Maybe it's just the hairspray talking, but with a name like esQuire, you've got to look good. And Kevin esQuire knows it. This chicest of Detroit rappers (not too difficult when you consider the alternatives) wants to stress that his is not an incidental craft. His precise performances are derived from the classic principals of the spectacular exhibition. "A lot of rap shows, especially, are kind of dull because basically someone's just standing on a stage pacing back and forth, yelling 'put your hands in the air' and that's about it," he explained. "I like to be entertained so I decided that if I'm going to consider myself an entertainer, I have to get the crowd into it." This is achieved with visual assistance from a DJ, go-go dancers and an enviable closet of costumes, including a vintage Christian Dior tracksuit.

Of course, couture is nice, but for the Hair Ball, hair is better and esQuire is prepared. "We always have our hair done. This is a must. We always have extra too; I don't think there is anyone who has all of their real hair up there. For the danceers, we have a brunette, a redhead and a blonde, so we get all the colors in there. My hair is sort of like Brian Jones from the Rolling Stones. I don't know exactly what to do with it. I'll have to think of something."

Hairstyles notwithstanding, esQuire defines his particular brand of performance rap as a natural evolution. "Quite honestly, I watched a lot of TV and read a lot of books, so I got really good with words early on. And I had this sense of rhythm and I like music but I can't sing a note. So maybe it all just turned into a rapping talent somehow."

esQuire's fist single, "The Boy Who Invented Rap," was recently released on Punka Music, but the for the complete experience, see him perform at the Hair Ball.

Real Detroit-October 17, 2001

Who plays what?
esQuire: words, choreography, negotiations.
Craig LeRoQ: music -- sampled and live, backgammon.

What three albums would best describe the band?
Jayne Mansfield Busts Up Las Vegas, Nick Drake: Five Leaves Left, Skinny Boyz: Gettin' Fat.

Liquor, beer, smokes or all three?
esQuire: Liquor, preferably Presidente brandy mixed with Big Red, washing down a Xanax, following a chicken fried steak. Why? Because it manages to be relaxing and stimulating at the same time, and all sorts of crazy situations tend to arise after consumption.
Le RoQ: A Bloody Mary because for those smart young things on the go, it is a meal in itself! Note: Beer is way too heavy and cigarette smoke increases your dry cleaning bill and throws off your hair washing schedule.

Would you rather play for a room of preschoolers or inmates at Jackson State Prison?
Hmmm, the inmates. Both groups could do us bodily harm, but at least the prisoners are behind those bars and there would be armed guards present. Thoese unsupervised preschoolers could tear us apart!

What do you love about Real Detroit ('cuz you'd better love something)?
Issues that have esQuire and Craig Le RoQ in them! And the music staff, of course.

What do you wish you had invented and why?
esQuire: Well, I am the boy who invented rap and I am quite satisfied with that.

What sound do you love?
The sound of hot oil sizzling in a deep fryer. Not only does it sound strangely satisfying, it brings the promise of good things to come.

What sound do you hate?
Lawn equipment outside the bedroom window early in the morning, whilst trying to sleep. It does not amuse either of us.

What kind of shoes do you wear?
esQuire: White leather ankle boots or monogrammed Stacy Adams slippers.
Le RoQ: Troops or Nike Cortez

Real Detroit-March 26, 2002

He has been described as a cross between Beck and Eminem, or perhaps a mix of Kid Rock and Andy Gibb. Whatever label people try to pin on him, one fact is certain: Motown has probably never seen anything like esQuire.

"He's like Liberace reincarnated as a suburban white kid doing hip-hop," said Willy Wilson, a WDET-FM (101.9) host and concert promoter. "It's a glitzy, fun show that draws all sorts of audiences, from downtown hip-hoppers to suburban indy-rock kids."

Huntington Woods resident Kevin Herron, aka esQuire, took a chance on a dare from a college roommate to reinvent the genres of hip-hop and rap and become an unlikely rapper.

Herron said he didn't have musical aspirations while growing up and was more into performing.

"For some reason, I have always been comfortable being in front of people," Herron said. "We grew up listening to music, like 1960's Motown, disco, New Wave, early electronic like Kraftwerk. It was all-encompassing.

Rapping, he said, just sort of happened. As a student in Ann Arbor, hre wrote a rap to perform at a show for the rapper Princess Superstar. (Superstar is know to open the mic at her shows for would be rappers.)

"I wrote this song and performed it for her at her show, and she really liked it," Herron said. "She sat down with me after the show and told me bit by bit what she liked about it. I think she was genuinely impressed."

The experience left Herron feeling good, but a few pieces of the esQuire puzzle had yet to come together.

After traveling between Europe and the United States, Herron eventually met up with Craig Badynee, another unlikely hip-hopper. Known to the group as Craig LeRoQ, he works as Herron's producer and DJ. The two started working out rhymes and rap tunes, eventually producing a recording. The first release, "The Boy Who Invented Rap," was picked up by Escalator Records in Japan.

"We were sitting around wondering what to do next," recalled Herron. "And we heard this women rapper, Peaches, was coming to Detroit, so we started a campaign to open for her show.

Diligence paid off when Herron got the opening gig, and the esQuire persona began.

"We had to do something big. So we came up with those 60s-style go-go dancers and my Brian Jones look-a thick bowl cut," Herron said.

He described the show as a "vote of confidence from the audience." From then on, esQuire hasn't looked back. For most of the past year, the group has been booked solid, with a growing number of fans, flocking to his shows regularly.

But they'll have to wait. Herron is taking a few months off and heading back to the studio to prepare of the next round.

"I'll spend the rest of the summer working on new material," he said. After he finishes his new recordings, it's back on the road.

According to Herron, "It's time for the rest of the world to experience the splendor of esQuire."

The Mirror of Berkley/Huntington Woods-August 29, 2002