Despite a privileged upbringing, he didn’t inherit anything, and went on to fame and fortune, thanks to his business accomplishments (and his love life). What makes ESH truly remarkable is how he pulled off one of the most remarkable business turnarounds in history. After accumulating a multi-billion dollar fortune, he saw most of it wiped away under massive loan payments (his companies were reportedly carrying $8.8 billion in losses at their worst), only to regain it after making some very clever business moves. The famous bachelor accumulated buildings, yachts, and properties like a kid acquires baseball cards. At his peak he had the Taj Mahal, Trump Plaza, Plaza Hotel, and a yacht allegedly worth $100 million. He’s also the owner of the Miss Universe, Miss Teen USA and Miss USA beauty pageants. He also has 4 books that have made the best-seller list.

He connects with the common man. He lives the life many of us ideally seek. He is the poster boy for Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous. He is… you get the point. Is there little wonder then that he decided to flirt with the idea of running for President? What else would you expect from a man as likely to appear on the cover of Business Week as on National Enquirer? One thing is for sure, “The Monolith” makes for interesting press.

1. How did you happen upon hip hop? And what was it that convinced you that it was something you needed to be involved in as more than just a fan?
Esh I first happened upon Hip Hop in a shoebox under a bed. This was the era of Tipper Gore’s “explicit lyrics” stickers so it was common place to hide your forbidden tape collection from your parents. At a really young age I was put on to a lot of Hip Hop by my older brother or friend’s older brothers who would try to school me on what was new and fresh. Of course you had a friendlier face of Hip Hop in shit like “parents just don’t under,” but these kids were putting me up on Slick Rick, LL, Public Enemy, NWA, Ice-T. Either raunchy, raw, or bash your face type shit. I eventually discovered the more fun aspects of Hip Hop in Biz or Native Tongue stuffs, but it was that initial defiant almost taboo nature that first attracted me to Hip Hop. It was unlike anything I’d listened to before. After that it was a wrap for me. I had condemned myself to a childhood of bad freestyles and getting into trouble writing graffiti on the back of bus seats. I’ve listened to all types of music throughout my life, but nothing really grabbed me like Hip Hop did. Still the most direct art form in music.

As far as deciding to add on to the culture as more than just a fan, that didn’t happen until many years later.

2. At present, you rap, produce and DJ. What element came first? How did the rest evolve out of that?
At first I was strictly a DJ. Due to my fan status it made sense to start buying records and trying to introduce others to the shit I was into. I started rockin’ house parties in High School and when I realized I sucked at basketball I started bringing my turntables to home games instead of trying out for the team. It was all about fun and getting attention from girlies. I was one of the only skilled DJs that was my age from around the way, so some of the more established DJs (the ones that worked at the record stores I blew all my cash at) took me under there wing and showed me the ropes.

Then the natural progression was to get into beat making. My sophomore year English teacher introduced me to his roommate who rhymed, a cat named Paragon, and we worked on a couple joints but nothing that serious. Actually, a friend of mine dug up some of the tracks recently. I was expecting to be dumb embarrassed but when I heard them I was like, “yo, these are kinda dope!” HA!

After that I made beats for a couple years but never really worked with any emcees. Eventually I came to the conclusion that I had to start rhyming just so those shits wouldn’t go to waste. I don’t think I wrote a serious rap (with the intention of performing it) until my first year of college.

3. Which of these elements do you find most rewarding?
Honestly, no one element is more reward than another. What I really find rewarding is making songs. To be able to make a beat, formulate an interesting concept, write it, record it, throw some cuts on it, and mold it all into something I’m feeling…that’s what I’m all about. I think that’s why my work with other artist is few and far between.

4. You’re from Providence, RI, which isn’t really known as a hotbed for hip hop. What is the scene like there?
I feel like for a while people were actually checking for Providence artists. Cats from around here were on the Lyricist Lounge tour, Emerge Music was putting out the Non-Prophets shit, Clokworx was buzzing, and the source (or some other mag, I can’t remember) did an article about the scene. Then, I don’t really know what happened. I guess ya’ll stop checking.

