For orchestral arrangement writer Doug Jenkins and the classical ensemble the Portland Cello Project, hip-hop and classical music have more in common than one might think – Just listen to their flip of The Throne’s “H*A*M.” With a set list that now puts historic pieces alongside modern day hip-hop anthems, the orchestra is looking to bridge the gap between the two styles of music and show that good music is well.

When did the Portland Cello Project start?
Doug Jenkins: The group started about five years ago, randomly. There were a lot of classical music groups who were trying to play in bars and unusual places to bring classical music to the people, like Matt Haimovitz playing the cello suites at CBGB’s for example]. We thought we’d try the same thing, but we quickly evolved away from classical music to a place where we were trying to bridge all musical communities together, collaborating and respectfully adapting.

L+T: What’s your role in the group?
DG: I write the overwhelming majority of the orchestral arrangements, produce the records (I run a studio in Portland). And, I play cello in the group. I basically run everything except for the booking and PR. We’re an independent group, so a lot of what we do is DIY.

L+T: At what point did you start incorporating non-classical pieces into your set?
DG: Maybe the third show. And it was immediately clear it was a good idea. From then on, we’ve sold out every single show we’ve played in Portland.

L+T: When you first heard The Throne’s “H*A*M,” what was your reaction?
DG: I listened to it over and over. The structure, the textures, the lyrics and just the overall idea of the song. Like JAY Z describes in Decoded that hip-hop can be a creative exercise using the form of 16 bars explaining why you’re the best at what you do. “H*A*M” takes that to the utter, absolute extreme not only lyrically, but musically.

L+T: What’s the process to play that song as an orchestral piece?
DG: I’ve scored and re-scored that one a few times to make it work. It seems like in each re-write the key was to just make it bigger. More horns, more winds, and way more cellos to give it the depth. We put a chorus in at the beginning just because, without lyrics in right away, ours would have lacked that initial punch – the chorus is so big. Otherwise we’re true to the structure. A lot of extended technique and flutter tongue and stuff in the winds and brass were used to do something like that ascending synth figure Lex Luger used a lot on his songs that year. For the players, it’s pretty natural. The rhythms in the rhymes make total musical sense, and where you hear parallel grammatical structure you also feel parallel rhythmic structure, so musically in translates to an instrumental naturally. For example, that section where JAY Z’s rhymes all use the conditional perfect tense: “Y’all motherfuckers would have been moved/Y’all motherfuckers would have been chewed.” It’s all rhythmically very logical and natural to follow.

L+T: PCP has also done Kanye West and other Watch the Throne songs. Why them?
DG: We recorded a lot of other songs by other producer/composers that just didn’t sound as good in the end with us doing them. We decided no matter what when choosing the cuts for the record that we’d not pay any attention to anything other than how good the songs sounded in our specific recordings, regardless of the originals, regardless of if they were all by the same folks. We just wanted to make a good record. Kanye West’s stuff, whether it’s a piece he’s producing himself, or whether it’s something someone else produced he’s a part of, has a consistent and impeccable quality to it. Both the small details (the sounds and textures), and the big picture elements (how sections contrast, and even just the way his bridges are actual functioning musical bridges), lend themselves to being great instrumental pieces, because there’s so much depth to the musicality.

It’s definitely annoying when people come up to me at our shows at tell me that we made Kanye West enjoyable. Frankly, I barely changed anything but the instrumentation, and in performance we try to stay as true to the spirit of the songs as possible. The people that hate on Kanye West don’t seem to understand that, all the things they complain about, they would have complained about with Beethoven. Beethoven also didn’t know when to keep his mouth shut, dealt with heartbreak in similar ways, and alienated himself, but, he was a great composer, and an artist who wrote music from a very honest and human place. Their musical structures are even so similar. I think it’s a mix of being closed-minded and not knowing anything about Beethoven that keeps people from making that sort of connection and accepting Kanye’s productions/compositions as great music.

