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6 Musicians who are Also Board Junkies

There isn’t anything quite like some good tunes while you’re tearing up some waves, the slope or a halfpipe. The right soundtrack can only make a good line better, yet for some, merely throwing on their headphones before they get on their board isn’t quite enough. These are a rare breed, a hybrid of boarder and musician, who feel just as much at home shredding on a guitar as they do on a skate/snow/surfboard. Here are some of our favorites:

Justin Bieber
I know it’s fashionable to hate on the Biebz, but before you begin with your long list of complaints against this child star, keep in mind that he’s proven himself in both sold-out arenas and on his deck. Most recently, he earned some major cred from Tony Hawk, who admitted that Bieber was able to pull off a trick that he has never been able to: the inward hardflip.

Lil Wayne
Another person admired by Tony Hawk for his unlikely skating skills is Lil Wayne, one of the most prolific rappers ever. Despite being the male with the most entries on the Billboard Hot 100 in history, Lil Wayne still finds time to tear it up at his private skatepark in Miami. For only being in the game for a couple of years, he’s certainly come a long way as a skater, and this has earned him a spot as a playable character in the upcoming Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5.

Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson probably has the craziest story on this list. At 17, Johnson became the youngest surfer to ever be invited to the Pipeline Masters, but his pro career was shortlived. The next week saw him get seriously maimed after a wipeout, losing many of his teeth and requiring 150 stitches in his forehead. During his recovery time, he picked up his guitar and now, six albums later, Johnson has become an established member of the surf-rock canon.

Seal
Seal’s no stranger to heartbreak, and odds are he’s helped you through at least a few breakups as you sit in the shower, mouthing the words to ‘Kiss from a Rose’ (come on, I can’t be the only one who does this, right?). But when he’s not healing broken hearts, the famous R&B singer can be found , flying down the mountain—yup, you guessed it—like an eagle.

Shaun White
The flying tomato has a band—and it rocks. He may have ditched his famous red mop, but the professional skateboarder and Olympic snowboarder has rounded out his trifecta of board-related activities with Bad Things, his surf-rock band.

Matt Costa
Like Johnson, it was a bad spill early on in his professional skating career that turned Costa into a professional musician. After shattering his leg on a 10-stair set at age 19, Costa picked up his guitar and made a demo tape during his 18-month recovery. This attracted the attention of No Doubt’s guitarist, who offered to record Costa’s first album. Since then, Costa has put out a couple of records himself, in addition to playing with pro skater Danny Garcia.

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