Jamal Smith! This kid was just goofing around making videos at his local skate park and putting them on Youtube. The videos went viral and Jamal starts to get noticed. Fast forward a couple years and he's got a few sponsors and is on his first trip to California with the 10 Deep skate team. If that doesn't prove that anything really can happen, I don't know what does. Aside from the jokes and Youtube videos, Jamal's got serious skills on the board, a good work ethic, and more than enough personality to make it in skateboarding. I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot more from him in the future.

48 Blocks: We usually start these with a little bit of history, talk about Ithaca New York and how you got started in this whole skateboard thing.

Jamal: I first started skating when I was maybe eleven. My mom got me this dope ass Golderg WCW board from Walmart cause I used to be hella into wrestling and monster trucks. If it wasn't for that board, I probably wouldn't have even been into that shit. I moved to Ithaca when I was like fifteen and got heavy into that park because that was all there is to skate. I was just chillin' with my two other homies that went to the high school I went to and skated. We were just gettin' high and making dumb-ass videos and puttin' them on Youtube. Some how people saw that shit, I don't know how but somehow that got me out here so I'm happy as shit that we did that.

48 Blocks: I remember seeing you was on Crailtap. They posted your Youtube video and I think they even had a video of Koston or someone doing your shit. How did it feel when you saw yourself on The 'Tap.

Jamal: Yo! Okay, so we made that video on some random shit after smokin' some resin out of my homies bowl. I had been doing this trick and I didn't have a name for it. My homie was like, "Yo, we should do a trick tip. We can put it on Youtube or whatever!" I was like alright, I'll call it the Tornado Spin. We were just spittin' jibberish. I remember I was checking my Myspace and my homie sent me a link like, "Yo, you're on Crailtap!" I was in my Special Education class in High School in my Junior year and I was buggin' out. I was like, "Fuck this, I'm dropping out of school yo! I'm about to try to go do this skateboard shit for real - I got two thousand views on Youtube nigga!" Then Koston did that shit and I was at my boys house, he was like "man, you're about to blow up - you want a weed sponsor?" And he started giving me free weed. So I was like damn, that's what's up!

48 Blocks: So how did it all progress from there? Give us a brief timeline of what happened from those early Youtube videos to where you're at now.

Jamal: I made those videos during my junior year of high school. In my senior year I dropped out when I turned eighteen and moved straight to Philly with one of my homies and I just been on the steady program - just trying to skate. Unfortunately I gotta pay rent and utilities, so I work a nine to five Monday through Friday and that's kind of holding me back on my skateboarding. But since I came out here, I just want to get on the full program. All I want to do is ride my skateboard, cause working at a sneaker store and dealing with hipsters and shit is not what I'm trying to do.

48 Blocks: So, right now you're out here on tour with 10 Deep - fuckin' with my man German. Talk about how you got on and how that's been so far?

Jamal: That's actually funny, cause I didn't even know German. I was at the shop that I ride for in Philly, Nocturnal, and he was just chillin'. I guess he had talked to my roommate about me and I didn't even know that they were spittin' about me. He was like, "yo, you wanna go skate flat?" I was like, aight and went and skated flat a little bit. Then he was like, "yo, I dig your style. I'm the TM for this company 10 Deep and I want to put you on. You down to do that?" I was like, "fuck yeah!" He was like, "aight, this weekend come out to New York, we're filming a promo." I was like, "damn already - you just saw me do a heelflip and now you're putting me on like that, that's wassup!" Since then he's just been blessing me with mad clothes, just hooking it up lovely - he got me out to Cali, so I'm hyped as shit on that dude.

48 Blocks: Who else are you messin' with sponsorwise right now?

Jamal: Right now I'm getting board from Manik out of Seattle on some flow tip and I'm getting shoes from Converse - they been blessin' it real lovely. Converse is definitely on the come up real hard.

48 Blocks: So, being that this is your first trip to Cali what was your first impression of the Golden State, how was the LA portion of the trip?

Jamal: Pussy, weed, and BMW's period. That's all I saw out there, every chick was a banger, all the trees I smoked was way better than those Philly sticks and seeds; I was just hyped as shit. Palm trees - I don't even know what the fuck that is! It's just crazy out there, the weather is beautiful.

48 Blocks: Your'e into music, what's knockin' right now in Philly?

Jamal: Baltimore club music some....(starts beatboxing). Some crazy shit! Everybody's bumpin Kanye and the same shit everyone's bangin' out here, but you got the heads that are still just bangin' Beanie Seigal, Peedie Crack, and all those old ass Roc heads.

48 Blocks: I love that shit! I've heard some rumors that Love Park is back right now and heads have been skating there on the regs.

Jamal: I don't wanna blow it up, but yeah if you're commin' out and you're legit; go there! The real heads will show you real love and we'll take you to other spots too, but you still gotta run from the cops - don't think shit is sweet. They'll still ticket the shit out of you. They normally just catch little kids, so you'll most likely be good.

48 Blocks: Sick! So we're still pretty early in the year and I just seen you drop a banger here at 3rd & Army that people will see somewhere sometime soon. What else do you have planned for '09?

Jamal: Skate, I just want to put myself out there more. I kind of been on the DL for the past year or so. I just want to legitify myself from being a Youtube kid and making heads laugh to actually having tricks that make people think, "damn, he's legit yo!"

48 Blocks: What's up with the Youtube game, are you gonna drop anything else?

Jamal: You'll have to wait and see. I might drop another trick tip, I might make a video that teaches niggas how to be a hipster and ride a fixed gear. I don't know, I'm just trying to have fun with it.

48 Blocks: That would be hilarious! Any last words or shout outs that you want to say to wrap this up?

Jamal: Yeah, rest in peace to my Mother, rest in peace to Jason Sharp, skate for fun and don't hate on everything you see.