L+T: In terms of cultural impact, do you think hip-hop music will ever be put in the same echelon as classical?
DG: It’s all perspective. I mean, hip-hop is the most vibrant and influential American art form around today, hands down, and anyone who doesn’t realize that is simply ignorant. So what echelon does that put it in? The bigger question is, will the disparate groups of American culture ever be able to break down their differences and open their minds to see the value in all art forms. Music is supposed to be universal, isn’t it? There are so many barriers to break down in this country for that to happen. Cultural elitism and racism are rather powerful forces keeping us all apart.

L+T: If you had to make an album of classical takes on hip-hop songs, which would you choose?
DG: Like recreate a whole record? If you mean a whole record, I’ve been thinking a lot about The Roots‘ Things Fall Apart lately as a complete, overarching work. That’s a special record compositionally and texturally.

L+T: What’s your favorite classical sample in a hip-hop song?
DG: I really like the use of the “Franz Liszt Totentanz” in [Juelz Santana's] “Second Coming.” (I think that’s a Just Blaze produced/composed track?) He takes it to a pretty epic place, which fits the feel of the original. That and that it’s the “dance of death” in an inspirational Nike setting is a pretty fun irony. I actually hope no one ever uses “Carmina Burana,” again, just because it’s over done. But, maybe I’m wrong about that. That’s the cool and unpredictable thing about hip-hop producers. The second I say that, someone will use it in such a creative and unique way, I’ll have to eat my words.

L+T: If you’re trying to get someone into classical music, what would you introduce them to?
DG: Maybe something modern that’s relatively universal, but not too popular. Like spiritual minimalism. Like, Arvo Paert. Or maybe John Tavener or something. If you really like rhythms, Arvo Paert. Maybe start with that Gideon Kremer recording of “Fratres (1)” or “The Cantus for Benjamin Britten.” If you really like textures as opposed to rhythms, try John Tavener, like that Svyati album with Steven Isserlis playing.

L+T: So what’s next for the Portland Cello Project?
DG: Lots of touring for the next six months! And then…where the wind blows next…

Face from the limited edition silk scarves by Kanye West, George Condo and M/M (Paris)

“Kanye West approached us to design his My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album for which we created a series of hand-drawn ornamented frames adorning George Condo’s paintings. Kanye wanted to find a luxurious way of materializing our common creative effort and we suggested making voluptuous silk scarves. This resulted in five full color scarves made of 100% silk twill made in France–each produced in a limited edition of a hundred. The very last few are available through our website.”

CREDIT: M/M (Paris) “FACE” from the limited edition silk scarves by Kanye West, George Condo and M/M (Paris) 2011. 90 x 90 cm (35 x 35″), 100 % twill de soie. Edition of 100 made in France. Courtesy of mmparis.com

“Love working with Kanye. I wanted a painting that would make you feel G.O.O.D!” – George Condo, creator of the “Theraflu” artwork.

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Nate Ruess is having the time of his life. As the front man for New York City group FUN.,  (yes – the period is part of their name), he’s created a new anthem for a generation of hopeful and ambitious youngsters. Titled ‘We Are Young,’ Ruess collaborated with Janelle Monáe on the track, and in what some might call the highest form of flattery, his single skyrocketed to the Billboard 100), was recreated by the cast of Glee for one of their recent on-air episodes. In between gigs in San Francisco, Life+Times caught up with Mr. Ruess while he was recovering from one of the best nights of his current tour. Why? It all has to do with a diner. (Photo Credit: Misha Vladimirskiy | Twitter)

Life+Times: How’s it going Nate?
Nate Reuss: Things are great. I had the wildest night of the tour last night – only from a drinking level. I found myself at a diner at the end of the night. It wasn’t debaucherous – but I was definitely a little inebriated. But as I get older, I can’t handle it as well.

L+T: Was it fun?
NR: Yeah, for sure. I had scrambled eggs.

L+T: So tell me, what’s behind the name “FUN.?”
NR: Well, our friend was performing at a comedy club in NYC and after the set he said ‘What are you going to name the band?’ Someone suggested “Ice Cream” and I thought it was a pretty dumb name. But then we started talking about the notions that the word ice cream conjures up. And someone said “Fun.” Our manager at the time told us to Google search it and if nothing came up, it was ours. Naturally, the only things that we found were wigs, porn, and go-karts. So it eventually became our name.

