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One of the most famous street skaters of the late 1990s and early ’00s, Chad Muska is as well known for his style both on and off the board, as he is for his involvement with the break dancing, hip-hop and graffiti scenes. Born in Lorain, Ohio, (near Cleveland), Chad started skating in 1988 in Phoenix, Arizona. When all of the local ramp skateparks died, Chad started street skating when launch ramps were all the rage. Eventually, he moved to Las Vegas, where he lived in a party apartment with a bunch of skaters. After Paul Smith influenced him to start busting big handrails, Chad moved to San Diego, California, and got on G&S just in time for it to turn into &, which then turned into Maple. At this point, Chad broke his ankle, couch surfed for a while, and moved into a house with a bunch of Phoenix heads. Then he started skating with Jamie Thomas, which opened doors to photo sessions with the TransWorld Skateboarding photographers Dave Swift and Skin Phillips.
With some coverage under his belt, Chad got sponsored by Toy Machine, went on a U.S. tour, came home, and turned pro. Then he moved to Huntington Beach, almost got on Flip, but opted for Shorty’s instead. With Shorty’s, he got involved with the creative aspect of the ads and board graphics, and won video of the year for Fulfill The Dream. Chad also got a pro model shoe on éS Footwear, which became the best-selling skate shoe of its time. In 1999, Chad left éS for Circa, which released many successful Muska pro model shoes over the next few years. Chad made many appearances in the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series of videos games, which also featured his own original music. In 2005, Chad left Circa and took a break to party in Hollywood. In 2006, he left Shorty’s, getting sponsored by Element, KR3W and Supra Footwear, which were worn by Pharell, Lil’ Wayne, Kanye West, and Jay-Z. In his spare time, Chad enjoys photography and making art.
