For e$quire, that self-assurance is part of the music.
There’s confidence and then there’s the kind of confidence that comes from knowing exactly who you are.
Born in the Bronx, the birthplace of hip-hop, e$quire has developed an artistry fueled by sharp lyricism, bold personality, humor, sexuality, and an unmistakable New York edge. But rather than simply following the blueprint of the city that raised him, he’s determined to create one that belongs specifically to him.
And that personality doesn’t stop when the recording does.
A natural performer, e$quire has stepped onto one of New York’s most intimidating stages twice, performing during the world-famous Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater. In a room where audiences are known for letting performers know exactly how they feel, commanding that stage became another chapter in developing the confidence that now defines his artistry.
But eventually, e$quire took his New York perspective outside of New York.
Expanding into the DMV introduced him to a different market, different audiences, and another opportunity to evolve without losing the characteristics that made him e$quire in the first place.
Projects and records such as Youngest In Charge Vol. 1 and “95 South” have continued building his catalog while introducing listeners to an artist who isn’t interested in toning himself down to become more digestible.
The confidence is obvious. The personality is loud. The ambition is there.
But what created the person behind all of it?
We asked e$quire 10 questions to get beyond the records and discover the experiences, mentality, contradictions, and personality behind the artist.
V-Henny: Your music gives off the energy of somebody who knows exactly who he is. But confidence usually has a history. Were you always this unapologetic, or was there a version of you who had to learn how to stop caring about being misunderstood?
e$quire: I never cared necessarily about being misunderstood, more so about my appearance. When I was younger, I had insecurities about myself that I had to unlearn and stop caring about in order to have the confidence I do today.
V-Henny: You’re from the Bronx, a place with an enormous hip-hop legacy. Does being a Bronx rapper make you feel like you have something to uphold, or have you intentionally tried to separate yourself from what people expect a “Bronx rapper” to sound and look like?
e$quire: Being from the Bronx is definitely something I take pride in, but I don’t let it define me. I don’t make the same music or have the same look as other rappers that come from where I’m from, and it’s not necessarily intentional, it’s just what’s most comfortable for me to present to the public.
V-Henny: Your music allows humor, sexuality, rawness, and lyricism to exist in the same space. What’s something you’ve said in a record that made even you think, “I don’t know if I should say this”, but you kept it because it was authentically e$quire?
e$quire: I’ve definitely had more than a few moments where I’ve second guessed a line because it was overly trifling or too venomous. I usually get past it and keep the line in but I do give it thought; keeping lines like those in is part of what makes doing music so much fun for me
V-Henny: You performed at Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater twice, and that crowd has a reputation. Take us into your head right before you touched that stage for the first time. Were you nervous, and what did that experience reveal about yourself as a performer that you didn’t know before?
e$quire: When I say I was terrified!! I spent hours on end getting prepared the weeks before, but it never felt real until I hit the stage. But I definitely left it all out there, and the crowd loved me. It showed me a glimpse at my own potential; the realization that I could make good enough music to keep a crowd of almost 2,000 people engaged was pretty profound to me.
V-Henny: You called a project Youngest In Charge Vol. 1. When you say you’re “in charge,” what exactly are you taking ownership of? And looking back at that project now, where can you hear an e$quire who was still figuring himself out?
e$quire: “Youngest In Charge” came to me during one of my lowest moments. The title was a reminder to myself of how far I’d come up until that point. So I considered myself in charge of pretty much everything. It also was a nod to the fact that I get pretty much everything I want.
V-Henny: “95 South” feels significant because your own journey eventually took you from New York into the DMV. What did leaving your home market teach you about yourself once you couldn’t rely on being in familiar territory or surrounded by people who already understood your energy?
e$quire: The crazy thing is I actually wrote “95 South” on 95 North on my way home to visit, but 95 South sounded better. Leaving my home market definitely showed me how unique I am in this industry. Being a gay man already puts me down a few notches in the eyes of some other people, but in New York, I could go into most rooms and still get the whole crowd to vibe with me no matter who they are. Being outside of my market was an eye opener because a lot of people outside of NY aren’t as welcoming. So I learned to rely more on my talent speaking for itself than my personality, when back home it was more 50/50.
V-Henny: New York confidence can work in New York but different cities have their own cultures. What’s something about the DMV that challenged you creatively, and what’s something from the Bronx that you realized you’ll carry with you no matter where you live or make music?
e$quire: Being in the DMV has challenged me in a good way because their music has a different sound, so it opens me up to new ideas for my own music. But my sound is the most heavily influenced by back home so there’s no way it won’t be incorporated somehow no matter what region or market I’m in. They also are horrible drivers out here, no shade.
V-Henny: Your sexuality and personality aren’t hidden in your music. In hip-hop, artists can sometimes feel pressure to package themselves in ways audiences will accept. Have you ever been told, or made to feel, that you should tone down a part of yourself to become more marketable? How did you respond?
e$quire: When I was in college, there was a group album happening with the other students in my major. I submitted a song with a friend and we were told it was too vulgar, when it actually was pretty tame compared to both of our previous works. They asked us to change the lyrics, we decided we’d make an entirely new song because we liked the version of the song we originally did and missed the deadline. I don’t need to tone myself down to sell. There are plenty of people who talk way worse than me and make bank.
V-Henny: Strip away e$quire for a second, the confidence, performances, visuals, bars and persona. Who are you when you aren’t trying to command anybody’s attention, and what part of that person rarely makes it into the music?
e$quire: When I’m not e$quire, I live a pretty regular life. I’m a retail sales manager working full time, so it’s pretty boring in “regular” life. But that person is also the one who feels more. I can pretend I don’t care when I have the face on, to the point that I’ll actually stop caring; but when it’s off I’m forced to actually confront things, which isn’t always bad, I just don’t like to.
V-Henny: You’re trying to take your artistry beyond regional boundaries. Five years from now, if someone says, “e$quire changed the game because he ______,” what do you want to fill that blank with? What do you want your contribution to hip-hop to be that another artist couldn’t have given it?
e$quire: I want people to say something like “e$quire changed the game because of his authenticity”. A lot of men are apprehensive about coming out for so many different reasons, sometimes safety being one of them. But I’ve seen firsthand how living authentically can make someone more comfortable in their identity, and that’s ultimately what I want to do. A lot of artists, and people in general, have not gained the confidence it takes to do that.
There’s humor. There’s sexuality. There’s grit. There’s confidence. And underneath all of it is an artist who understands that standing out sometimes requires being comfortable enough to let people see exactly who you are.
As e$quire continues expanding beyond New York and the DMV, the goal isn’t simply to carry the energy of his city everywhere he goes.
It’s to make sure that wherever he goes, people remember the name e$quire.
Music Links: linktr.ee/esquire4real