BRICK!’s favorite hobby is one of natural excitement and a journey of self-discovery. The creative, who is a long-time DJ for KYLE and Childish Gambino, as well as the producer of Baby Keem and Travis Scott‘s certified gold “Durag Activity,” gets away from the stress of the music industry by surfing.
A leader of the Ebony Beach Club, BRICK! spoke to rolling out about the sport at the 2023 A Great Day in the Stoke in Huntington Beach, California.
Why are you here at A Great Day in the Stoke?
I’m out here today just to see … Black people who surf. I’m trying to stay away from the words “Black surfer,” but I love seeing all these Black people surfing.
We’ve got to normalize it. We’ve got to come out here and just be surfers. That’s what this event is all about. We’re just normalizing and changing the narrative like, “Hey. We’re out here. We’re competing, too, we’re ripping.”
I’m just out here to support the movement.
How long have you been surfing?
I’ve been surfing for about three years … not too long.
What is the most important part of A Great Day in the Stoke?
Black people swimming, Black people surfing, Black people interacting and engaging with the water is Afrofuturism. That’s why we’re here doing what we’re doing, and it feels like a bit of an anomaly right now because it hasn’t been the norm.
Not only for our safety but for our leisure, enjoyment and quality of life, I think that there’s a lot that we can take from the water and a lot that we can give to it as well.
It just brings peace. It’s the wealth that anybody can afford. You can just be at the water. Even if it’s a bathtub, go under and hold your breath, that’s a part of the practice, too. Like I said, it’s Afrofuturism.
Why do creatives need a hobby outside of making art?
Having any type of third space, anywhere you get to be yourself and be free.
Whether that’s drawing or it’s rock climbing, preferably nature, I think nature has a special power.
Creativity to me, is like a conduit. It helps bring through all the things that actually matter in my life and within myself. [Surfing] can be a conduit for creativity, to be able to be connected to the water, be connected to nature. So it’s helped me immensely.
I hate talking about my accolades, but I’ve been told to talk about it more. I’ve gone like seven times platinum, I traveled the world, played Coachella when I was 17, played again when I was 21, Lollapalooza, I’ve done every festival in America. I’ve produced, made beats and have been in the studio with the big artists and all this s— people hype up. To me, this matters more than any of that ever has. It gives me a true sense of purpose in just being on Earth.
