Photos and Interview by Liam Annis

Where were you, where are you right now, and where are you going?
I was just walking Slewella, now I’m sitting on my bed watching skate videos before I go film with Tony (Anthony Capostagno).

Give everyone a brief synopsis of what it’s like to grow up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
I grew up with my mom, dad, and one of my older brothers until my mom went to prison when I was five, and then my brother was in and out of foster homes. I didn’t really get a chance to grow up with my other siblings, they all lived with their dads. At the time CR didn’t have much diversity and people weren’t shy about their racism. The first time I remember skating was around 3rd grade, my friend Mark would bring his board over and we would take turns trying to learn how to ollie. Then for my next birthday, my dad got me a Walmart board. Every day, for like three years straight, we would link up at the Tree. The Tree was our plaza that was completely concrete, except for this marble pyramid that you physically couldn’t skate. We’d do dumb hijinx shit like throwing snowballs at people from parking garages, breaking into buildings to skate after they closed, living off our gas station sponsors until they got cameras and figured out they were sponsoring us. Looking back, it was amazing. All the good bad and ugly made it that much better. If I could go back I wouldn’t change any of it, just relive it. I could go on forever, but just know it was a beautiful struggle to get where I am today.

Wait y’all used to break into Walmart and skate after they closed?
Nah, never Walmart, we had a few good ones though. The M+M homies made a DIY inthe basement of this downtown apartment building and the workers would come shut the lights off and we’d have to sneak out without getting caught. We also found a way into a skywalk that connected most of the businesses downtown. After five we would go in there to escape the cold and hit endless flat ground lines. Playing cat and mouse with the cops in there was hella fun, they couldn’t figure out how to catch us even when they’d try and ambush us.

What’s the skate scene like? Y’all got spots? Where should visitors go to skate?
The skate scene has always been pretty small. In the time I’ve been gone, it feels like it’s shrunk a lot due to the city taking away our best spots over the years. Businesses come and go, and a lot of people “grow out of skating.” The city finally gave us a fire new skatepark though and the lil homies are making the most of what’s left in the streets. My Slew fam and I also do this Annual CRapids contest/giveback usually in June. Last year DGK and New Balance blessed us with a bunch of product to give out. It’s the best feeling to be able to give back to the city that made me. I hope it inspires the next generation to have their whole crew make it together instead of the one outlier like myself. If you visit CR stop into the EduSkate skate shop and say what up to Nate Sherwood, you’ll get all the skate trivia and the lowdown on spots and contests he throws throughout the year as well.

That’s sick that your crew can give back and your sponsors are backing it. Tell us a little bit about Saved by Skateboarding?
Yeah, that’s my whole mission, to put on for my city. They need it. The Saved by Skateboarding events are dope. We get to interact with kids of all ages, give them boards, and teach them the basics of pushing around. Some of them are natural, some are just there cause they have to be, but at the end of the day they’re all genuinely having fun.

When did you make the move out West? What was the motivation?
I always wanted to move to LA strictly for skating, I thought it was going to be like Barcelona where you can skate to every spot. I was wrong. Right after Christmas in 2012 my homie’s house got broken into and I was the only one there. They whooped my ass. I got pistol whipped, jumped, my hands zip tied behind my back. Long story short the homie felt hella bad and got me a flight to SD in January 2013.

What is this Slew nickname? What’s the origin of it all?
So the origin of the Slew is funny. CR’s nickname was Slew because of these grimy ass docks at these factory runoff lakes. One day a crew of us drove to Iowa City skatepark, and as we were walking up, this small group of kids said “Ugh let’s leave, those dirty Slew kids are here.” In all fairness, we were skate rats that didn’t always get a chance to shower before and after skating all day, but that shit fueled us. We started writing “Slew” on our boards and shoes, everywhere.

You guys all shower now after skating though right?
Skipping showers was a short period of time and usually only happened if you were the last one to call next on the shower. It used to be like six of us taking turns on one shower at Jake’s moms house, so someone was bound to get skipped every now and then. Iowa City kids always looked at Cedar Rapidians as dirty because CR always either smelled great because of Quaker Oats, or it smelled like hot garbage because of Mount Trashmore. There was little in between. Those lil Iowa city posers were more referring to our city being dirty as a whole, not so much the fact that someone didn’t shower that day. Either way we had to embrace it to fuck with them every time they saw us.

How’d you start going by Slewdacris?
When I moved to SD I was listening to Ludacris heavy and writing Slew on all my shit until one day the homie Deets was like “Yo Slewdacris, roll that shit up already.” This the crazy part though, Slewdacris low key spells out “CR is da Slew”. It’s all for the city mane.

What’s your favorite thing to do outside of skateboarding?
Shit, I like to draw, read some books, watch skate videos, plot on ways to make money, make the money, spend time with the close ones, and keep dreaming.

You had a full part in the recent DGK video Amen, what was it like working on that?
That was a dream come true. Stateside I was skating heavily with Quise and then they flew me out to Spain for two weeks! I think we stacked like seven minutes of Will footy out there. It was an honor to be out there with those guys. Brian, Nick, and Will are so good it’s crazy.

You also had a part in Shrimp Blunt, what’s it like working with Beagle?
Beagle is one of the funniest people, and sometimes that makes it hard to skate. Me, Beagz, and Theo be cracking up all day on the sesh. He helps keep skating fun and knows how to make everything look extra crispy. Shout out my dawgs Theo and Beagz.

What are you filming or working on now?
Oh we in the kitchen my boy. Might have a lil sum with Thunder, or Shake Junt cookin up. DGK? Who knows mane, just stay tuned in and you won’t miss out.

Any thanks and shout outs?
Thank You Jesus, life coulda been a whole lot different but we here. Amen. Thanks to all my sponsors DGK, NB, Shake Junt, Thunder, Bones Bearings, BP, EduSkate skateshop. Shouts to Hendo, Slew CRew, Mobbed Mafia, ABC Hustlas, wifey, Theo, Beagz, Shane, Stevie, Rasul, Kalis, Cooley, Daughters, Liam, Tony, Brad, CR, Ruu, Luap, Nick P, Jakel, nodnarB, Teazy, Shawn, Ramon, TGerdts, Slewke, Fletch, Ev, Bux, Lil Stokes, Bubba, Lil Bubba, RDM, Shmelliot, Reece, T$ip, Joe Bone, Phlip, Mark Young, Smothers, Wheeler, Pound City 448g, Lil Ev, Ray. Shoutout everyone that ever let me sleep on their couch and or fed me when I was down bad. Mad love to Jkwon, Boston, Barcy, LBC, LA, SD, the Bay, the Midwest, the Eastcoast. Shout out Milkas for makin some fireass chocolate, shoutout BBops even they left CR, and last but not least, shout out to you for reading all of this. Wow, you did it.