Hellterskkkelter
| Esham | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Esham A. Smith |
| Born |
September 20, 1973 Long Island, New York, U.S. |
| Origin | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop, horrorcore |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, record producer, Music Executive |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Labels | Reel Life, Psychopathic Records |
| Associated acts | Natas, Mastamind, TnT, Soopa Villainz |
| Website | www.AcidRap.com |
Esham Attica Smith (born September 20, 1973), best known by his stage name Esham, is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan known for his hallucinogenic style of hip hop which he refers to as "acid rap". That style of music fuses rock-based beats and lyrics involving subjects such as death, drug use, evil, paranoia and sex. This unique style blend made it difficult for Esham to build a fanbase.
Esham released his first studio album, Boomin' Words from Hell (1989), at the age of 16. Since then, he has released 15 more albums. He and his brother James Smith founded the biggest-selling independent hip hop label in Detroit, Reel Life Productions, and the label ran until 2001. Esham's influence eventually fueled the careers of Detroit hip hop artists such as Kid Rock, Eminem, and Insane Clown Posse.
Born Esham Attica Smith on September 20, 1973 in Long Island, New York, Esham grew up splitting time between the Seven Mile neighborhood on the East side of Detroit, where he lived with his mother. He attended Osborn High School, and lived with his grandmother in New York during summers. He studied piano, guitar, and trombone in high school, and listened to artists such as Sugar Hill Gang, Run-DMC, Ozzy Osbourne and Kiss. Esham began to write original lyrics, and was encouraged by his older brother, James H. Smith, to seriously pursue a career in hip hop. According to Esham, "He felt like I had a dope flow, and he thought I could bring something new to the game, just coming from the city of Detroit. Back then, it wasn't really a [rap] music scene in Detroit. Everybody was just imitating what everybody else was doing." In the second grade, Esham met Champtown, who was also an aspiring rapper. The two performed together at open mic events Seafood Bay. In one occurrence, Champtown and Esham were forced to rap for a drug dealer at gunpoint.
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