I think I have the same love/hate relationship that anyone has with their hometown. There use to be more of a sense of community. A lot of venues closed down. Some promoters quit. Now you have a bunch of extremely talented artists all gunning for the same mayoral positioning instead of getting down for the greater good. I think in general this is happening in Hip Hop. Opportunity is declining while at the same time so called “artistry” is oversaturated. Everyone thinks they can rhyme or make beats so the fan went extinct. Other than that, Providence is nice…you should visit.

5. Are there any artists from there that people might know? How about any artists they should maybe look out for?
RI rap dues you probably know: Sage Francis

RI rap dudes you should know:
CasUno (even though he lives in MA)
DJ Al-Bums
Romen Rok
Poorly Drawn People
Joe Beats
Need Not Worry
Prolyphic
B. Dolan
Chachi Carvalo
Shawn Jackson (even though he moved out west)
Axe Butane
Minister Ref
Intikit
Falside

6. How did you get the name Esh? Is it really an acronym for Eccentric Super Hero, as the title of your debut album suggests?
I was given the name by an influential bowl of alphabet soup. It is in fact an acronym for Eccentric Super Hero and always has been. It is also an acronym for may other dope sentence fragments that will not be revealed until my next albums. Or maybe they won’t. Only time will tell.

7. The A.D.D.Ventures of an E.ccentric S.uper H.ero has been released on Labeless Illtelligence. How did you come to hook up with them?
I met CasUno through a local promoter named Mr. Mortal who I was working with at the time. We used to throw a weekly open mic and Cas was the host. Cas and I would build often and eventually realized that we share all the same ideals and tastes when it came to music. Through him I met what was then the functioning core of Labeless Illtelligence: Vocab, AmsUno, Missing Elements, Gibran, and a couple other cats when they felt like being down.

I knew that this was a crew that I wanted to get with. This was when Vocab had just dropped “On the Rock.” Soon I started intergrading myself into the live performances by holding down the turntables then jumping out to spit a joint or two. I was steady working on beats, a lot of which became the majority of Ams’ project “The Day of Devotion.” While we were putting out that CD and the single that went with it I was getting more and more involved…while others were getting less and less involved…and so the story goes.

8. Other than as a recording artist for the label, what other roles do you play within Labeless?
I run Fresh Ear Studios which is where Labeless records all its material. I also share all other “label” responsibilities including but not limited to: Marketing, promotions, distribution, booking, accounting, business lunches, dress code, dance choreography, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual properties, crystal sippin’, ho cake smashin’, I hire all personal for the cafeteria, dinosaur taming, water boarding and other interrogation techniques, speech writing, character assassinating, ash tray filling, beer drinking, genetic engineering, after midnight Gremlin feeding, and…I man the BBQ on Sundays.

9. Prior to Labeless you were involved with the website Bassment Flavor. What was your role there?
I think it said marketing manager on my business card. But then again, how can you trust a business card with someone’s rap alias printed on it? I don’t think you can.

10. Who came up with the concept for the cover art of The A.D.D.Ventures of an E.ccentric S.uper H.ero?
I came up with the concept. The image for the cover was bubbling in my head for a long time. I knew I didn’t want to put myself on the front and I thought the image of the phone booth summed everything up nicely. Then one day I though it would be kinda bugged if I put on a budget-ass superhero costume and ran through the streets of Providence while someone took pictures. I called up my homeboy Curtis Packer who is a nice with the points and clicks and it was on. What resulted were some of the dirtiest looks I’ve ever gotten from an unsuspecting public. I was just walking around doing everyday shit. I bought cigarettes, went to the liquor store, did my laundry, gassed my car up, but the whole time I was wearing this ridiculous costume. Mad funny. Maybe I should save the outtakes that didn’t make the album for the Labeless Christmas card.

