One of the most powerful tools a person can have is the ability to daydream. Caught scrapping dog shit off your shoe with a rock? Imagine you’re trying to crack open a fresh coconut on a white sandy beach instead. Can’t do that? Well, I guess you’ll have to take the alternate route and book a flight to Jamaica.

If you have a few minutes on your lunch break, spend it with Froggboss and the warm tones of the Caribbean as he gives us a look into how a real Jamaican skater traverses through the jungle-clad hills outside of Kingston.

What was the purpose of this trip?
Honestly, it was pretty much a vacation. Shitty winter weather in New York, flights were cheap. Our buddy Adam, owner of Snack Skateboards, has been going to Jamaica pretty often for the past few years and has gotten to know it pretty well. Basically the only plan was to fly into Kingston, meet up with Froggboss, and hit the road.

What were the parties like over there? Get into any sticky situations?
My friend Adam aka Bonesaw can answer that better than me. Adam: “We went to a few ‘parties’. One was at a bar down the street from the skatepark in Boston Bay. It turned out to be a DJ in a nearly empty bar playing records at the highest volume I’ve ever heard off of the biggest speaker I’ve ever seen in the middle of an empty yard.

Another night, we were pretty exhausted, but it was Friday night and Frogg Boss suggested we do something ‘a little more popping’. He called a few of his associates on speaker phone and as soon as he reached his friend Scuda, we knew we were tapped in to the right party. We heard Scuda exclaim ‘pull up rrrrrriiiiiiiggggghtt now’.

We were instantly whisked off to a venue space that appeared to be a hybrid car wash / night club. There was a comically tall DJ playing dancehall music along with a bunch of OGs from Frogg Boss’s neighborhood, and a few local ‘exotic dancers’ grinding on the attendees. Every once in a while, the DJ’s laptop would crash and we’d be treated to the Microsoft Windows start up theme playing over the speaker as he rebooted it.

It took a while for the locals to warm up to us. But we eventually got the DJ to give us a shout out on the mic and he let Frogg Boss take over the mic and freestyle for the entire party. We somehow ended up going street skating after that and sessioned what was normally the busiest, hardest spot to skate in Kingston at 3am with no one around.” 

How did your crew meet Froggboss?
We met Froggboss on the street on a trip I took here in 2017 with Snack Skateboards. He just pulled up on us while we were looking for spots. He was pushing around on a pretty beat board in flip-flops and was down to smoke weed.

He must have been like 18 at the time. We had met some other kids that skated a bit but Froggboss definitely felt like one of us. He stayed with us for the rest of that trip and he’s been the good homie down there ever since.

How did Froggboss get his name?
I have no idea how he got the name Froggboss. I can ask. OK here’s what he said: “At first they called me Froggy in high school. I never liked it. One night in New Kingston, some rival gang member affiliates were talking lots of shit. I didn’t know this would prove anything but I decided to ‘box him dung.’ That’s when everything changed! My friend said, ‘Froggy a little boy name, di ting upgrade. Now you’re Froggboss.’ From that day forward it’s been that way.”

What’s the skate scene like out there?
The skate scene seems to be growing really fast. When we first went down there, it seemed like there were a handful of kids skating whatever they could. Just learning basic stuff on whatever smooth ground they could find. Most of the streets are super rough, sometimes it can be hard to just push around, let alone find spots to get clips. Fast forward a few years and they’ve got a few skateparks that have gotten some bigger attention and a lot of these kids have gotten really good.

What’s the weed like out there?
I don’t smoke weed anymore so I’m not the greatest source but I will say it is abundant. It’s very organic looking, comes in stalks, like right off the plant. I’m sure it’s waaay more mellow than NY shit.

“People are definitely not afraid to skate in flip flops out there.”

Do Jamaican locals have any superstitions or rituals relating to skating that you hadn’t seen before?
I’m not sure if they have any unique superstitions or rituals, but people are definitely not afraid to skate in flip flops out there.

How do locals and civilians react to skating there?
I think everyone in Jamaica is super hyped on skating, all sorts of people stop to watch you skate or will point to your board if they see you carrying it. It seems to really resonate with their culture.

The quarter pipe spot by the beach looks epic, where was that at?
The quarter pipe by the beach kicks ass. That’s at a popular surf spot that also has a pretty dope cliff to jump off of. Crazy how just one little concrete quarter pipe that you can’t even grind across is somehow more fun than most skateparks.

Favorite thing to eat in Jamaica?
Goat curry, jerk chicken, patties, all of the classics are amazing, but some of my favorite meals were Ital dishes home cooked by Rasta homies. If you’re not familiar with Ital cooking, look into it. Stuff you truly can’t get anywhere else.

Is Red Stripe the Modelo equivalent for Jamaican skaters?
Red stripe is for sure the most popular beer in Jamaica. They’ve got some other interesting ones too like Dragon Stout which I’ve only seen in a few bodegas in Caribbean neighborhoods in Brooklyn. Also, Froggboss drank a lot of Magnum Tonic Wine which seemed really interesting and I regret not trying it.

Favorite place in Jamaica?
Honestly my favorite part is just driving around through the jungle. Up in the hills. All of the signs on buildings are hand painted, tons of old cars, animals everywhere. Stopping at random bars, hanging out with whoever is there. Always some incredible music playing wherever you go.

Any travel tips for a trip out there?
If you want to have a good time, tap in with Froggboss over IG, he even has a tour guide business and he knows all the ins and outs of the island really well. Also, don’t be stingy with the locals. Show them some love and buy things. A little money from the US makes a big difference for them down there.

Filmed and Edited by: Sam Zentner
Photos Courtesy of: Sam Zentner
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