L+T: But what about the “.” at the end of Fun? How did that originate?
NR: Well, then [after we picked the name] a Swedish death metal band said it was their name – so we had to change it up. They were really awesome about it though. They just wanted us to do something subtle. We were going to do “Fun USA,” but we decided against it.

L+T: What sounds have influenced your album and aesthetic “Some Nights?”
NR: It was a lot of hip-hop sounds. There weren’t any live drums on the album – it was all sampled. I really love the last few Kanye West albums – as they were incredible in terms of beats. So, we broke a lot of beats and used a lot of samples. And luckily we worked with some great people.

L+T: If you had to define some of the biggest changes between your first and second albums – what would it be?
NR: For me, as a songwriter, I write from my head because I don’t play an instrument. I’ll generally write an entire song and I’ll bring it to the rest of the band and we collectively make it our own. With this style of writing, I pay no attention to tempo, so I took a more classical approach to songwriting this time around.

L+T: In some ways, I think “We Are Young” is an anthem for a new generation. What do you take from the song?
NR: I should just take what you just said and completely agree with it – because that’s very flattering. I was driving once and it just popped into my head. I was more excited about the lyrics instead of the melody. But I thought that maybe the lyrics were a shot at someone like Sarah Palin – just the arrogance of modern America. What ended up happening during the week when I was writing the song was I had an epic night of getting kicked out of two cabs because I was so inebriated. My girlfriend and one of my best friends had to take care of me because I couldn’t remember anything. I actually owe my best friend and bass player cab fare. But, I really appreciated that and I was able to turn it around and realize that it’s amazing to have wonderful people around you and if things get a little tricky – there will be your friends to take care of you.’

L+T: In your career, who are some of your biggest musical icons?
NR: For me, it’s Van Morrison, Otis Redding, The Beatles, and then JAY Z and Kanye West – as they are the definition of iconic front men. Since I don’t play an instrument, I have no choice but to go out there and put on a show. And they do it better than anyone.

25-year-old Christian Berishaj is not a “new” artist by any stretch of the imagination. You may know him by his previous monikers – Snowhite of Atlantic Records pop band Love Arcade or Universal Motown “When She Turns 18” artist Christian TV. But what you may have seen and heard from Berishaj in his teenage years is absolutely nothing like the artist that stands before you today. Fed up with being in the music industry, Berishaj retreated and peeled his major-label manufactured layers from his flesh until there was nothing left but JMSN. No longer would he be subjected to being shaped and molded to fit in, JMSN would go his own route and dig into the darkest and most honest parts of his soul to pull out an artistry that may have not been accepted by the mainstream. Gone was the tame pop-rock image and in came an artist’s artist. One who stirs with emotion and wallows in damp basslines and haunting vocals. Celebrity be damned, JMSN wants you to feel his emotion through his music. The January release of †Priscilla† (available now on iTunes) revealed JMSN’s soul and has led to a cult following that is touched by his artistry. But his musical footprint left fans inquisitive as to who Priscilla was and what has led to such a mysterious artist creating beautiful music. Life+Times sat down with JMSN for an exclusive interview that sheds some light on his life changing transformation and why he decided to set out on his own.

Life+Times: You’ve been signed before. What was that experience like for you and why have you decided to go the indie route?
JMSN: I wanted to take all of the information that we know about the music business and give people something that’s real without anything holding me back. The best way to do that is to take out the business and not worry about hit singles. Then it comes down to the bare essentials of music.

