Erick, first of all, it is a pleasure to be interviewing you for ONEblademag. I appreciate your hard-work and dedication to blading. I’ve heard many good things about you, and I always enjoy your work. Thank you for taking time to complete these questions. I hope you are alright with answering a few “controversial” questions. If there is anything you feel like we have missed please do not hesitate to make it be known.
The pleasure is all mine dude, thanks for taking the time to write out this interview, Bruce.

Go ahead and introduce yourself to the masses for those who aren’t familiar with you.
What’s happen’n yall, my name is Erick Rodriguez, also known as E Rod, one half of 9TO5.

You came into the limelight of the blading game fairly quickly. How did you get to be such a large contributor to blading? And, what prompted your dedication to your blading and your videos?
I didn’t realize I was such a large contributor to the rollerblading industry until recently. I guess my dedication comes from the love I have for the sport. I’ve been skating for over 14 years now and I love it just as much as when I first started, that’s crazy right?

Tell us all about the video project you are working on now with Razors. Will this be the first full length feature you’ve edited?
Yeah, pretty much. I’ve had guest edits on full length features before but this is the first solo project that I put together.

What is your vision for the video? How are you trying to portray Razors and rollerblading?
Honestly, I don’t really have a vision or a certain way I’m trying to portray this video. I only filmed about 5 minutes of it, so I’m basically putting together someone else’s project, or at least that’s how it feels to me. The skating in this video is amazing so it will speak for itself. All of the dudes have dope sections, so I’m just trying to cater to their style of blading and add some swagg to it.

9to5Mixtapes has been pumping out solid edits for over a year now. With over 60 videos in just the last year, how have you seen your skills improve?
They’ve improved in many ways. I’ve learned to work other programs and started doing motion graphic stuff (s/o to Mike “Murda” Johnson for that). I’m always looking for something new to learn.

What is it like to work alongside Rachard Johnson?
That’s a question that I get in every interview. LOL It’s easy to work with someone who has the same creative ideas as you, not to mention you don’t have to worry about anybody trying to rob you for your shit when you got a big ass black dude chillin’ with you. He’s been busy these days with the family and all, so we don’t get to work as much as we would like to; s/o to my bro LARJ.