEVIE: That's like the angel on my shoulder right there. Man, there's so many incidents that Josh has pushed me through. For some reason, I don't know what it is, but he always been there since I was young. Since I was 12 he's been there. We used to battle and shit. "Yo, I learned this!" Back in the day when I was 13, I used to learn a trick a day. I had every trick; inward heelflip, fakie kickflip, fakie heelflip, switch heelflip, switch fronside heelflip, frontside heelflip just on and on in a line, just flowin' gettin my shit down. My tricks weren't all popped, but I was just practicing. He was there too, but he split, then came back and was on some 'ol raw Josh Kalis type shit. That's when he made his name, and helped me out. Then I started flowing off that nigga. I mean he was gone for like 3 or 4 years, you loose touch with a nigga. But a couple of years ago we started flowing again, back to our old selves battling and shit. He pushes me, I push him. Niggas is not stoppin it either. East Coast! I'm reppin' for Philly. Me and Josh, from the whole east, and down.

KRONICK: So have you seen Belly?

STEVIE: No doubt. That's my favorite shit.

KRONICK: Who's your favorite character?

STEVIE: DMX nigga, all the way.

KRONICK: What's your favorite part?

STEVIE: I like the part where they're driving around the corner and Nas says, "Did you not see that cop?". Then DMX is like, "Faggot cops can't touch me! I'm out here smokin' weed, speeding, all that! This is me: untouchable!

KRONICK: When's the last time you read anything anyway?

STEVIE: Never mutherfucker!

KRONICK: Tell him your favorite part Jazzy.

JZ: The part when Buns is on the run and he's in Atlanta with the 2 guys Wise and La-Kid and they're baggin the weed and DMX says, "learn how to bag the weed, then GET MONEY!". And then DMX is like, "You gonna get this money?". And then one of the guys says, "Yeah man, no doubt son". Then DMX says, "You ready to bust your gun to get it?" Then the guy says, "Whatever yo". And DMX says, "Hmmm. I hear ya talkin'". I love that line, "I hear ya talkin'".

STEVIE: DMX is the man. I feel all them Def Jam niggas I'm feelin Method Man, Redman, L.L., Montel, JZ, Beenie Siegel, Memph Bleek, I like Eve, all the Ruff Ryders shit, I was feelin' Puffy a while ago. That single with R Kelly was hot. I'm feelin' Dead Prez too. Oh, Nas too, I feel his shit all the way.

JZ: Alright, let me ask you this: what do you think of Eminem?

STEVIE: It's whatevers

JZ: You can't really feel it?

STEVIE: I feel it but....

JZ: But you never have that urge to pop his CD in?

STEVIE: I'll let somebody else put his CD in.