When you’re young, you’re going to make mistakes and you’ll learn from them. If those mistakes involve criminal activity, then incarceration might be your biggest teacher. Being locked up in a federal penitentiary will give you time to re-evaluate your life, your purpose and your next direction. Sentenced to 14 years in prison and serving 10 before getting out, Mr. ESQ aka Harrison vowed to change his life with music. Having traded his youth for the criminal drug underground, the music and the passion for performing has always stayed with him and provided an alternative for a better future upon his release.
Mr. ESQ started music when he was 12, writing down his thoughts in a poetic style. He started to flow with a cadence and began putting his writing to beats. During house parties, his peers would request him to freestyle, which helped him to discover his love for performances and sharing his writing with others. The future looked bright but as the youngest male of six siblings – three older brothers and sisters, he naturally gravitated toward his brothers, which opened him up to the realities of life. Sooner than expected, he got into drug distribution and became a driver for illegal activities before he was old enough to own his driver’s license. At age 18, Mr. ESQ was expecting a son and decided to track back from the violent lifestyle he had adopted. Unfortunately, his son died and the event induced a dark chapter.
Embracing his freedom and a new direction, Mr. ESQ now wants to create music that deters youth from considering a life of crime and drugs. His album ESQUIRE launches in late July but his newest single, Rich Problem featuring Swollen Members singer Madchild, was released by Predominant Studios on April 21, 2022. The album is a compilation of songs induced with a surplus of diversity and ingenuity. Mr. ESQ tries to fully express himself with each track on the album, revealing the man he was then and who is now.
With his mom on his mind and in his heart, he released a very special single, A Mother’s Day on May 8th as a tribute to his mother. I’ve listened to it and I immediately became a fan and included the link further into the article for all mothers to appreciate. When you sing from the heart and you empty your soul, you’re going to produce gold. As a music artist, you need to be vulnerable and transparent. Mr. ESQ has nothing left to hide and only strong messages to share, so please listen up to support a good man, an incredible artist and a human being that has buried his demons, paid his debt and now pays it forward through music. Today, he has a daughter, a business, and a budding music career.
I love an underdog story and Mr. ESQ is a fine example of reinvention and rebirth. He is living his best self and he is surrounded by people that support him. They are his world and he knows the bar has been set high but he is strong enough mentally and physically to tow the rope and bring them all with him to a future filled with music and success.
I was extremely fortunate to speak with Mr. ESQ and it was off the charts. Roll the tape!
HNMAG “You have a new track coming out called Rich Problem that you wrote with Madchild.”
Mr. ESQ “He pulled up in a G-Wagon and I said, ‘you must have rich problems’ and we wrote the song that day.”
HNMAG “I’ve read that you enjoy writing from the heart and soul. Was Rich Problems written in the same way?”
Mr. ESQ “It was just a fun song and didn’t manifest from anything I’ve experienced. It was me writing a song with a buddy and doesn’t depict my current life. It was a fun song to do and you sometimes need those filler songs to get the attention from the younger generation and the crowd. It helps to get them listening to your music and hear the messages you’re putting out.”
HNMAG “I know that you are trying to inspire youth with positive messaging and a life away from crime?”
Mr. ESQ “Absolutely, if I can be a deterrent for them to not do the sh!t I did in my life, even if it’s one kid – in my opinion it’s all worth it.”
HNMAG “You look great, you enjoy staying in shape?”
Mr. ESQ “I train every day. Ever since I was 18, when I got into trouble with the law. I woke up in a cell and that was it for me. I said I’d never use drugs or alcohol ever again. I started working out every day, I got a ten-year sentence for my crimes and continued my life.”
HNMAG “I think it’s great that you’re paying it forward through your music and reaching out to youth. You’re onto the next chapter and have come through the other side.”
