Ronald James
May 26th, 2009
Ronald James aka The Tempo Tandrum is launching a clothing line Status Appartus! I was blessed for getting a tshirt and i really like this clothing line based in baltimore city! Nice prints, good quality shirts and if you believe in living under the baltimore sun you must deff buy one of his tshirts!
Could you tell me who are you?
Well, my name is Ronald James.¬†¬†I hail from East Baltimore City. I’ve been in Baltimore all my life¬†and I do a decent amount of stuff.¬†I’m a lover of music, fashion, creativity, and milk shakes.¬†I am the host of the weekly 90 minute podcast, The Tempo Tandrum, which can be found at http://www.thetempotandrum.com. ¬†I’m co-owner of the streetwear line Status Apparatus which can be found at¬†http://www.statusapparatus.com/¬†In addition to that, I formed a production situation called The Tempo Tandrum. I produce all sorts of things including hip-hop, ¬†Baltimore Club, and pop.¬†
So youre starting a clothing line, tell me something about that!
Status Apparatus was launched a couple months ago. I’ve loved fashion for the bulk of my life so it was only right that I got into designing myself. When I was 18, I was put on to streetwear and sneaker culture. It was quality stuff that was creative. It wasn’t sold everywhere so the oversaturation wasn’t there. I was fascinated by it and I wanted to bring it to Baltimore because I noticed that all the companies, were based out of the same places. Stussy, The Hundreds, Kilo, Alife, 10 Deep, Supreme are all brands that had a strong presence in LA or NY (or all of the other major cities). I wanted to create a brand that was from Baltimore but didn’t use it as a gimmick. A brand that has good designs and a good message behind it, but just so happens to be out of Baltimore. Consistency is the key and I think we are prepared for the long haul.
You believe in living under the baltimore sun!?
Yup! I wholeheartedly do believe in it. That is one our launch shirts with a very interesting message.  Baltimore culture is amazing to me. Sights, sounds, smells. Summer is approaching and it is crab season so it is an amazing time to be a Baltimorean . For the full explanation of the shirt go to  http://www.statusapparatus.com.
In the logo of the Status Apparatus there are 3 things: coins, granade and a heart. Whats the idea behind the logo?
The idea behind Status Apparatus is one of the many reasons people will love the brand. Status is a very huge part of our existance as people. Our lifestyle choices, clothing, cars and everything in between speak of our position in life (if you have the means). For some people it is expensive paintings, for others it is purses or sneakers. The logo is a very simple representation of status. It is the cartoon bubble displaying the grenade, heart and coins. On a very basic level, it is money, power and respect. These are three things that are very indicative of status. I wanted to use these symbols because when things are marketed to consumers, it is often sold to us through those means.
What’s in the future for Status Apparatus?
Well, Status Apparatus isn’t just a shirt company. Other articles of clothing are coming including hats, hoodies, pants, etc. Also women’s stuff is coming soon as well. Very excited about that.
Where can we buy Status Apparatus?
You said you produce baltimore club tracks? Could you give us a track?
Yes I do Bart. I’ve been a huge fan of Baltimore Club since I was about 6 or 7 years old. ¬†I’ve listened to Scottie B, DJ boobie, Rod lee, Frankie Ski, Miss Tony, KW Griff, DJ BOOMAN, Rod Lee, KW Griff, Rod Braxton, Karizma, D.J. Technics, D.J. Phinesse, Diamond K, DJ Patrick, and DJ Kenny B. , K swift, DJ blaqqstar. Those are in my eyes, Baltimore Club pioneers (sorry if I missed some people). I’m a big fan of old school club (circa 1993-1997). The only thing is, old school Baltimore Club is hard as shit to find! It’s pretty sad that it is.¬†
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Did an interview with Ronald James aka @tempotandrum read+buy one of his cool shirts! http://bit.ly/1aiRKO
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
Ronald James: Ronald James aka The Tempo Tandrum is launching a clothing line Status Appartus! I was blessed for.. http://tinyurl.com/pawgqn
This comment was originally posted on Twitter