Share

Tweet

Share

Share

Email

Comments

When was the last time you put on a pair of roller skates?  Well I am fortunate to have been a skater for a few years and I must say it’s more than just going around in a circle.

This year Earhustle411 had the pleasure of covering an event that’s in its 4th year of existence one the most talked about events of the summer by the skate community: INDEPENDENCE ROLL IV.  An exciting event that takes place on the 4th of July weekend put together by my good friend Darius aka D-Breez of the JB Elite Skate Crew.

My Sk8 Fam as they are affectionately called, have been skating mostly all of their lives and their children grow up skating and so on and so forth. JB Skating is a popular phenomenon and the music for EVERY SKATER is just as important to them as their skate key or even their skates.

It takes a special kind of DJ to satisfy this group and the some of the Chicago Area “Skate” DJs really know how to put down like DJ CJ from Rich City Skate (host rink for IR), DJ DMC (resident DJ at “The Rink”) Mz. DJ Tone, DJ T-Mac and DJ Joe Bowen.

If you have ever been on the 8 wheels of balance, just know that this ain’t your momma’s type of skating.  These skaters really get it in on the floor and they are very serious about their skills. There are several JB skate crews across the country with quite a few just in Chicago alone.  Some crews to name a few are JB Dymez, Suicide Kings, JB Prodigy, DC Bandits, Ruff Ryders Chicago’s Most Wanted and many more.  IR brings the skaters from all over the U.S. and Canada and it’s a guaranteed good time to be had by all.

Independence Roll came about from what some of the skaters would say was because of frustration of not having some signature events for the Chicago Skate Scene.  D-Breez’s responded to the call and thus was the birth of Independence Roll.

With the memory of Roll Bounce on people’s minds, it’s not uncommon for those who don’t know about the skate community to compare the visuals to the famed movie.  Well let me tell you Roll Bounce is “kiddie” skating compared to what these guys can do.

The event starts with a Meet and Greet on Friday with the out-of-town guests at the host hotel and the local and out-of-town skaters get together on Saturday morning for the Annual Sk8 Fam Picnic (which was initially started & spearheaded by Skater & Music Producer Dame-O).  Then on Saturday night somewhere around Midnight is the main event gets underway and that’s where the real show begins.  The locals and guest alike get on the floor and show strut their stuff on their wheels.

Throughout the night this year’s DJs (DJ Joe Bowen, DJ DMC and 2014 DJ Guest – DJ Narsistic from Ohio) set the 1s and 2s on FIYAH and you can tell by the consistent “skate calls” of excitement on the floor.

The best part of the night for me and many other skaters is when “Roll Call” begins.  That’s when the guests from all over get to have the skate floor to themselves while representing their home states and all of the onlookers cheer them on and give them their props.  Check out the video footage of some of the Roll Call moments:

 

 

Either way it goes the locals can’t wait to get their skate on and guests will admit that they truly look forward to their journey to Chicago to attempt to get bragging rights for the dopest state with the best skate moves.  Well ChiTown is MY TOWN and the bragging rights stay here…LOL!!  So when a skater tells you “I Would But….IT’S MY SKATE NIGHT!!” they are so very serious and you’d best believe nothing and no one can take them away from the skate floor. 

Earhustle411 would like to thank D-Breez, Rich City Skate and all the guests of Independence Roll IV for allowing us to capture this great event.  We can’t wait until next year to do it again. Enjoy more pics from IR 4!!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

[AdSense-A]