L+T: There was a shift artistically for you to a much darker sound. What prompted the change?
JMSN: I stopped listening to everybody else and just started listening to myself. What labels do is try to make you think that you have to chase radio. But don’t worry about radio; make it come to you. Radio is the last thing I want to worry about. I know what I want and I had to believe that I’m good enough to do what’s in my heart. When I was at a major label I would come to them with ideas and they were always on the darker side. They told me they couldn’t put it anywhere. I’ve always been into the dark visuals that contradict the music. With a video you can take a song to a whole different dimension. Why would you want to confine a video to what the lyrics say? Let’s be creative and make it and a metaphor. That’s what is great about music; it can mean so many things to so many people. Darkness is a part of life that people don’t want to talk about as much. But that’s what I want to talk about the most.

L+T: Some of the best albums are written out of pain and broken relationships. Did †Priscilla† have to do with a real life situation or person?
JMSN: Yes. She was the key to Pandora’s Box and opened up all of the shit going on in my life. It’s essentially about a girl but it’s about so much more than that. It’s about my life, what’s wrong with it and me trying to figure it all out. My life in the past six months was that record.

L+T: Many artists fabricate reality but you seem to embrace the dark side with your music. Was there any concern that people would not connect to your artistry?
JMSN: There’s always some concern, but one of my favorite artists, Eminem, put his heart out there and held nothing back. Artist that bare their souls always stuck out to me. As long as you don’t bullshit, they will get that. Even if it’s something they don’t like musically, they’re going to respect it as long as you’re putting your heart out there.

L+T: There’s a certain aesthetic in your music that has been compared to the likes of The Weeknd and Bon Iver. Comparisons usually suck but that’s not too bad company that you’re in.
JMSN: It’s only natural when something comes out that you don’t understand, you have to compare it to something that you like. When Coldplay came out, I thought it was a knockoff of Radiohead. When you think about that today they are two completely different bands. It’s just how the mind works.

L+T: You took your time with this project, released a few videos over the course of a few months and then released the album retail instead of for free; which is a complete departure from what other artists are doing today. Why?
JMSN: It was just us believing in what we had. There are no throwaway songs on this album. It’s exactly what was going on in my life and what still is going on in my life. I believe it’s going to be a long-standing record. I’m going to make a video for every song. I didn’t want to devalue this project or make it a mixtape. I’m not interested in being an overnight celebrity. I want to have real fans, not some motherfuckers that like it because everybody else likes it. I want to create something real because nowadays it’s so easy to steal. I want people to feel like they own it.

L+T: The “Something” video is incredibly dark and stuffed with symbolism and visual metaphors. Where did the inspiration come for this video?
JMSN: The idea started with the octopus. I saw a picture of a girl with an octopus on her hand it was such a strong image. When I started shooting the “Something” video I figured that this would be the perfect song for that visual. Some people can’t handle that intensity. I wanted it to be as intense as possible because I want to evoke emotion out of people.

L+T: You have a deal with MTV where they will be placing your music in their programming. What does that mean to you considering that there is no major label backing you up?
JMSN: It reassures that it’s possible to do what we’re trying to do. If I’m putting out something good it doesn’t matter if we have a label. The label is what you put on something like “This Belongs to Epic Records.” Our label is White Room records. Eventually we want to create something like Shady records where if you’re under Shady records it’s got that authenticity attached to it. People want real music and real artists. I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t have real artists like Portishead and Radiohead to listen to when I was going growing up. It feels good to know that we can do this without a label.

L+T: Considering that you’ve done everything internally are you interested in collaborating with other artists?
JMSN: It all depends on the situation. I don’t think I’m at the point where I’d let somebody produce for me. I wouldn’t do it because it wouldn’t be a JMSN song; it’s now somebody else’s. Maybe a coproduction if it feels right. I’m not going to say never because maybe I just haven’t met the right person to want to do that with. As far as producing for other artists, I’m open to that. I remember when Kanye West said he kept the best beats for himself and I feel like that too. I would give somebody a beat, but at this point but I’m keeping all of the good ones for JMSN.

L+T: What does the rest of 2012 have in store for you? Will we see a new album this year?
JMSN: I’m trying to ride †Priscilla† out. I need time to make the next one great but I’ve definitely started on it already. I can’t plan that far ahead because I may make something where I feel like we need to put this out immediately. I can’t put a time on it I don’t want to limit myself.

