Robert Brink - Writer

What's the Story? Evan Hernandez

April 2, 2008 | Skip To The Comments (8)

What's the Story? Evan Hernandez
By Rob Brink
The Skateboard Mag May 2008

"One time," says Terry Kennedy, "I sold that dude a fake Jacob watch for like a G. I told him my cousin jacked it from somebody at a rap concert. He was running around showing everybody, but that shit was fake."

"Did you feel guilty?" I asked.

"Nah! I was bad then. I was from Long Beach. I was looking at Evan like, 'You're makin' money! I don't got none, so fuck it, I'll sell you this watch if you'll believe it.'"

"What did he say when he found out it was fake?" I asked.

"He was like 'That's fucked up man!' He wasn't even mad or anything," Terry exclaimed, laughing the whole way through.

Evan isn't the easiest to read. He probably prefers it that way. After all, a total stranger is hitting him up for personal info to be run in a magazine article after he's already had his fair share of bad interviews and people talking shit. But hearing Terry say Evan wasn't even mad about the watch incident is revealing enough that, despite word-of-mouth, his share of hard times and a long while off the skate scene, Evan is a solid and good-hearted dude.

"He got me into skating," says Kennedy. "I used to see him at school. He used to skate in front of the school every day after class with all the other little white kids. He got me a board and shoes and all that shit. Then he'd be like 'Meet me at Cherry Park.'"

Seems Evan did a lot for his friends, even as a young kid. What did he get in return? Well, they ditched him.

"Evan was one of those people… you know how you always hated on the kid that was so good?" Says Kennedy. "He was always so good that we didn't want to take him to the spots. We'd be like 'Man don't bring Evan!' 'Cuz he would go to the spot and do all the tricks before anyone would do them."

"I was skating Huntington and saw Andrew [Reynolds] pull up in his Red Civic," says Evan. "I was just skating and watched him do some tricks. Then he came and sat next to me and first thing he told me was, 'That was a proper switch flip.' He was always my favorite skater, so I was like, 'What the fuck?'

"The best part about that day was that my other friends ditched me cause they thought I was cocky. There was only one spot in the car and they purposely filled it up so I couldn't roll. I called those dudes up later and thanked them for ditching me, cause that's how I got sponsored. I forgave 'em though."

"We all met the next day," says Kennedy, "and Evan was like 'I was at HB ripping. I met Andrew and he's gonna send me a box.' We were like 'Yeah man, whatever.' Before you know it, Evan showed up at Cherry Park all Birdhoused out. We were like 'Where'd you get all that shit from?' He was like "I told you Andrew was gonna send me a box.' We were like, 'Damn!'"

Evan began skating in his hometown of Long Beach, California, after all the bikes his dad used to buy him got stolen. He was forced into it as a mode of transportation.

"I just got tired of lifting my board up the curb, so I learned how to ollie," says Evan. "I used to get up like an hour before school started just to skate back then. I loved it so much I would go skate by myself. I couldn't wait for people. The feeling of learning tricks got me so stoked 'cause I wasn't good at school, so I felt like I was going somewhere."

Anyone attentive enough might have noticed a huge leap in Evan's ability and progression on a skateboard between the Baker2G and In Bloom videos—released only two years apart.

"He's always been like that," says Kennedy, "he's ridiculous! He's the reason why all these kids now skate like they skate. Ask Paul [Rodriguez]. Evan was the first motherfucker front boarding 18s when he was like 15-years-old. His little ass wasn't no joke, man. That's what made Paul and me start jumping down big rails. Evan would just hop out the car like… no games. It was ridiculous."

"I filmed In Bloom at 13 and 14 and once that hype hit, I was getting offers from all sorts of other companies," says Evan. "But being on Baker was the shit. That's why I went all out through all those years. I was just trying to make an impact, 'cause I knew how much of an impact my whole team was having."

So at age 15, two years after he began skating, Evan went pro.

"It all happened so quick. Kind of spoiled me a little bit," says Evan. "I think I was pro for Baker for three years. Once you turn pro you kind of feel like you made it. Like you proved your point and now it should be easy. But the truth is that it's not like that at all. You have to be just as hungry as you were when you were trying to go pro. I just had some growing up to do and was dealing with stuff kids shouldn't be dealing with."

