Although many know her as an athlete, Carson has been playing music since age nine, and even attended a performing arts high school and studied music at Rutgers. A talented instrumentalist she plays the piano, bass guitar, drums and saxophone and also produces music.

In July 2012, Essence released a music video for her first single “Love Letter” off of her upcoming debut album “Broken Diary” under her rap alias “Pr3pe” (pronounced Preppy). The infectious song is a smooth ode to lovers, featuring Essence’s rhymes and a video that was shot in New York City and Istanbul, Turkey.

Carson pens all of her own lyrics and brings a fresh perspective to what some would call a “diluted” era in hip-hop music. “Hip hop [of today] is definitely club driven. With my project I want to combine that with my experience,” she says. ” I’m going to try and change it up a little.”

She is currently completing her project as an independent artist, which she feels will ensure that she maintains creative control over her sound and brand direction.  She plans to drop her next video for her single “Hater” late this summer.

Think Essence is stopping there? Think again. The athlete has also signed on to be a celebrity charity ambassador for Health Equity Initiative (H.E.I.) a nonprofit organization that supports equal health care and health education for minority populations, as well as improving community capacity and resources for health equity.  Essence also plans to pursue fitness modeling and acting in the near future. It’s no question that success waits for Essence both on and off the court.