“I would say my music is like a Whole Foods or a Trader Joe’s, versus a Dominick’s or a Ralph’s,” says BJ The Chicago Kid, likening his sounds more along the lines of a specialty, premium grocery store as opposed to a traditional supermarket. The crooner classifies his sounds more to world, R&B and soul.

“In music all of this shit is the same price. So really, it’s just up to you [the listener] to what you decide to eat. There’s a choice and that’s what I want people to understand,” he declares. “Listen knowing that you have this choice to buy this or this. I really believe in holding up my responsibility as a writer more so than just making people party and bullshit every time they hear my record.”

That attitude is what has propelled BJ The Chicago Kid into becoming one of the most respected artists in music, even if you haven’t heard of him – yet. After years of singing background and killing features, he’s finally ready to drop his opus, Pineapple Now-Laters. Life+Times caught up with the soulful crooner from the South Side of Chicago – whose first placement was with Ramsey Lewis – to discuss the winding road he’s traveled in order to finally arrive here and see his dreams come to fruition.

L+T: How did you get into music?
BJ: Music has always been in my blood. My mom was a choir director and singer, my dad directs and sings, my brothers played drums and sang.

L+T: What would you say is your responsibility as an artist?
BJ: Pretty much just spreading the best knowledge that you can that can be perceived [by people of] all colors, all races, all ages.

L+T: Talk about being from Chicago.
BJ: I feel like I can outwork anybody. It’s just something about being from Chicago. You hate to lose. Now, if you lose, you accept the loss. You don’t become a sore loser, you just hate to lose. That’s not even an option, so I’m always competitive, always bettering myself, staying sharp, staying ready. Chicago teaches you a lot, but when it comes to this industry, it can’t teach you everything. You have to get outside of the city to learn all of the rules. Chicago doesn’t have enough players living there to teach you all of that game. Chicago is always going to have hating, but the way I found to beat the hate was to use my connects beyond the city.

L+T: How was it to make that leap of faith, and move from Chicago to L.A.?
BJ: At the time, my dad was working at United Airlines, and the way the buddy passes worked back then, they were carbon copies. They give you a pack of four, and if you write your name on the first ticket, then all those tickets have your name on it. My mom had the whole pack, but her name only showed up on the first three tickets. Why didn’t her name print on that last ticket? I felt like that was my golden ticket to California to never come back until I have something to bring back. That was my way to get out of here and follow my dream. My pops believed in me doing music, but he felt like I would do better in some other field. I just believed in me so I had to come. I came here and never moved back.

L+T: Speak on each of the elements you’ve worked in musically. Background singer, writer, solo artist, etc.
BJ: The original element I came to California doing was singing background. I got hired singing background for everybody from Common to Mary J. Blige to Usher to Jamie Foxx, Jill Scott, Dirty Money, and a list of others. As a writer I’ve been blessed to work with Mary J. Blige again, Kanye West, Anthony Hamilton, I’m working with Jill right now, Snoop, a lot of pop artists overseas, the list goes on. As a solo artist, as my own brand that I’m banking myself on, I’ve worked with Kendrick Lamar, Dom Kennedy, Pac Div, Freddie Gibbs, Schoolboy Q, A$AP Rocky, Busta Rhymes, MF Doom. I would say the resume is pretty blessed, I just want to make sure that, as an artist, I earn that respect.

L+T: How have been able to connect with so many different artists?
BJ: It’s crazy how all of that stuff happened. I had a few friends out here that were tastemakers of L.A. that happened to be friends of mine — like [Levi] Maestro Knows, for example. He simply sells his lifestyle to people, and he’s worked with everyone from Nike to Hennessey. He set himself apart from anyone else on the Internet, and this is a good friend of mine, so him doing that helped me meet everyone from the owners of [Washington, DC boutique] Commonwealth to adidas sending me their sweatsuits and sneakers. It’s amazing to have people like that that also know  other people in L.A. that you may not know. I met Dom Kennedy through his sister. I met Kendrick [Lamar] through some friends of mine that were really like family. I met the whole T.D.E. family through them. It’s being destined and being in the right place at the right time.

