A Genre of Her Own: EssJay TheAfrocentricRatchet and A Masterpiece
The Minneapolis rapper, singer, and bandleader fuses Afrocentric pride with unapologetic ratchetness — and her 2025 album makes the case loudly.
By NFWA Editorial Staff3 min read
MINNEAPOLIS — The name tells you the thesis before the first bar lands. EssJay TheAfrocentricRatchet is a rapper, singer, and bandleader whose work sits at the intersection of Afrocentric pride and unapologetic ratchetness — two energies she refuses to keep apart.
Her music treats Black femme queer expression as a genre of its own. On record that means hard-punching lyricism, dance-floor bounce, and introspective storytelling, often inside the same song.
A Masterpiece
Her 2025 album A Masterpiece is the fullest statement of that fusion so far. Tracks like "Skeletons" and "Baby" show the range — one turning inward, the other built for movement — while keeping her voice front and center.
Summer, and Bat Girl
She followed the album with the warm-weather release "Single 4 The Summer" and its remix, then the video for "Bat Girl," now streaming on YouTube. The catalog is available on Spotify and Apple Music.
Part of the Minnesota scene
EssJay is documented by the Minnesota Music Index, which catalogs artists working across the state's music community, and she now holds an official NFWA artist profile and press kit.