11. Who designed the costume? Have you ever worn it on stage?
Ha! I really don’t think you can say something like that was “designed.” Even though I’m sure Ralph Lauren is gonna bite and put out the Lo Superhero edition. Maybe I should publish a do it your damn self E.ccentric S.uper H.ero starter kit:

1. When you’re almost black out drunk tear an “open” flag off a flag pole.
2. Tie flag around neck or use paper clip to fasten.
3. Steal motorcycle goggles from army navy store.
4. Steal sparring helmet from Sports Authority and rock backwards.
5. Bring toothbrush in case kicks are dogged during A.D.D.venturing.
I’ve yet to wear the costume on stage. It’s mostly reserved for lazy Saturday afternoon chills and freaknik sex sessions.

12. Any chance you’ll put your super powers to good use and do battle with MF DOOM and his legion of Doomposters?
Shit, I’m still trying to figure out how to get paid to not show up.

13. By the lyrics of opening track “Oddventures of Esh,” you appear to be knowledgeable about comic books. Are you a comic book geek? What are some of your favourites?
I grew up collecting comic books. To tell you the truth, I was more into GI Joe comics then the superhero stuff. Aside from that, I think Alan Moore is a genius and has never written a bad book. Watchmen is the greatest superhero story of all time. I dug up “The Killing Joke” when I finally went to see the new Batman flick (which I think is required by law at this point) cuz that is the best Joker story I can remember. Also, the opening sequence (or close to it, at least) in the “The Dark Knight Returns” where Bruce Wayne is walking down the street is the inspiration for the first verse on my album. But no, I’m not a geek.

14. I loved the choosing of Mystery Men for a couple of samples on “Loogie.” Was that your choice? How long did it take to connect those words to this song?
Mystery Men was one of the first sample sources I thought of for the album. It just fit too perfectly. I knew I wanted the “what’s his power?” sample in the beginning but then I kept watching the movie and caught Janeane Garofalo on some “how delightfully eccentric.” It just made sense. Plus Tom Waits and Cee-Lo are in that movie so…you know…win win.

I’m also surprised that no one has caught onto the other sample sources that tie the album together. I guess that’s for the best. I don’t want to get sued.

15. Your whole album is self-produced. What comes first: the beats, the concepts or the lyrics?
The beat almost always comes first and usually inspires the concept. I get a certain vibe from the beat and write my lyrics based on that. Sometimes I have a concept for a song that I sit on until I lace an appropriate beat but it’s usually the other way around. A lot of the time I go back into songs I’ve recorded and add layers over time. I don’t think I’ve ever written the lyrics before the concept…

16. Is there any specific sound you’re going for when you produce a track? Or any particular formula used in the creation of your beats?
I don’t have a particular formula when I make beats. I try to constantly evolve from beat to beat. Same goes for lyrics. As far as a specific sound, I always need to come with a certain degree of boom-bap grittiness. I like drums that crack and make you make the nasty funk face. I like to build as many layers as possible and will sample anything that sounds good. Sometimes I keep it simple and sometimes I gets complex. I guess it depends on the track.

17. You’ve produced for other members of the Labeless family, including Ams Uno and Cas Uno. Who have you worked with outside of your camp?
I’ve only produced for a few artists outside my camp. I produced a posse cut called “Out of Order Border Control” and dropped some spits on Poorly Drawn People’s latest mixtape “Shoot For the Stars, Hit the Ceiling” which is available for free download. I’m currently working on some tracks for Romen Rok’s new album which has allowed me to work with Moe Pope from Electric Company and share the bill with such dope producers as DJ Al-Bums and Joe Beats. Some more shit will be happening in the future, but nothing I can speak on yet.

I’ve rocked rhymes on PDP’s last two mixtapes, DJ Al-Bums’ mixtape “That Old Downtown Sound”, and on Intrikit’s new project “Concepts” which is also available for free download. Oh, and on the free download mixtape “Hokey Religions and Ancient (Are No Match for a Good Blaster)” released by Hand’Solo Records.

18. Is there anyone you’d like to work with?
I’m always down to work with new people, but there is no one that stands out as someone I’d really like to work with. I would much rather make music that is uniquely mine with the people around me.

19. Now that the album is done and out, what are your future plans?
Work the album. Write raps. Make beats. Rock shows. Make the next album.