L+T: Who are some of your musical influences?
BJ: Definitely Raphael Saadiq. I listen to a lot of Little Dragon. I love them and how they push the limit musically. Prince, of course. The Isley Brothers, Marvin Gaye, Mint Condition, The Beatles, John Mayer, Cee-Lo, D’Angelo. Willie Hutch is one of my favorites. I don’t think people know how ill Willie Hutch was. They know how many times they dance to his samples, but they don’t know who it leads back to. If they realized it all came from the same source, one of these award shows would really bless that man or his family. James Brown is one of my favorites, as well. I don’t think we’ll ever get that again.

L+T: Is there a difference between soul and R&B?
BJ: In my eyes, R&B is always aimed at a younger crowd. To me, a child can understand soul music, but not know why they were feeling that certain oomph, that really isn’t felt in an R&B record. When it comes to subject matter, nowadays, there is no difference. Subject-wise, it doesn’t matter, but musically I believe there’s a difference. An R&B record is super lovey-dovey, extremely hard, but extremely soft, you know. Soul music can just stay right there in the middle, like Al Green‘s “Love and Happiness.”

L+T: What is the state of soul music, then, in your eyes?
BJ: I love soul music. I think that when neo-soul first came out it changed a lot of people’s mind about what soul really is. Originally, soul is Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, and Al Green. That’s soul – people that transferred the emotion and the feeling that you would get from church into another type of conversation. Soul was originally intended to make you forget about every problem. It’s either to nurture the soul or heal the soul, but it’s for the soul, heart and mind. That’s the responsibility. I don’t think a lot of people are making soul. They’re making soulful music, but not soul music.

L+T: Talk about your upcoming project, Pineapple Now-Laters.
BJ: I’m just happy that it’s ready to come out. It’s taken two years and some change, off and on. I nurtured Pineapple Now-Laters, and I built it and wrestled with it, took a couple songs off, put a couple songs in. I wanted to make sure I got the mixes right, got the credits right, because I’m putting it out by myself. I’m my own entity. The best story in the world is about you, from you. So that’s what it’s about. I fell in love with [the candy] pineapple Now-Laters when my cousin gave me some in church one time. On the low, I kind of dedicated this project to him. I still eat them to this day and bring them on the road with me. It’s just a way of saying, ‘I’m me. I don’t have to conform to time.’ I’m simply celebrating me not being controlled by a label. It’s gonna be soulful, it has some pop elements to it, there’s gonna be dialogue in it, something you can smoke to, drink to, make love to, and it’s got some responsibility to it.

Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood is a bustling area, but inside RSVP Gallery, the creation of Kanye West comrades Don C and Virgil Abloh, everything seems to slow down. Busy sidewalks and crowded streets are contrasted by a calm, spacious store fully equipped with luxury items that match this serene mood. It’s that juxtaposition that’s helped the two-year-old RSVP continue to stand out, while stores have gotten dressed up. Offering a constant stream of exclusive items and plush products, from clothes, to art, and books, RSVP Gallery is looking to define a lifestyle. Life+Times caught up with Austin Neely and Easy Otabor of the space to find out what you should attend.

L+T: Give some background on the gallery. What was the thinking behind starting this place?
RSVP: RSVP was started by Don C and Virgil [Abloh]. They’re really well-traveled and have gone all over the world and see a lot of different brands and really inspirational things, and they wanted to bring that back to Chicago to create a space that allows people to get inspired, be cultured and learn about things outside of the normal realm.

L+T: Why the name, “RSVP?”
RSVP: Well it stands for répondez s’il vous plaît, which is a French phrase for “please respond.” Basically, they designed a space where you come into the store, music is playing, there’s neon and everything is curated. They want you to walk around and experience it, and say, “Oh, this is so cool. I love this, let me look at these books.” We’re inviting you to respond to the space and be a part of something that we’re doing here.

