DJ ESCO

Atlanta-based producer DJ Esco crafts trapped-out, Dirty South beats similar to contemporaries like Zaytoven, Mike WiLL Made It, and Metro Boomin. After years of mixtape releases, he broke into the mainstream in 2016 with his radio hit "Too Much Sauce" featuring Future and Lil Uzi Vert. His debut full-length Kolorblind was issued in 2018 and hit the Top 20 on the U.S. Rap chart. Born William Moore, Esco made a name for himself as DJ for rapper Future, whom he met in 2008. Also serving as Future's A&R man, Esco has collaborated with Yo Gotti, Rae Sremmurd, Jim Jones, Young Scooter, Plies, Gucci Mane, and Waka Flocka Flame. His notable mixtapes include No Sleep and Ball Like Me, but his 2015 effort with Future, 56 Nights, takes the crown for notoriety. Conceived during the nearly two months that Esco spent in a Dubai jail from late 2014 into 2015, 56 Nights also features production by 808 Mafia. In 2016, Esco released another effort with Future, Project E.T. ("Esco Terrestrial"). Also inspired by his stint in Dubai, Project E.T. featured "100it Racks" (with Drake, 2 Chainz, and Future) as well as the single "Too Much Sauce" (with Lil Uzi Vert and Future), the latter of which entered the Billboard Hot 200 in late 2016. The Kolorblind project arrived in spring 2018 and featured guests like Young Thug, Rich the Kid, Nas, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, O.T. Genasis, ScHoolboy Q, Ty Dolla $ign, and Future, who appeared on each of the album's 11 tracks. In 2020, he teamed with rapper Doe Boy for the collaborative album 56 Birdz, which included the single "Pop It." ~ Neil Z. Yeung