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 Professional skater Darren Harper -- known for his impressive backside heel flip, switch kick flip and basic ollie -- recently announced the launch of his official website, DarrenHarper.com, where he plans to give fans an inside look into his life and career.
According to Harper, the life of a black skater from the hood is still surprising to some, so with his website, he hopes to break stereotypes of what most people expect from a young black male.
"I launched my own website because I wanted to give people more insight on an Afro-American skater coming from the hood. There are many people who still look at me crazy when I tell them what I do," Harper tells BallerStatus. "People can expect my everyday living being captured while still in the hood grinding to the top."
On his first blog post, Harper presents a photo journal from his Famous Stars & Straps tour, a brand founded by Travis Barker who has sponsored the young skater for quite some time. He is also a member of the line's official skate team.
"I'm just going to continue to promote both in the skateboarding and out. I was the first to officially put Famous in the skateboard mags," he says. "I remember when I first made the choice to ride for Famous. A lot of people told me 'Don't f*** with Famous because they knew nothing about skateboarding and they weren't a core skateboarding brand'. I felt like this though. There ain't no lanes for Darren Harper to stay in. I'm from the streets and all I know is how to hustle."
Visit his official website at DarrenHarper.com.
Despite a rise in his stock within the skateboarding arena, Harper hasn't forgotten his roots. He grew up in the South East side of Washington D.C.; a low income neighborhood, which was full of gun violence, drugs and poverty. By working with organizations like the Make-A-Wish Foundation and ROOT (Reaching Out to Other Together), Harper wants to encourage youngsters in D.C. to look beyond their environments, using his own struggles as an example of what could be.
"I have a promotional video up, which I thought it would be motivational for the youth, basically giving them hope. I'm just a brother coming from the hood trying to turn nothing into something," Harper explains.
Aside from his website launch, Harper is currently working on the new Dirty Ghetto Kids skateboarding video; an official skate group that brings the hip-hop swag to the skate game.
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