L+T: Who would you say the target consumer is?
RSVP: I think we’re pretty wide-based. We always say, whenever anyone asks, “We want anyone from the age of five to the age of 60 or 70 to be able to relate.” We carry KaiKai KiKi flowers – anyone from a little kid to a collector to Kanye or [A Bathing Ape founder] Nigo can enjoy those. Then we have the Hermés Paris scarves that only three stores in the whole word got. We have films, books, DVDs. Then we have electronics, so if you’re not into this, you can get a Geneva sound system. To be honest, we just want anybody to be able to relate to the store and have a great time. We don’t really have a “target.”

L+T: What are some stores that influenced RSVP?
RSVP: Honestly, our biggest influences come from artists, culture and people who curate everything around them. We try to not really think of ourselves as a store, we’re more like a fusion, a gallery. You come in and look around and feel like you’re looking at art, as well. Culture, pop art, musicians, and artists. We’re so fused together. We love going to different shops that are greatly curated like Colette or St. Alfred’s. We respect all these stores, and they definitely keep us working, we just make it a point to really be about us and bring out the best in this lifestyle we’re trying to curate.

L+T: Talk about the intersection between art and fashion.
RSVP: They both correspond. It’s a nice cross-point. You can’t talk about music without talking about art, and you can’t talk about art and fashion without talking about music. I think they go hand-in-hand. Everything that we carry, there’s a lot of effort that goes into it. There’s a lot of effort that goes into designing an awesome bag, as well to do graphic design or make a painting. We really only try to carry things that we see as art, and that a [high] work-level has been put into it. So that’s kind of where we get this juxtaposition [between art and fashion], like, “Look at this shirt. It’s just a shirt, but it’s so well-crafted, look at the detail on it.” It’s art. Everything that we carry really doubles as art, whether you wear it or have it on a wall in your house.

L+T: Everything in here seems to be pretty exclusive. Describe the selection process in determining what you all carry.
RSVP: Some people contact us, and then our buyers and partners in the store will go through and select and see what they like, if they’re interested in carrying the brand. Other times, we’ll have to go out and try to find brands and contact them if we think they’re doing something that’s really cool. They may not be the biggest brand on the planet, but if they’re going something awesome, we’ll get behind it. We also like well-established, longevity brands, so anything that’s been around for years we aim toward, because we plan on being here for years, too.

L+T: How is RSVP representative of Chicago?
RSVP: We believe that Chicago is a great city, but it gets overlooked a lot. Chicago has had a huge influence on all of us as far as culture, so we’re trying to take that influence and everything else from around the world and bring it back here to make our culture stronger. Chicago has certain style and vibe to it. We just try to integrate new things into the existing style.

L+T: The “Just Don” snapbacks have been getting a lot of love lately. Talk about the hats, their conception and reception.
RSVP: They’re crazy. It’s like a fusion between the whole snapback culture and Chicago. The snakeskin originated in Chicago with these hats called “Buck 50s.” All the drug dealers would have them. Don took them and just put a high-end flip on ‘em, and made them so anyone can relate to them. Of course, it’s a higher quality – it’s lambskin at the bottom, real snakeskin at the top, buckle at the back. Technically, it’s not really a snapback. Anyone from kids to adults go crazy for them. They’re definitely our number one seller here for the holidays.

L+T: What’s to look for from RSVP in 2012?
RSVP: Well that brings me back what I said before: we love surprises. It’s all about high-end. I think we’ll have a lot of crazy, high-end brands that I don’t think people expected us to have so soon, that’s all I can say. But we will have it [this] year. People will have a lot to look forward to from RSVP in 2012 and beyond.

Photo credit: David Andrew Muniz

[All work (c) 2011 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.]

“And Then, When That’s Done…… I Change. What I Was Yesterday Is Cast Aside, Like An Insect Shedding Its Skin” (2009)

“This is DOB, one of my signature characters. The name “DOB” is spelled out by the letters on his ears and his “o” shaped face. The DOB project began as an exploration of what it takes to create an enduring modern icon but before long he became a form of self portrait.”