On May 22, 2020 Vincent Nava’s Pig Wheels part showed him emerging from Ninja Turtles sewer and introduced himself to the quarantined world with the sort of immediate newcomer impact to which the only parallel I can conjure is Darrell Stanton’s Clipper back noseblunt Thrasher cover. Curious viewers such as myself soon discovered l0C4l’s Trailblazer video from the previous August, in which Kid Bronze, 22k, and Vincent’s Vyzer team appear as chosen family brotherhood with a gritty, flamboyant formula for thriving in a downtown Los Angelean dystopia that presents many obstacles and little assistance. Vincent’s hot topic Thrasher interview revealed that his early-Covid backnoseblunt included mask and gloves so his mother would let him out of the house and detailed his transition from student to teacher in after-school skate programs. On September 10, 2020, Thrasher posted Vincent’s obituary from injuries sustained in vehicle crash, marking just over four months in Vincent’s 21 year life as the future of the skateboarding. I’ve kept up with 10C41 as they released Middle School, YouTube games of S.K.A.T.E and razor scooter footage. Their homages to Vincent hit hard and show this crew continuing production as their figurehead has become avatar.
Amidst the mayhem and hammers of 700k, I found myself wondering how many of these dudes knew Vincent. They skate the same downtown LA spots and seem on the same cusp of adulthood. 30 minutes approach when Orlando Garcia pops up, notably younger than most participants, with his NKA vids upbringing and committed punk style. He rides Vyzer lightning icon decks and Vyzer flaming skull griptape, spikes his bleached hair and cuts sleeve off his Misfits tee, going hard on both coasts to honor his friend and hero with a short part that whets my appetite for destruction in this vein.
Enter Joey Ramos, who appeared once earlier attempting trickery over bump to sofa with bleached right half of his crisscross cornrows while left side remains naturally dark. Now in a studded 8-ball balaclava, Fucking Awesome jacket and leather pants with a spade icon bedazzled on right knee, he noseslides a ledge over arid ground gap. His success incites handclapping until a honk intrudes. “Relax, bro ” advises filmer to this honking driver who is impatient to reach a red light. Driver opens door to confirm filmer’s words and states his case that “this is a car zone.” Such spatial entitlement to the point of exclusion lies at the heart of the many conflicts scattered throughout 700k, as a traffic tensed populace lashes out at the untethered.
Joey Ramos’s name appears in the 700k balloon font then pops. As bell tolls and metal music begins thrumming, we see Joey splayed with black and white braids at the bottom of a triple set slam, unleashing anguished howl in a Late Night Stars leather vest with “Late Night” part of the patch ripped off so only the shredded outline of those words is visible and “Star” remains the unblemished bottom line. Video shows further unfulfilled cat and mouse with security, then scene switch to UC-Irvine where Joey hangs up and spider slides down plywood laid on stairs for approach aid. A policewoman orders plywood removed, then we shift to another street conflict, wherein a skater attempting to scale head high roll-in has his board grabbed by zealous pedestrian with security’s assistance. Another skater grabs the contested board from the pedestrian while Joey cocks back and the clip ends right before his fist makes contact with pedestrian’s face. View through a taxicab window appears briefly, then the crew is crawling out of Broadway-Lafayette subway tunnel, similar to Vincent’s sewer side emergence in his Pig part. Somebody kicks something, then the boys stand and jeer around a couple of perhaps junkies tucked into a doorway preparing for intimacy. Previous conflicts have occurred over property disputes, but this scene in particular hits distastefully as punching down rather than up. Back at the first car zone spot, Joey’s board lodges tail underneath Tesla’s front wheel and car attempts driving in this condition before stopping so Joey can retrieve.
90 seconds after his name title, Joey begins proper part popping ollie from behind ivy wall over rail to alleyway ride with full trust in his boys stopping traffic on the street down there. In a Hockey long sleeve, studded belt and multiple neck chains, Joey noseslides to crooked grind to fakie in the rain. He wears black undershirt with black hair, black pants and black shoes to scoop line-starting impossible then kickflip back tail bigspin. Before background palm trees, Joey boomerangs hilltop 360 flip with then backtails the ledge he noseslid to start this part, shown double angle. At the Westwood Ralph’s, Joey argues with security and moves advertising to make way for his ride out of store entrance to front feeble silver rail down to waiting friends. In black and white color-blocked pants, Joey’s hat falls off following two flatground tricks preceding ledgework, then he includes front tail kickflip as ledge single. He backside heelflips Hudson River grate to bike rack near 3 up 3 down then 360 flips a Cali double set that reminds me of a Transworld montage. He nollie heelflips out of a ledge noseslide, then alley oops 270 out of his next noseslide with a style like Lil’ Dre. His heelflip over Fish Gap heralds Miles Silva guest 360flip, then Joey caballerials Basketball City 3 block. Under Times Square night lights, he back 5-0s off the black marble step up ledge then back to Cali for a low lengthy double set frontside flip.
Wearing a NEW YORK FUCKING CITY souvenir tee and ripped knee pants with studded cargo pockets, Joey kickflips over rail and stairs at Church of the Sacred Heart on Sunset, where a deacon scaled fencing to kick them out earlier and Joey scorpioned in his intro. Enderwise, we see the slams and office worker with gelled up bangs threatening what appears as backside flip attempt. All dressed up with no landing clearance on the stair set, Joey improvises front 180 over railing to drop. His successful rollaway taunts by its presence two other departing company men, who appear uninvolved in conflict but as opposition by proxy. We know respect is a two way street, and Joey’s lane change here shows an adaptable maturity leading to unplanned growth.
If 700k is skateboarding’s version of a diss track, brashness is to be expected. One can feel why Mikey Alfred saw the future in this crew while also sensing their stubborness that led to this 700k denouement. Joey’s instagram lists Fucking Awesome, Spitfire, Thunder and Adidas sponsorships. Hopefully industry support nurtures his scrappy striving with financial resources. Rough edges have their charm, but Joey shows a back against the wall talent that seems primed to blossom with a little breathing room.