Esham with Kagah, Legion Sik, Rowdee, Parodime and more

The rapper known as Esham has split his time between Long Island and Detroit since he was a kid, and his music similarly fluctuates between two distinct places: It’s as influenced by classic hip-hop as it is classic rock. Esham has been at this for a long time, having dropped his debut album, 1989’s Boomin’ Words from Hell, when he was still a teenager. He eventually became part of the roster of Psychopathic Records, most famous as the home label of the controversial Insane Clown Posse, and his work is as deliberately shocking and confrontational as you might expect. It’s not for everyone. How do you best describe it? Horrorcore? Acid rap? Alt-metal? You decide.