Legendary skateboarder Stevie Williams announced his AYC apparel company’s new Skateboard Fresh collection featuring a limited edition Eazy E and Mike Miller collaboration. The new t-shirts feature an iconic image of NWA’s star Eazy E holding his infamous Natas skateboard in the parking lot of Ruthless Records, captured by photographer Mike Miller, a legend in his own right who captured some of the images that would come to define L.A. Hip-Hop. The new collection is now available online and in retailers.
Originally designed for professional skateboarder turned actor, Jason Lee, the Natas skateboard seen in the image is notorious for its symbols of violence, horror, and sex. “With the gun and that Natas board, this photo is some evil gangsta shit,” notes Stevie Williams (@steviewilliams). Lil Eazy E, the legend’s son, says seeing this iconic image reminds him how much he really misses his father. He says this photo being brought to life through AYC apparel makes him think of “his father’s legacy on a different viewing and how his impact goes far and beyond just Hip-Hop.”
“Back then skating and Hip-Hop did not mix,” recalls Mike Miller (@mikemillerphoto). The new collection is symbolic of the unprecedented impact Eazy E and NWA had on the skateboarding world. “The world doesn’t know, but us inner city Compton kids in the early age of life, enjoyed the sport on the skateboard my father gave me. I learned how to skate from him!” says Lil Eazy E. The huge, raw beats, underground punk rock ideology, and shared contempt for authority was what every skater never knew they were always waiting for. The echoes of that explosion still resonate in every corner of skateboard culture in their apparel, soundtracks and their outlook on the world.
Williams is proud to announce the new Skateboard Fresh collection, described as a line that evokes pure, uncut nostalgia, and that pays homage to the artists, styles and musicians that have influenced skateboarders and helped to define the soul of skateboarding itself.