Evan wasn't surprised when his run with Baker came to an end. "I seen it coming," says Evan, "but at that time I didn't care if the whole world forgot about me. I needed to concentrate on other shit. As far as my emotions, I didn't give a fuck. I was really stressed out with my personal life. Getting into some trouble. Spending all my money. Everyone was yelling at me—telling what was up and what to do. Truth is, I wanted to be with my baby, Janea's, mom and handle that. It was stressful. Under that stress I smoking and drinking too. Those were my rock star days I guess."

"Early in he didn't take it seriously, says Kennedy. "He was spoiled and had everything coming his way. You don't know to appreciate things when you're young. I didn't appreciate that Andrew [Reynolds] used to come pick me up to go skate and get me out of my neighborhood. That's how I ended up getting shot. 'Cuz I still hung around instead of going with Andrew. If you don't learn one way or another, life will kick you in the ass and help you learn.

"Evan went through shit that anyone could have possibly gone through in life," Kennedy continues. "We've all been through stuff, whether its been public or not. You can't fault someone for that. Dealing with Baker, then having a kid at a young age. And being in the spotlight and a number-one pro where motherfuckers looked up to him, it was just too much pressure for him."

Contrary to popular belief, Evan never stopped skating. However, his time both in, and out of the spotlight, served as valuable lessons.

"A lot of kids still tell me that they were psyched on my In Bloom part and that makes me glad I did it," says Evan. "But when I was out of the spotlight, I got to look at everybody from a normal point of view again, instead of a competitive one. 'Cause once you're in the spotlight sometimes you feel like you're trapped. Now I don't feel trapped because I feel like I've shown myself that if I work hard I can get back on my feet, even through the worst times. My sponsors told me they knew I had the talent. I just needed to focus again."

And focus he's done. With a full lineup of sponsors (DGK, Kr3w, Ice Cream, Fury trucks and Boost Mobile), and a DGK pro model on the way, Evan is back in the game and currently on filming missions for both DGK and Ice Cream's up-and-coming videos.

"We got his back," says Angel Cabada, another close friend of Evan's. "He's finally growing up and starting to be a little more responsible. His future is up to him. Those years of him being a part of the whole Spanky, Bryan Herman, Mikey Taylor, P-Rod am legacy a few years back… that's what kept his name alive. The kids know who he is and love him. I think that's what keeps him going today."

Skateboarding moves fast these days, though. Roll an ankle and stay off your board for two weeks, or skip an issue of a mag or ignore the web for a few days and you feel clueless. Older, wiser and more experienced—things are certainly different for Evan now—on many levels.

"It's the best feeling to be loved by Stevie [Williams] and the rest of the DGK team. I really respect him for believing in me and giving me another chance," says Evan. "I appreciate it a lot more this time because I had to work a lot harder for it. I feel more at home with guys like Lennie Rivas, Stevie Williams, Marcus McBride, Jackson Curtin, and the rest of the crew. I relate to them better. We're some Dirty Ghetto Kids.

"Being a father makes you like a front line soldier. You want to do everything you can for your family. You have to become the ultimate hustler to provide," says Evan, who is adamant about ensuring his daughter doesn't have the same Long Beach childhood that he experienced.

"What I've learned is to try to avoid problems and stay away from stupid shit," he continues. "The environment my daughter is in right now is good for her. She's growing up in a nice neighborhood; her mom and grandma are very protective of her.

"I've been jumped a couple times, once by like 15/20 deep," Evan explains. "When I was running they took a stab at me but I got away. Another time I got robbed at gunpoint—had a big .45 pointed at my face. That was basically over some dumb shit too. You don't want to get stuck in that. It's what you do when you have nothing. I'm glad skating gave me a second chance. Just rollin' and landing shit, makes you feel like a kid again."

After all this back and forth and reflecting on his career thus far, Evan seems to have been around for ages. So long, with so much that's happened, in fact, you forget he's only 21-years-old.

"I actually don't feel like I've been in it long enough," Evan says. "I'm still hungry. I feel like it's just begun."

"Evan's always gonna be the best skater to me no matter what," says Kennedy. "He got a lot of people in his corner that love him and wanna see him do it. I still love him, Angel, Stevie… Andrew still loves him. It really brightens him up at the end of the day. I guarantee he's gonna come back and do what he's supposed to do and continue that legacy he's supposed to live.

"You don't get mad at people. You just go out and do your job," Kennedy emphasizes. "Evan taught me to be like that. Like, 'All right, you ditch me? I'm gonna go out and do this and this and that and now you gotta see me in a magazine. Deal with me like that.'

"Those are the people you gotta be scared of in life," Kennedy concludes, "the people that got that dedication."