Es first encountered hip-hop music in the
1980’s while living in Trinidad and Tobago:
“I discovered hip-hop music for the first
time by accident,” he shares, “One day, while
watching television, a music video aired in
the form of a commercial, with three guys
wearing bucket hats and white sneakers,
speaking over an energetic drum beat. I was
captivated by it and wanted to see it again.
I had no idea what I had just seen but I was
in love. Years later, I learned that it had
been a group called Run–D.M.C., and that
the musical style was hip-hop.”
Driven by the beat, Es began to write his own
hip-hop rhymes in 1991. When Es began
writing, he did so not with the intention of
creating music to be shared publicly, but simply
for his love of writing.
“I may not be making millions from my
records, but it’s a chance to make the listener
feel better about themselves after listening,
and that’s what matters to me the most,” he
discloses to INSPADES.
After a meandering journey through the
following decades that included collaborations
w ith other artists, he co-created the
group Homegrown in 2009. These days,
however, Es works solo, with his first album
Aspire To Inspire released in 2014.
A long the way, Es’ career has been
punctuated with various forms of recognition,
including receiving the Best Urban Artist
award at the 2015 Toronto Independent Music
Awards, and a nomination for Best East Coast
Rap Album at the 2016 Canadian Urban
Television Hip Hop Awards.
“Too many people are afraid to be themselves
for fear of failure,” he claims, “They never allow
themselves to express who they truly are, in an
attempt to stay safely within the boundaries of
current trends.”
Bravely creating music that is as unique
as he is, Es feels that “positivity in music is
underrepresented,” and he therefore embraces it.
Es’ goal is to encourage people to let their
light shine and embrace the unique qualities
that only they possess. His agenda is to facilitate
change in the world through helping people
realize their true potential and their capacity for
transformation.
“The hip-hop that I grew up with, and
was inspired by, did these things. The roots
and foundation of the culture and the music I
fell in love with were intended to be a means
to uplift, educate and empower oppressed
people,” he concludes.
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