DROP THE MIC
Grammy Award-winning songwriter and Miami native Eskeerdo trades his pen for the microphone with the upcoming release of his latest record, You Title It.
GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING SONGWRITER AND MIAMI NATIVE ES EERDO TRADES HIS PEN FOR THE MICROPHONE WITH THE UPCOMING RELEASE OF HIS LATEST RECORD, YOU TITLE IT.
You’ve likely blasted Fifth Harmony’s “Work from Home” or Rihanna’s “No Love Allowed” and know every word to Big Sean’s “Clique.” But we bet you didn’t know that the man behind your favorite top40 tunes is Magic Cityborn and -bred Alexander “Eskeerdo” Izquierdo, who, at just 28 years old, has already taken home two Grammy Awards. “It hasn’t hit me yet,” he says. “I’m just enjoying the journey.”
Before Eskeerdo was composing copious charttoppers, he was a Hialeah kid with dreams of being an artist. But it was his experiences and surroundings that inspired Eskeerdo to put his feelings, which he subsequently turned into lyrics, on paper. “It’s always been about real concepts and deep emotions,” he says. “If someone is going through something, that’s more inspiring than anything else.” That authenticity paid off—and caught the attention of Sean “Diddy” Combs. “My first placement was for him in 2009. The song was called ‘Diddy Bop.’” Eight years later, the lyrical mad man continues to lend his talent to high-profile musicians including Kanye West, Selena Gomez, Nick Jonas, and more. “To be able to work with artists of their caliber is a blessing,” he says. “They are allowing me into their lives to see how they think and feel. I’m able to get their vision, what they want to say, and how they want to be portrayed.”
When he’s not writing for others, he’s creating his own music in the “305 till I die” spirit. His track “For the City” became the Miami Heat’s anthem, which he produced through his own record label, HIA Entertainment. “My upbringing in Hialeah taught me how to hustle,” he says. In January, he released the single “Bitta” and is now working tirelessly on his latest record, You Title It, to be released soon. Says Eskeerdo, “If you have a dream and see it clearly, don’t stop, no matter the obstacle.” @eskeerdo