Photo Credit: Tommy Curt (Curtis Vision)

On “Hello Brooklyn,” 25-year-old Singer Essense, the daughter of J. Mega, from ’90s rap group All City, releases an ode to her hometown.

Despite all the changes over the years, it’s hard to take the soul and grit out of Brooklyn, NY. It’s something that singer Essense knows all too well.

The 25-year-old singer was born and raised in Brooklyn. A professionally trained dancer, she is the daughter of J. Mega, from ’90s rap group All City, best known for the DJ Premier-produced heater “The Actual.” Growing up the child of a performer means music is constantly playing.

“He was always in my house blasting all types of music when I was a kid,” Essense told Okayplayer via email. “From Rap, R&B, Jazz, House and Soul… from the Temptations to Eric B. & Rakim. 

With this kind of upbringing it was only inevitable that she would become an artist herself, and she eventually learned how to do all aspects of music creation from songwriting to producing to engineering.

Last year, she released a quick four track EP called “The(Essense)tial EP. Now she is back with more new music. The singer has just released “Hello Brooklyn,” a romantic yet gritty ode to her hometown. With the song comes a video, which we are premiering today. The video features a vintage, ’90s aesthetic that aligns with the Brooklyn Essense grew up in. 

Speaking about the song, which she calls a “hood anthem,” she said:

“I love hard and I love my city. So, I just wanted to show Brooklyn some love with this song. “Hello Brooklyn” is a love letter to my city. This song will take you on a journey through my city and show you what a real Brooklyn girl is about… This song is my baby. It’s extra special because I wrote and produced it.”

She goes on to explain the motivation behind the song and her work, writing:

“I’m motivated by my surroundings. I’m from Brooklyn and a product of my environment. People always talk about New Yorkers and how aggressive we are but really it’s just passion. We’re passionate. I feel things deeply and my music is one of the ways I express that.”

Check out the video for “Hello Brooklyn” below.