Music, fashion, art, cuisine, sports and culture; these are the concepts Mitch Pfeifer, 27-year-old co-owner of Respect My Region and Ellensburg native, aims to embody in his clothing line and online blog.

“The name Respect My Region was something I had in my head for many years before we formed the LLC and started doing clothing,” Pfeifer said. “Respect My Region is all about a platform for all things dope and urban within the Northwest region. It’s about the pride you have for your hometown/area and championing the local scene.”

Apart of RMR, Pfeifer stays active and immersed in hip-hop music and culture. Not only within Washington, but outside of the region as well.

Pfeifer pays attention to the Portland, Ore. scene and stays up to date with all big name hip-hop artists.

Pfeifer shared that as he was growing up, one of his first gateways into hip-hop culture was skateboarding.

“Being around the skate park, I met some older heads that DJ’d and recorded.” Pfeifer said. “They would always be playing different music at the park and spinning records occasionally.”

Pfeifer said what captivated him most was the hip-hop style of skating, which came with new fashion, music and skate videos attached to it.

Pfeifer said that outside of skateboarding, he was exposed to hip-hop through radio and music his parents played.

“My parents listened to all sorts of music, and I fell in love with the funk and soul music they played.” Pfeifer said

Pfeifer said some of his favorite artists while growing up were Marvin Gaye, Tower of Power, The Temptations and The Four Tops.

Some of his current favorite artists include Jay-Z, Nas, Jadakiss, Drake, J. Cole, Travis Scott and Kendrick Lamar.

As his interest in hip-hop began to increase, Pfeifer explored other realms of hip-hop culture.

Pfeifer got involved with sound engineering and even began to produce his own songs.

“If I have an interest in something…I’m going to get involved and probably find a way to monetize it,” Pfeifer said.

Pfeifer said he initially only had interest in producing his own beats, but over time that began to change.

“I originally had no interest in engineering,” Pfeifer said. “I started recording first out of necessity… I’ve found a love for mixing sounds as it allows so much creativity and that creativity flows over into making beats and shaping sounds in that realm.”

Pfeifer said he really enjoys creating things that inspire people to write and getting his music to the point where people can’t help but nod their heads and say “oh shit” to themselves.

Music and clothing are some of the most difficult industries to gain recognition in, but Pfeifer initially decided to stay rooted in Ellensburg despite the advantages of moving to a large market like Seattle.

“I was conflicted on it for a while, but I purchased a home towards the end of college and had an opportunity to run my business and studio out of my house,” Pfeifer said.

Pfeifer said that, for an extended period of time, he was bringing so many artists to Ellensburg that he didn’t need to make such a move, but recently he has had to move to the west side to widen his outreach.

Although Pfeifer is always striving to push his agenda with the RMR clothing line and broaden his network as a sound engineer and producer, this hasn’t stopped him from providing opportunities for others.

“I’m always interested in having interns for RMR and/or music,” Pfeifer said. “I have previously done three internships and all individuals have gone on to gain employment with my reference.”

Pfeifer said some of his goals with RMR are to get major placements and establish his brand as a producer in the Pacific Northwest.

“We want to expand to more regions in terms of the Northwest and further establish us as the premier Northwest urban culture blog,” Pfeifer said.

Pfeifer said he has recently revamped the RMR website, built an online company for his productions under PanoramicDreams.com and has a new studio under construction.

Moving forward, Pfeifer said he just wants to continue getting paid for what he enjoys doing most and providing a platform for the music he loves.

“I’m going to keep pushing all the artists I work with and hopefully one of the homies blows up here soon,” Pfeifer said.