Kareem Campbell (born November 14, 1973) is an American professional

skateboarder Skateboarding is an action sport that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry job, and a method of transportation. Originating in the United Stat ...

. He is known for popularizing the skateboard trick "The Ghetto Bird" which is a nollie hardflip late 180°.

Skateboarding career

Kareem Campbell was an innovative professional skateboarder in the 1990s. He was featured in the

World Industries World Industries is an American brand that offers skateboarding products, accessories and clothing. The company was founded by Steve Rocco in 1987. In 1988, Rocco was joined by skater, Rodney Mullen, and then Mike Vallely in 1989. As of 2014, ...

videos ''New World Order'', ''20 Shot Sequence'', and ''Trilogy'', which are regarded as classics to many skateboarders. He has been called the godfather of smooth

street A street is a public thoroughfare in a city, town or village, typically lined with Building, buildings on one or both sides. Streets often include pavements (sidewalks), pedestrian crossings, and sometimes amenities like Street light, streetligh ...

style. He eventually went on to spawn another company of his own under the

Dwindle Distribution Dwindle Distribution is an American skateboarding distributor based in El Segundo, California. It is a component of Transom Capital Group Limited. The company was founded by Steve Rocco and Rodney Mullen. Its formation is recognized as a key ev ...

umbrella, though he continued to ride for World Industries. He also helped found Axion Shoes. After Menace, he went on to create City Stars Skateboards also under the same Dwindle Distribution umbrella. He still operates City Star Skateboards to this day. Campbell rose to mainstream fame in 1999 following his inclusion as a playable character in the '' Tony Hawk's Pro Skater'' video game series.

Tony Hawk Anthony Frank Hawk (born May 12, 1968), nicknamed Birdman, is an American professional skateboarder, entrepreneur, and the owner of the skateboard company Birdhouse. A pioneer of modern vertical skateboarding, Hawk completed the first docume ...

also credited him with increasing skateboarding's standing in the Black community. Campbell would later reprise his role in the 2020 remake of the first two games in the series. Throughout his career Kareem has been sponsored by World Industries, Axion Shoes, Nixon Watches, Alphanumeric Clothing and more.

Personal life

Campbell is from

Harlem, New York Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan ...

, and moved with his family to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

in his early youth. Campbell now resides in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

and works in a variety of business ventures, notably real estate. His nephew is professional skateboarder, musician, and

Odd Future Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, better known as Odd Future and often abbreviated as OF or OFWGKTA, was an American alternative hip-hop Musical collective, music collective formed in Los Angeles, California in 2007. The group consisted of rap ...

associate

Na-kel Smith Na-Kel Allah Smith (born July 22, 1994) is an American skateboarder, rapper, songwriter and actor. Originally a skateboarder from the Los Angeles area, he was known for his association with the hip hop collective Odd Future, appearing in music ...

References

External links

* 1973 births American skateboarders Living people Sportspeople from Manhattan African-American skateboarders 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen {{US-skateboarding-bio-stub