Mr. ESQ “I try to put it behind me but I also try to utilize it. You can either go one way or the other and I think the rehabilitation rate is 10%. I’ve seen many guys in there that are content with being in and out of jail for the rest of their lives. It’s all they know and they’re not taking the initiative to get programming, social skills or anger management. The institutions/prisons in Canada don’t push it on you; you need to physically make a request to change your life and take these programs. There was no prison guard or officer that tried to help me get into programs that will help me get out sooner and better your life. I had to make the requests, I got my post secondary and my college courses, I had to make all the initiative, otherwise it wouldn’t happen. It’s a warehouse for guys; you commit a crime, you’re the scum of the earth in a warehouse and they just throw away the key. They’re quite happy to let you do your 2/3’s then get out and come back in. I’m not going to say all guards are bad because some actually give a damn and it’s more than a paycheque to them.”
HNMAG “Did you continue to make music once you were incarcerated?”
Mr. ESQ “I started doing music when I was younger, rapping for my friends. But then the lifestyle took over and I had to grow up pretty quick. I was working for these guys, selling drugs, driving for people and doing horrible things – which led to my incarceration. There was a gap for 4-5 years where I didn’t write music at all, then I got locked up. It took about a year before I started writing again but it was more so just poetry because I didn’t have beats. I entered a literacy contest through the educational program that I had enrolled myself into and wound up winning a BC wide tournament in literacy, for poetry. They found out I was incarcerated and I couldn’t attend the ceremony. They gave me an honourable mention and mailed me a gold pen, along with a piece of paper that said it would be in my personal belongings – which I’ve never seen. One of the guards or someone thought it was a cool pen and took it with them. I still got a piece of paper saying that I won an honourable mention BC wide for words that I put down on a piece of paper.”
HNMAG “I think it’s a great testimony, knowing that your passion for music, lyrics and poetry helped to get you through your prison sentence.”
Mr. ESQ “There’s one song on the album called Dark Nights and Sunny Days that I wrote 20 years ago, while in a box in segregation on a napkin using a 2-inch pencil. It didn’t come to life until I felt it was ready. My brother sang the hook and I felt like now was the perfect time to release it. I wrote it to an echo in a cell, there was no beat, no flow, no nothing. I had to match it to the perfect harmonies and melodies and eventually had a guy create this beat with my brother on the hook and it’s probably one of my favourite songs. It still gives me goosebumps when I think about it.”
HNMAG “That’s very powerful. When you write songs like that, are you trying to reach out to someone in a dark place or is it for anyone facing negativity in their life?”
Mr. ESQ“I absolutely want to reach people that already have the mindset of going down that path that will think it’s really cool that I’m talking about my history and they never want to go down that path. There’re also others that are already on that path that listen to it and decide to change their lives because they don’t like the ultimatum and the end result, they can choose a better path and reconsider what they’re doing.”
HNMAG “Writing songs while you’re incarcerated in comparison to the freedom to write anywhere – do you have a favourite place to write songs now?”
Mr. ESQ“My favourite spot… well I’ve got a few businesses and have about 35 guys working for me. When I’m driving around from estimate to estimate I’ll play a song/beat and that’s when the ideas will start coming to me. Other times, I’ll be at home with my daughter picking through beats and she’ll tell me she really likes ‘this one’ and I’ll tell her, ‘then that’s the one’. She’s 11 years old, she’s my world – she’s into music and into tiktok (laughing).”
Harrison, a.k.a Mr. ESQ had shared a personal story about his life as a father. When he was 18, his girlfriend was pregnant but unfortunately, his son passed away at birth on Jan 13th. It kickstarted his downward spiral and he fell back into a life of crime. After he was released, his new girlfriend became pregnant and gave birth to his daughter on Jan. 13th, , exactly 10 years after his son’s passing. He says, “It was the scariest moment of my life and the happiest moment of my life, with a lot of mixed emotions.”
HNMAG “How did your relationship evolve with Predominant Studios?”
