"The Him" by Ensane

Ensane is an innovative new rap artist based out of Houston, TX. He recently released his first full-length album entitled “The Him” which was produced by That Purple Bastard for Purple Bastard Productions. Ensane has been described as E-40 meets Common, combining his wild, outgoing personality with a more down-to-earth approach to subject matter.

Born Earl Douglas on October 14, 1978, in San Fransico, CA, Ensane grew up being heavily influenced by Bay Area rappers like E-40 and Mac Dre but also by West Coast rap in general. Relocating to Houston, TX in the late 1990’s, he would soon experience a life-changing event with the birth of his son Atreyu Douglas on March 30, 2004. Although he had been dabbling in rap since High School, it was only after his son’s birth that Ensane decided to really get serious about rapping and begin to build a musical legacy that his son could be proud of. Doing a few collaborations with various producers around Houston, but never really putting enough material together for an official release, Ensane finally met his match in fall of 2008. That Purple Bastard, a Houston area producer known for a more psychedelic sound approached him about doing a full-length album after meeting him through work. They began recording in the Spring of 2009 and quickly found that their styles were complimentary to one another. That Purple Bastard’s dreamy yet grounded beats seemed to be the perfect platform for Ensane’s own already unique delivery. The end result is a meticulously-produced labor of love simply entitled “The Him”.

“The Him”, a concept album based on Ensane’s love for his son Atreyu, as well as his own life experiences is a diverse collection of songs that run the gamut of various musical styles. The title track is a tribute to the Bay Area Hyphy movement, in which Ensane pays respect to his musical origins over dreamy synths, pitched-up samples and a pounding hypnotic bassline. “Holdin’ It Down” is a decidedly more southern track which celebrates Ensane’s union with his new home in Houston over a booty-bass style 808 bassline with a truly Texan funk guitar riff. “Marbles”, the only track co-produced by Ensane and featuring backing vocals from That Purple Bastard, is a very mischievous party song with a bassline that can only be described as “gurpy”. “Makes It Happen” is the album’s street anthem, which talks about the everyday hustle over a pounding bassline and is peppered with screwed samples, an homage to his Houston home. “Nuttiness” is the album’s signature smoking song with very dark, ambient synths and syncopated Timbaland-esque percussion. “The Same” reveals much of Ensane’s past over a bouncy yet wistful beat, complimented by a live guitar track which cries in the background. “Abstract”, the album’s final track celebrates the unorthodox style of both Ensane and his producer and is an effect driven, high-energy track that is unlike any of the tracks preceding it.