Santa Cruz Drops Short Film on a Skateboarding Icon Natas Kaupas

Here's a quick little rundown: "Natas changed skateboarding forever," Santa Cruz mentioned on YouTube. "He breaks down how he started skating, OG Phillips art, reissues, favorite graphics, and of course… The Hydrant. Straight skate history, told by the dude who lived it."

The Hydrant story never gets old, if you ask me. Have you ever rolled by it in the backstreets of Venice Beach? It's funny how such a random, every day object can literally be so legendary. I mean, it's just a fire hydrant! But it's the Natas Hydrant. And him hopping on that thing was a defining moment in street skating that still gets rightfully referenced to this day.

Aside from that, hearing about Natas' early days as a kid is super rad. He mentions there was just always a skateboard around, and that little fact really paints such a gnarly picture of who Natas is and came to be. There was no defining moment—the dude was born to skate, inspire and get creative.

Hearing the stories about filming in the early days and the simple innocence (and trial and error) of it all was really cool, too. I don't want to spoil so much, but Natas is one of those skaters who I'll never get tired of seeing or hearing from. And these stories are certainly no exception. Best dude. What else is there to say?

Few skaters have left a bigger mark than Natas (whether some of you young guns realize it or not) and fewer still can tell the story firsthand the way he does. Simple as that.

Whether you’ve been around since the OG Natas days or are just now learning about the influence he's had on this silly wooden toy, this short is worth your time. I promise.

Santa Cruz nailed it with this one. As they said, it’s "straight skate history, told by the dude who lived it." Boom.

VIDEO / Joe Perrin

EDIT / Richie Valdez