Mr. ESQ “Jacqueline (Best) sure has a lot of connections. There was a posting on Facebook, they were looking for a model with muscles and tattoos. Someone tagged me into her post and she reached out to me. She had seen that I was an artist and wanted to listen to some of my stuff. Within a day she had called me and wanted to meet to discuss my music. She came over, we chatted and that was it – she wanted me. I’ve never had someone take on the responsibilities, especially financially – to make a push at this music.”
HNMAG “You have a new song coming out on Mothers Day, called A Mothers Day that you wrote as a tribute to your mom?”
Mr. ESQ “Yes, I did and we just shot the video for it, last night. We shot it in my backroom with a bunch of black sheets on the walls, we had a black chair, I had a black suit and a bunch of roses and a light above me. There are some visuals but I really didn’t want to take away from the messaging in the song and the words that are spoken. I really want people to hear what I’m saying about my relationship with my mom and what I put her through. I make some general statements for women and mothers – I hope it resonates with a lot of people. I’m putting the video on Facebook and the song will also be on Spotify, Instagram and the album. You can find it on Facebook under Mr. ESQ.”
HNMAG “Has your mom always been a big supporter of yours?”
Mr. ESQ “It didn’t matter what I was doing, she was always a supporter of mine, cause she’s my mom. She’s helped me through a lot of situations and had my back. I put her through hell but now I get to throw it out there in a song. I’m also the youngest of seven, 3 older brothers and 3 older sisters.”
HNMAG “How many songs are on this new album, ESQUIRE that’s slated for a late July release?”
Mr. ESQ “There’s 20 songs. I’m under contract for 16, so I gave them 20.”
HNMAG “How long would it have taken you to write, record and mix all 20 songs?”
Mr. ESQ “I had a few in the pocket and they picked the beats, so a month and a half – two months. The Glove (Chris Taylor) mixed everything in a couple of weeks. It was a little back and forth but it was only a couple weeks.”
HNMAG “Where do you find the beats for your tracks?”
Mr. ESQ “For the most part, I will go out looking for beat makers but on this project we reached out to C-Lance. He’s pretty big and he makes all the beats for Merkules, Madchild and a lot of other artists. He was supplied with about 9 or 10 beats and Jackie (Jacqueline Best) picked a lot of them out, my partner picked a lot of them out too and although I listened to them, they sort of made the decisions on the ones. It was very tricky to write to songs that I wouldn’t have necessarily picked, which was a challenge but at the same time, it added a lot of versatility on the album. I can discuss a range of subjects that don’t sound repetitive, there’s something for everybody on this album regardless of which genre you listen to. I’ve got singing, there’s rock, there’s guitar, piano, I’ve got so much on this album – it’s going to be a good one! The ultimate goal is to have a live band performing the music at the shows.”
Mr. ESQ elaborated on the album and said there were some incredible guitar riffs that Santana himself would enjoy using, there’s also a slow Rock vibe and a Country vibe. There’s of course the Boom Bap and the Hip Hop vibe, which helps to create a vibrant mixture.
HNMAG “Do you have any live performances coming up this year?”
Mr. ESQ “Nothing in the future but I was supposed to perform last week with Snap the Ripper. Unfortunately, I stretched myself too thin and couldn’t perform due to illness. It would’ve been a good show to have under my belt. Jackie’s been talking about touring and I was offered a Canada wide tour but financially it didn’t make sense for me.”
Predominant Studios provides services to aligned musicians and independent artists, assisting them in navigating the complicated music industry. A recipient of 40 Under 40 Awards, CEO Jacqueline Best is said to be the next up-and-coming music mogul. Chris “The Glove” Taylor, a pioneering multi-platinum producer, is Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Taylor has collaborated with huge names like Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg and a slew of other important industry figures and LA musicians. The juice is worth the squeeze and they have a thirst for the nectar. Mr. ESQ is charting his path and he’s not alone this time. He’s got good people around him and he is the captain of his ship, as he ventures into open waters.