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First of all, what was it like growing up in L.A?

It was cool, a normal life - school, hanging out, same shit everyone else does.

Photography takes a combination of skill and natural talent, does it come easy for you or is there a certain level of work you have to put in for that perfect shot?

For me every photo shoot is a challenge, I show up to the shoot not knowing what is going to be there or what the people are like and I have to make art happen, sometimes it works good and sometimes its torture, but it's all part of the job. No one likes all of their job, most of the times it's great, every now and then I run into an asshole, or not good shooting conditions but 95% of the time it's good.

When was it that you realised you could make a career from photography?

In '97 I started getting paid for my hobby then I realized with a lot of sacrifice, and hard work I could make a career out of photography.

Hip-Hop obviously heavily influences your work. What other forms of music inspire you?

Hip-Hop is where I got most of my start because I was the tour manager for House of Pain and Cypress Hill for 13 years, so I was mainly around Hip-Hop, but because of the kind of people and band Cypress was we were able to tour with a lot of different types of bands and to a lot of countries so we were exposed to a lot. To this day I’ve been to 46 countries, 44 of them with Cypress, and every state in the U.S., a lot of them more than once. But I like all types of music I listen to almost everything; I have an open mind when it comes to music.

What was it like touring with House of Pain while they were blowing up? Any crazy stories?

Yeah there are hundreds, a lot I have forgotten, because we got high a little bit back then. Going through that experience with them was crazy, starting from nothing touring around in a van everywhere for no money, to a tour bus, to flying to different countries and seeing the world and getting paid. It was perfect for me - I love to travel and love the grind, it was never the same and never easy.

With all of the exhibitions, projects and collaborations you dedicate yourself to, your workload is immense. What do you do in your downtime? Do you even have downtime?

Hang out with my family and friends, there is a lot of things I want to accomplish which means a lot of work. I've had some near death experiences that were life changing for me, I realized how grateful I need to be for life today. I live everyday like it’s my first and last.

You have worked with some of the biggest names in the music/showbiz industry, is there anyone you haven’t worked with that you would like to? Anyone that you’d like to work with again?

I would like to work with Adriana Lima, Jessica Alba, Christopher Walken, Harvey Kietel, Gary Oldman, Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, Dustin Hoffman. Work with again: Dennis Hopper, Robert De Nero, Al Pacino, Ryan Phillipe, Forest Whitaker, there’s a lot.

I read on your blog recently that some of your work was jacked by another brand. Is it flattering that someone would blatantly plagiarise your work for their own credibility?

For about 2 seconds it’s flattering but after that I think about what a piece of shit they are.

The work you did with adidas and Undefeated was one of the better collaborations I’ve seen in recent times. Is there anything else coming up that you are particularly excited about?

I did some with Stussy, and Travis for Stars and Straps. I did some with Retna and Mac on some street murals, that was dope.

Your recent venture into the retail game with Upper Playground has been met with great praise. With such a global appeal would you guys ever consider opening stores outside of the states?

I would love to do a lot of things all over the world. The only thing I need to do all that is money. Travelling and businesses are expensive. Upper Playground has a store in London, that’s cool.

New street wear labels and collaborations are popping on what seems to be a daily basis. Are there any trends in your particular fields of work that you would like to see change?

Yeah, all of them. The respect and appreciation has gone, I’d like to see that come back, everything is like fast food, cookie cut nation. It's all about cheaper, better, faster. The internet has everything twisted.

Any last words?

Thanks to all our supporters, and everyone who is down with what we do, without you we ain't shit, to our haters - fuck you and thank you, you are the ones who drive us harder. Thanks to everyone who helped us get to where we are - family, friends, SA studios, Soul Assassins, Cypress Hill, Joker Brand, Upper Playground, all the mags, and all the people who we tatted and photographed. Everyone who showed us love, we appreciate it all and are grateful.

If you'd like the check more of Estevan's work which spans direction, fashion and so much more then check his website.

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