Black Skater Chick

The BSC Punk Memories Playlist is dedicated to all the punk tunes that our readers grew up listening to in the late 90s and early 2000s - though it is not exhaustive. Punk music is very special to us because its intersection with skateboarding is inevitable. Additionally, some of us were classified as misfits and weirdos because of our love of punk rock, not knowing that its roots began in Black culture (please check out the documentary A Band Called Death, to learn about the first punk band made up of black brothers). We hope this playlist triggers some nostalgia and enhances your skateboarding experience.

Jean-Marc Johannes skating near a Western Cape market. Photo credit: Jean-Marc Johannes Facebook page, September 2017

Jean-Marc Johannes, 27 year-old professional skateboarder and native to Cape Town, South Africa, recently broke the Guinness World Record for the most nollie heelflips in under one minute. With over a decade of skateboarding under his belt, Johannes beat the previous record of 8 nollie heelflips with an impressive 14. Any skateboarder knows, that a nollie heelflip is a very technical trick, you have to kick the board away from your heel, allow the board to flip and cleanly land. Just landing one is a feat, but landing 14 in a row is amazing! So we're officially dubbing Jean-Mark "Fundi (fundi means expert in zulu) of Skate."

“Attempting to break the nollie heelflip record was one of the most fun and challenging things I’ve ever tried to do.” he said after breaking the record.(Independent Media, 2017)

Check out Jean-Marc Breaking the Nollie Heelflip World Record

Early Beginnings and Motherly Boards

Another interesting aspect of Jean-Marc's skateboarding beginnings is that it flourished with his mother. His mother actually gave him an old skateboard she used in the past, when he wanted one for his 10th birthday. Now 16 years later, Jean-Marc has accomplished a lot of "firsts" in his skateboarding career. He is the first South African to win a gold medal at an international skateboarding event-FISE (Festival International des Sports Extrêmes) World Series in China- and the first South African to be featured on Tony Hawk's RIDE Channel.

Jean-Marc and Youth Empowerment

Jean-Marc on an outreach day with his charity. Photo credit: Fill The Gap Facebook page, September 2017

Jean-Marc was also motivated to break the Nollie Heelflip World Record for the representation of South Africa skateboarding and encouraging youth, “I attempted to break this record for South African skateboarding...When kids see this I hope it invokes a sense of confidence in them, so that they believe they can do anything. That was my ultimate goal,” he said (Independent Media, 2017). Jean is working to achieve this ultimate goal by being an advocate for marginalized youth through his charity, Fill The Gap. Fill The Gap "focuses on helping communities and motivating the youth in underprivileged areas, through skateboarding and youth empowerment programs." So far, the organization has facilitated pop-up skate events and skateboarding demos for kids.

Jean-Marc's Skating Compilation 2017

Currently, Jean-Marc's sponsors include Globe footwear, Volcom, Nixon, Red Bull, Almost Skateboards, to name a few. Check out a selection of his sick moves in this short skating compilation, it surely affirms that he is a "Fundi at Skate."

Follow Jean

Big up to the Cape Town massive! Stay updated on Jean-Marc's developments on the concrete and in youth empowerment at the following:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeanmarcskate/
Twitter: @jeanmarcskate
Instagram: @jeanmarcskate

Tunes for Cruising

Music is a vital attribute to creating an enjoyable skating experience. Whether you're listening to music through your earphones or wireless speakers, it sets the atmosphere for a chilled out coast or a vigorous skating session in the streets or at the park. At BLACK SKATER CHICK, we like cruising to any genre with rhythmic drums, ambient loops and experimental instrumentals - afrobeats, soul, soca, hip hop, trap and reggae- to enhance the momentum.

We decided to create the first official BSC Cruising Playlist for this month. Enjoy the eclectic musical vibes and hear full mixes from DJ BLACKSK8ER CHICK on SoundCloud.

A few years ago we introduced you to "Afropunk Royalty" Gabrielle 'Gabby' Maiden. Gabby is dubbed the first African American Woman of Competitive Snowboarding (Black History Month Fact #1 of 2017). When Gabby isn't shredding down mountains, she is actively modeling and acting. Over the past two years, she's shown off her talent by playing the character Farrah on the Black & Sexy TV produced webseries "Sexless." In "Sexless," Farrah and her friends explore complicated dating, trails of love, celibacy and sexuality (no spoilers, watch the first season here). In the season 2 finale, Farrah succumbs to online dating via the platform "Hello Cupid" ( based on another B&S TV webseries). Hence, Farrah is getting her own self-titled Hello Cupid mini-movie and it is premiering just in time for Valentines Day.

According to the synopsis, "FarrahBear in these Hello Cupid streets looking for love in all the wrong places." In the trailer, Farrah is seen skateboarding down the streets of L.A. and interacting with potential love interests.