Independent record label Closed Sessions hosts hip hop legends in a conversation series

DJ Premier, one of the most prolific producers in hip-hop and one-half of the duo Gang Starr, sat on a stool on a small stage alongside Chicago’s DJ RTC and Dave Jeff in a dimly lit room in front of less than 100 fans.

“My mom would stack five 45s on the record player, on the spindle. She would press the button. The needle hits it. The record drops and knows where to land on it. But she’s like ‘do not touch those records. And don’t put your fingerprints on there!’”

For about an hour, the pioneering beatmaker told long, winding stories about his early life: how he first fell in love with records through his mother’s collection, growing up with rapper Travis Scott’s dad, the highs and lows of his three-plus decade career, and how he came to help produce Christina Aguilera’s “Back to Basics” album.

“The energy of New York made me want to be there then once (hip hop) started to evolve. And I started to see new videos and hear the record and witness scratching. I was like ‘that’s what I want to do.’ (The way) people get the Holy Ghost, I just feel like God’s talking to me. That was my god,” Premier said of how he got into music.

Sprinkling his sense of humor throughout the interview, Premier joked about whether or not he’d actually answered any of the questions. “Sometimes I ramble,” he’d say with a laugh.

The rare intimate gathering was a part of DJ RTC and Jeff’s joint collaboration called Legend Conversation.

The conversation series is the brainchild of DJ RTC, aka Alexander Fruchter, a former independent music journalist from Chicago. During what’s known as rap’s “blog era,” Fruchter was editor-in-chief of popular music and culture blog Ruby Hornet. As a writer and DJ, he found himself helping build a community of music lovers and launching rap artists from Chicago’s view to the rest of the country.

The idea for Legend Conversation came about “because I wanted to do something that would increase a feeling of community. I wanted to celebrate these artists and also create unique and impactful experiences,” Fruchter told the Tribune.

The original iteration began prior to the COVID-19 pandemic at Soho House, but Fruchter decided to revamp the idea in 2021. After leaving music blogging nearly a decade ago to pursue his own indie record label, Closed Sessions, he felt that time had passed him by. He was burned out. One day, after a nap to reset his frustrations, Fruchter decided he needed to find a way to rejuvenate his enthusiasm.

The event, which is held quarterly, has hosted notable hip-hop legends such as Raekwon, DJ Jazzy Jeff, The Alchemist, DJ Clark Kent and Just Blaze. Though it originally started at a different location, Legend Conversation seems to have found a home at Dorian’s Through the Record Shop, a Wicker Park record store with a speak-easy in the back. The location is as much a character in the conversation as the interviewees. The small room has a wall of records and a small retro-looking DJ booth.

“As hip-hop and music culture grows, fans would rather have an experience where they get to eat dinner and listen to an artist tell their stories,” Fruchter said. “There’s a whole generation of artists that are now entering legacy status or are older, maybe they don’t want to tour and go to a concert but this provides an intimate, unique experience for them and for fans. So that’s kind of what I wanted to do.”

The first Legend Conversation was held at Jugrnaut, a Loop boutique, and Fruchter enlisted the help of Chef Brian Fisher and self-described “cultural architect” Jeff, creator of Chicago streetwear brand PHLI.

“I help build brands and this being Alex’s vision, he just felt that I would be a perfect fit for that. Alex gives you a journalistic viewpoint. And then I’ll come from a more cultural side or ask those questions that you probably wouldn’t ask,” Jeff said.

Each entry in the series features dinner by Fisher; specialty cocktails; an interview led by Fruchter and Jeff with a music artist or beat maker; and an after-party with DJ sets, including one by the visiting artist. The cocktail menu is curated with the interviewee in mind with names like “The Boom Bap,” “Closed Sessions Classic Material,” “Mass Appeal,” and “Legend Conversation Starter.” A themed collectors’ item such as a shirt, beanie or poster is created for each interview as well.

The crowd on Thursday night was full of music lovers of all kinds hanging onto Premier’s every word, getting an opportunity to sit mere feet from an icon of the genre while he waxed poetic. His presence evoked feelings of nostalgia for a long-gone but not forgotten era of hip-hop.

“It really has restored a feeling for me of community and the local scene, putting everybody together under one roof, breaking bread, talking to people. Not everybody is in the music community. All these different communities are coming together in a very intimate environment, you’re not really getting these. That’s why I think this is such a hot ticket. Everybody wants to get in here, because it brings back something that we have missed and we haven’t had in Chicago in a long time,” said Andrew Barber, owner/creator of popular music blog Fake Shore Drive.

Barber, a mainstay in the Chicago hip-hop community, has only missed one Legend Conversation and says he will never miss one again as long as he is invited.

Melo Rosario of BWS Barbershop in Wicker Park has been to all eight Legend Conversations. He says the events give listeners “information and insight, history of the artists and the music.”

The dinner and conversation are invite-only, but the after-party is open to the public for a cover charge. People hoping to get into the party begin lining up hours before its 10 p.m. start time, and by the time the event transitions from the dinner to the party, the line is down the block.

“I think the culture today is kind of microwave. And what I mean by that is not necessarily in a bad way, but everybody’s just kind of wanting something now, and a lot of people don’t do the homework on why certain things are even available. I think Legend Conversation is important because we get to bring back legends and ask those questions on what inspired them, where their whole vision of what they’re doing came from,” Jeff said.

At the end of the conversation with DJ Premier, the tables and chairs were removed from the space and a DJ setup was added to the stage. Fans who had waited in line outside began to trickle in. After a couple of opening DJs, including Fruchter, set the mood, Premier gave the crowd what they came for. He played hit after hit as the crowd bobbed their heads and waved their arms, occasionally dropping an emphatic “ohhhhhhh!” as they recognized some of his classics.

“The blog era is over … but the fundamentals of it, the vibe of it, the aesthetic of it, don’t need to be abandoned. We’re still looking for what’s next but what’s next doesn’t mean brand new,” Fruchter said.

“Hip-hop is now 50. A lot of the artists are in their upper 40s and 50s but still have something to say, still have lessons to teach. You still have great art. And I’m trying to say there’s an audience for that.”

The next Closed Sessions’ Legend Conversation is on July 20; more information at legendconversation.com