You might expect Cheazy-E, the white rapper pictured above to be a douche, an asshole or both. He’s not, he’s actually a very nice guy. Although his rapping and beat crafting skills are questionable, Cheazy-E has got a leg up on the competition because he is the first skateboard rapper. Breaking into the scene during the 90′s, Cheazy was featured in Big Brother Magazine and his song “Nollie Heelflip” was used in their video, Boob. Now resurfacing years later with his hit “More Thrashin Less Fashion,” only time will tell if Cheazy can still be relevant in the rap-skate world, with new young juggernauts like Jereme Rogers and T.K. lurking the scene.



You are basically the first skateboard rapper?

As far as rapping about skateboarding, I think I was definitely the first.

Would you consider yourself the best skateboard rapper alive today?

It’s hard to keep track, you can’t really tell who really skates anymore. But I would say, non-major label, I would consider myself the best skater that raps. As far as doing it on my level I would put myself near the top.

Has Cheazy got the crazy groupies?

Actually, one time a friend called me up and was like, “Yo E, I was hanging out with these two girls, driving around and I put your CD on, just to mess with them, and one of them, a hot au pair from France was totally into it.”

So eventually we all linked up. She was 22 or 23, super cute, sexy accent. She was obsessed with me from the jump-off. We went back to her place that night, which was the most epic mansion of all time. It looked like the driveway cost at least 100k. She worked as a live-in nanny for a rich, toy designer.

I started visiting her a lot and we had the house to ourselves. Total hotness. We worked it, every nook and cranny of that house. Like a king. Marble floors. Pool table. Gold, silver, leather, everywhere. One day she mentioned that the former owner of the house was a baseball player. I asked her how she knew and she said some mail was still coming for him. I walked over to the counter and glanced down at the mail. Tony Gwynn. I was swinging from the chandeliers of the former house of baseball Hall of Famer, Tony Gwynn!

She was the only girl that called me Cheazy-E in the bedroom. It sounded cute with her accent, otherwise it would have been annoying.

How’d you get noticed by Big Brother Magazine back in the day?

I sent a really weak press kit to Big Brother, Thrasher, Transworld and Strength. Jeff Tremaine (producer of Jackass) got it and thought it was funny. He called Chris Nieratko and told him to interview me. Chris is kinda a hip hop connoisseur, or he thinks he is, and so originally he didn’t wanna do it.

Why didn’t Chris wanna interview you in the beginning?

I think, people just assume if someone’s name is Cheazy-E, he would be a douche, an a hole, or both. The name itself doesn’t win over people. It was 1998, there weren’t any white rappers, like Eminem was just coming up. I think he came into the interview planning to tear me apart.

Eventually you became friends tho right?

Yeah. Chris lived in this big house in the ghetto, I would go over there and skate his backyard. We set up this janky piece of wood against a cinderblock and we would do wallride stuff. It wasn’t always that fun skating wise but him and his buddies were always drunk so it probably was more fun for them. It was pretty gnarly where he lived, on beer runs, he would make me turn my shirt inside out because some ppl were giving him static bout the colors he was wearing.

I heard that Chris doesn’t skate.

I don’t know his bag of tricks, but he’s cruised a good amount of miles. I don’t know how many people have seen him skate.

Any crazy Big Brother stories?

The craziest thing was just checking in, you know I was always nervous when 90% of the building was just like tits and ass, and I looked about 16. They were always a little bit hesitant to page me in.

First time I drove over to the Larry Flynt building and just walked in the front door and I didn’t know anyone, no one knew I was coming. I said, “Cheazy E to see Jeff Tremaine,” and she’s like, “oh he no long works here”. I just froze. That was my plan to just say I was there to see Jeff Tremaine. Not knowing what to do, I just repeated myself.… So then two security guards start coming up and they ask me if I’m 18 cause I looked mad young. I think they thought I was trying to infiltrate one of the porno floors or I was trying to do something sketchy. They start escorting me off the floor and just at that minute Rick Kosick walks by, and I just yell his name. I just hoped he knew who I was or read the interview I did with Chris. Luckily he did! I got in, and yeah there was food in there, and chicks and pro skaters around. It was skater heaven.

What was it like going to Chris’s house

One of the first times I went to Chris’s house, I had been out in LA for maybe 7 months, and he’s drinking and asking me how I like the chicks in Cali. I told him I hadn’t hooked up with anyone. Immediately, he’s like, “oh man we need to get you an escort, get you a hooker. I’ll get you laid, you don’t worry about that Cheazy-E.” He kept going on and on about it, and I wasn’t sure if he was serious or not cause I just met him. So he goes on this beer run, and I figured he would forget about by the time he got back. But as soon as he walks in, he grabs the phone and starts calling some escort service and I just bounced and bolted out the front door.

What the hell is wrong with you?

I was just super young and didn’t drink. So when there’s hookers around that you don’t know that are being that aggressive, shit is just awkward. It’s sketchy for me.

You don’t drink?

One of the only times I’ve ever drank was at Chris’s birthday party when I was 21. I was dumb, I thought shots were just small amounts of beer. People knew I didn’t drink so they just kept sending shots to my table. At one point I was like, fuck it, I drank a few times before but never been drunk. So I had like 5 or 6 shots in an hour and I started spinning. I’m telling this random dude, and he’s like, “alright man here’s what you gotta do, lie down on this table.” I lie down and he starts spinning me around like 5 times on the table. So now I’m completely fucked and about to throw up. Its one of those things where its like its obviously a joke but I was drunk. I didn’t drink for a good 2 or 3 years after that.

You think you could take out Jereme Rogers in a rap battle?

I can’t figure that guy out… I feel like there’s more to it.

But do you think you could out rap him?

I wouldn’t even put those 2 in the same category, we’re kinda doing different things. As far as what I’m trying to do I think I’m succeeding. I don’t think what he is trying to pull off is working…

What do you wanna be remembered for at the end of the day

I would hope that people would look forward to what I am going to do in the future. I feel like I don’t really have a song that anyone really remembers. Cause sometimes I can’t even remember the lyrics for my own songs. I just haven’t had a song that has caught on… the skate world is too small a niche, I think “More Thrashin Less Fashion” is the last song I am going to do about skating.. I’m kinda over it.