Newest Million DJ March Performer: Esso

Thinking Out Loud. Three simple words, one idea, and the best way to describe Harlem bred rapper ESSO's approach to making music. An observer of life's contradictions, ESSO is by his own description a contradiction himself. A former NCAA athlete and alum of Howard University, ESSO doesn't subscribe to many of Hip-Hop's cliches. In fact, music was an afterthought. The kid from Harlem that walked on to the Baseball team at The University of Michigan and then went on to play at Howard University had his sights on playing for the New York Yankees. In October 2006, ESSO and former Atlantic Records A&R Director Sickamore released ESSO's debut mixtape ESSOcentric Volume I: History in the Making which would go on to win "Best Mixtape" honors at the 2007 Underground Music Awards. Since releasing ESSOcentric in October of 2006, and the follow-up ESSObama: The Champagne Campaign, ESSO has quickly become one of the most visible independent artists in New York City. Appearances on BET's Rap City and MTV's Sucker Free: Straight From the Streets and write-ups in The Source Magazine and SCRATCH Magazine have brought ESSO a national following. Most recently ESSO released his third mixtape E3: E-Day, and is putting the finishing touches on his debut album.