Essense

As a kid coming up in the golden age of hip-hop, Essense realized his fascination with rap and wordplay early. “I remember hearing old Pac, LL Cool J, and Wu-Tang records, and memorizing them line-for-line. It was cool to see all the different styles and subject matters of rap co-exist together at the time.” It would be a while before Essense actually attempted to pen his own lyrics, but his interest was sparked.

Once he got to high school, he started making some early attempts at rap. “I would have these awful freestyle battles online; I hadn’t really found my style or voice as an MC. I remember recording at a friend’s house with an old computer mic taped to a closet door.” The resulting songs were a far cry from quality material, but they would keep him determined to improve.

Towards the end of high school and beginning of college, he began to get more into freestyling. “It really helped me hone and practice my skills. People wouldn’t expect me to jump in the cipher, and it became a big confidence booster.” Outside of freestyling, Essense started to write some of his first songs. It was the groundwork for developing as an MC.

In college, the raps started coming more naturally. A chance meeting with a local producer really turned the corner for his career as an MC. “He really motivated me to improve as an MC. Up until that point, I only had personal songs on my computer, but I had the confidence to spit on one of his instrumentals. It was essentially my first studio session”.

3 years later, 2 EPs, and 3 mixtapes, Essense hopes to bring his unique voice and talents to a diverse DMV talent pool.