ESSO sounds like the intersection of a smoky jazz club and a sun-drenched Harlem street corner. His music carries the weight of New York history without being trapped by it, utilizing warm, soul-drenched samples and crisp, snapping drums that feel both classic and curiously modern. There is a velvet-like smoothness to his delivery that makes even his most pointed social observations feel like a late-night conversation between friends.
What truly distinguishes ESSO is his 'forward-leaning' approach to the New York sound. While many of his contemporaries were obsessed with recreating the 1994 aesthetic, ESSO integrated indie-pop sensibilities and a cleaner, more melodic production style that anticipated the genre-blurring of the 2010s. He balances the 'hustler' narrative with the 'poet' persona, creating a duality that feels authentic to the complex cultural heritage of his uptown roots.
Start with 'The Anti-Socialite' to hear him at his most conceptually focused. It captures that specific era of the late 2000s where underground rap began to embrace a more eclectic, lifestyle-oriented sound. It is the perfect entry point for anyone who appreciates the lyricism of the golden era but wants the sonic polish of the digital age.
Shares boom bap, conscious hip-hop, abstract hip-hop (subgenres); sample based, studio polished, analog warmth (production style)
Shares boom bap, conscious hip-hop, abstract hip-hop (subgenres); sample based, studio polished, analog warmth (production style)
Shares boom bap, conscious hip-hop, abstract hip-hop (subgenres); sample based, studio polished, analog warmth (production style)
Shares boom bap, conscious hip-hop, abstract hip-hop (subgenres); confident, nostalgic, contemplative (moods)
Shares sample based, studio polished, analog warmth (production style); confident, nostalgic, contemplative (moods)
Shares boom bap, conscious hip-hop, abstract hip-hop (subgenres); confident, nostalgic, contemplative (moods)
Shares boom bap, conscious hip-hop, abstract hip-hop (subgenres); confident, nostalgic, contemplative (moods)
Shares boom bap, conscious hip-hop, abstract hip-hop (subgenres); sample based, studio polished, analog warmth (production style)
Shares boom bap, conscious hip-hop, abstract hip-hop (subgenres); sample based, studio polished, analog warmth (production style)
Shares boom bap, conscious hip-hop, abstract hip-hop (subgenres); confident, nostalgic (moods)
Shares smooth, boom bap, conscious hip-hop, abstract hip-hop (signature)
Cassette uses generative AI to enrich its catalog. How we use AI →