Hailing from the brutal streets of Detroit's Eastside, producer, lyricist, and storyteller Esham rose to legendary status at age 15 with his debut release "Boomin Words from Hell." The now infamous and highly coveted "red tape" details the perils of growing up young and black in a city ravaged by the American crack epidemic of the 1980s. Esham and older brother James formed Reel Life Productions, the highest grossing independent label in Detroit at the time, and the two brothers made history by selling 100K copies solely by word-of-mouth.

Since then, Esham has continued to shun conventional industry rules while amassing a devoted fanbase with his unorthodox approach to hip-hop. He is known for dropping projects at a frantic pace with each offering a dramatic difference in creative vision from the last.