Timberland bought Ipath. Pardon the blatant stereotyping and religious insensitivity, but as most of us have come to realize, Jah Rastafari skateboarding moves units these days. And reggae music in skate videos is like the new hieroglyphics. Over the past decade, with the rise of radical grassroots skaters from Karl Watson to Nyjah Huston and companies from Satori Wheels to Organka, the buffalo soldiers have become a significant cabal within skateboarding’s carefully delineated set of categories. . Dreadlocks and “give thanks” are in as much rotation these days as leather jackets and bangles were in the heyday of Banker Bootleg. And yet, there was a time, in the magical toe-to-toe decades known as the ’80s and ’90s, when reggae music in a skate video was like Rush Limbaugh in a hybrid: It didn’t happen. You’d have better luck listening to techno than Peter Tosh. Meanwhile, the philosophies and religion that reggae music praises and embodies were also virtually non-existent in our great pastime.
Go back to ’89 and you’ll find the man who, more or less singlehandedly, planted the seed of reggae music in the sometimes infertile soil of skateboarding. After leaving Alva Skates, Jef Hartsel joined Jesse Martinez as one of the first two riders to take a chance on Steve Rocco’s newcomer SMA Rocco Division (soon to become World Industries) in ’88. The two great pros of the ’80s served as a launch pad of credibility for Rocco, helping him usher in the emerging ’90s street skating revolution with Jeremy Klein, Ron Chatman and Chris Pastras, as well as lending him the umpf to pick up. other great professionals/investors like Rodney Mullen and Mike Vallely. In World Industries’ inaugural video Rubbish Heap, Hartsel and Martinez’s style of skating had already begun to break down for what was considered new at the time. However, in hindsight, if you see the Hartsel part today, it is a real gem. He throws some of the best flowy curb combos, stylish front slappies, pool bars that would make Dave Hackett proud, and a host of nollie variations like his 360 nollie on the curbs of Santa Monica beach on one board. without nose.
Most importantly, the song, “INI Style”, is credited to Jamie Zebulon, Albert Naphtali, African Unity and JH (aka Hartsel himself). I mean, Jef not only introduced most skaters to Rastafarianism and reggae music, but he also helped create the beat by sampling Shabba Ranks’ “No Brother Diss,” which, to be honest, is pretty bad. Also, aside from Mike V’s song Milk (“Another Crime”) and Jeremy Klein’s Casio Nintendo beats, Hartsel’s part contains the only real music in the video (intro and credits included), which makes it stand out. even more.
He currently resides in Honolulu, Hawaii, moonlighting as DJ Manifest and the artist known as Manifest. Jeff’s last foray into skateboarding came in ’95, when he had a brief run again with Rocco, founding Shaolin Skateboards. Retaining his contacts from the design and execution of that project, Hartsel collaborated on a number of sneaker designs with other artists and can currently still be found shredding the island’s many pools alongside designing his own clothing line. under the name of the Poetree Movement.