Taji Ameen

Frank151: Why don’t you start out by introducing yourself.
Taji Ameen: Okay. My Name is Taji Ameen, and I’m 19, and I live in New York City.

F151: Where were you born?
TA: I was born In New York City. In Manhattan.

F151: How long have you been skating?
TA: I’ve been skating for a while…probably about ten years, going on 11.
F151: How’d you get into it?
TA: I went to school downtown, over by Chambers street, and there were always skaters in front of my school. There was a ledge spot. It was in a lot of old videos like Peep This, Heads—the old Zoo York videos, so I used to see them at my lunch break while I was in the yard playing with all the kids. It looked super fun, so I got into it.
F151: How do you think skating in the City has changed in the last ten years?
TA: It’s significantly changed, ’cause it used to be a lot more relaxed. Everyone would always just have a good time—like go spot to spot. There weren’t too many worries. But nowadays, there’s so many spots they either put skate-stoppers on, or tear down, or kick you out…get tickets and stuff like that. It’s more uptight, especially after September 11 and all that. It didn’t do a good thing for skating. It’s hard to do in the streets nowadays.


F151: Would you say a lot more people are skating now than ten years ago?
TA: Oh yeah, that too, which also is kinda hectic, ’cause you’ll go to some of the spots, the skate parks, and they’ll be packed. All these kids just getting into it, not really knowing what they’re doing, getting in the way. Like with Pharrell…all that, you know? Like the streetwear movement or whatever. Skating got all wrapped up in that, so it’s kinda craze now.

F151: Where are your favorite places to skate in the City?
TA: I got a bunch. I like the Brooklyn Banks a lot. I live pretty close to there. I like this spot 12th and A. My friend Billy [Rohan] built it. It’s behind this school. They used to have a really cool mini ramp there but they had to tear it down. The school wasn’t psyched on it. But they pretty much made it legal skating there. They have skate obstacles that are permanent, so it’s pretty tight.

F151: Who are some of your favorite people to skate with?
TA: Word. I like skating with Billy, I like skating with all my homies—my friend Leo [Gutman]. There’s always my friend Ariel [Perle], he’s fun to skate with. Just whoever’s around, you know? As long as they’re positive and they’re not gonna stress out over a trick and bum me out, as long as they’re trying to have a good time, I’m down.

F151: Where do you see skating going in the future?
TA: I think it’s probably going to keep progressing and it’s going to keep getting bigger and bigger, ’cause it’s become so popular nowadays. I know back in the ’80s it died out for a bit, but I don’t really see that happening again. It’s gotten so large and mainstream, so some of that’s good, and then some is bad. As far as tricks and all that, I don’t know how much crazier it can get. I’ve been seeing some of the new videos coming out and it’s pretty insane. Maybe it’ll step back down to less technical skating, and be more about style.

F151: Who do you look up to in skateboarding?
TA: There’s a lot—so many to name. This guy Dennis Busenitz. He skates super fast; he’s one of my favorites. A lot of people in New York I like. It’s kind of a hard question, there’s so many rippers out there. This kid Jake Johnson. I’m sure you’ve heard of him. He’s real sick, he’s always amazing to watch. I went on a trip to Woodward skate camp with him…super fun.

F151: Are you sponsored?
TA: Yeah, I have a few sponsors. Not too serious. My homies, they hook me up. Supreme and Acapulco Gold. I get shoes from Etnies. Prize Fighter Cutlery, it’s this new wheel company. It’s pretty sick. They have some cool graphics. And Rockstar Bearings, too. I got a lot of friends that run companies, so they’re always down to look out for me. Also, shout out to my homies at Shut Skateboards.

F151: What do you do when you’re not skating?
TA: I also go to college. I go to Parsons for photography. Those go hand in hand. I would get my photo taken skating, and then I’d be interested in the cameras, so I got into that. I was like, “That looks like fun.”

I started off going to school for photography in California for a semester, outside of Los Angeles, and then after that semester I took off a semester and just skated, chilled, and worked a little in LA. And then after those months I moved back here, and now I’m back in school, so I had a pretty long summer, you could say.
F151: What brought you back to New York?
TA: It’s hard out there. Getting around, everything’s so spread out. It’s fun the first few months, and then you come to New York and you have so much more fun ’cause everything’s easier to do. Everything’s close together, as far as skate spots and spots to hang out with your friends. It’s so much more accessible. It’s so much more fast-paced out here, too. There’s always something going on. But out there it gets a little slow at times, and I got a little antsy. It was a good year, but I think LA is a better place for me
to visit.

F151: Do you shoot film, digital, or a mix of both?
TA: Both, but I’m real into film. It’s a slower process. You really get to think about it more. Working in the darkroom is easier for me than all the digitized printing and looking at the monitor, ’cause you really understand and see what you’re doing in there. The digital, it’s all those crazy programs. I’m learning about those, which obviously is a necessity if you wanna get into that business and what not, but I’ll always prefer film. It has more of a raw, real look to it.
F151: Do you see yourself continuing with photography for a long time?
TA: Oh yeah, for sure, ’cause I’m working on the degree in that, so something in that field I see myself doing. I like setting up photo shoots, thinking up crazy ideas. ’Cause you always have something to do when you’re not skating, especially in New York. Once it gets cold in the winter it’s hard to skate unless you go to some of the indoor spots. But you gotta stay busy. If you’re just relying on skating, it’s hard to have a good time all the time. You get bored.

F151: Do you see yourself skating for a long time to come?
TA: Oh yeah. Just for fun. Not necessarily professionally or anything like that. Definitely keeping it up. I’ve been careful recently. I don’t really jump down too many big things anymore, ’cause I’m older now. I understand that if I wanna do this for a while I can’t be ruining my knees and ankles. I gotta take it easy and think about a long term. I’ve been skating a lot of transitions and stuff like that. Whatever’s fun to me.
F151: I heard your mom owns a gallery on the West Side.
TA: She doesn’t own it. She’s a curator. It’s way uptown, actually. It’s in Spanish Harlem…I believe? It’s called the American Academy of Arts and Letters. It’s pretty sick up there. They have all these crazy members. It’s kind of a private museum. Members from writers like Tom Wolfe to architects, painters…just an insane group of people. So they have shows with their members and then their members bring new people in—like their homies or whatever—their art. So it’s a chance for younger people to get their art out there and make some money. They have awards, dinners…it’s crazy. I go to some of the art shows up there. They happen a couple of times a year, and all the work that goes into that, that she does, is pretty amazing.

F151: And what’s your family’s background? You’re Middle Eastern?
TA: Yeah, we’re all Lebanese. It’s pretty much a full-blood Lebanese family. I guess my grandparents were born out there, except a few of them were born in the US, but after that it’s all Lebanon.


I actually visited there a while ago. I think I was about eight, probably right around when I started skating. I remember I was bummed that I didn’t bring my board. I saw some crazy shit I wanted to skate, and I wanna go back and check it out sometime. It’s just a little hectic out there, as everyone may know.
F151: Do you still have family in Lebanon?
TA: Oh yeah, for sure. We’re in touch with them sometimes, long-distance phone calls and all of that. I’m supposed to go visit sometime in the next year or so, so that should be cool. And that should be good with the photography, too, ’cause there’s some awesome things to shoot out there.

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