What is "in essence"

adv. essentially.

1. adj. being the essence or essential element of a thing; "substantial equivalents"; "substantive information" [syn: substantial, substantive]

2. adv. at bottom or by one's (or its) very nature; "He is basically dishonest"; "the argument was essentially a technical one"; "for all his bluster he is in essence a shy person" [syn: basically, fundamentally, essentially, au fond]

3. with regard to fundamentals although not concerning details; "in principle, we agree" [syn: in principle, in theory]

In Essence (occasionally referred to simply as I.E.) is a 5-member Canadian R&B group that has had success both in Canada and the United States. The groups members, Dru, Pops, Smooth, Que and Touch all met in Toronto, Ontario in 1993. On a trip to NYC, In Essence met Funkmaster Flex and his manager and in 2001 they were signed to Franchise Entertainment. Shortly thereafter they released the single "You'll Never Find". The song garnered tremendous exposure in the US and aided in the success of Funkmaster Flex's Mix Tape Vol. 4. As a result of this exposure and success, In Essence signed a record Deal with Vik Recordings / BMG Canada and released their first album, The Master Plan, in 2003. In April 2004, In Essence won a Juno Award for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year. In June of that same year they took home an MMVA Award from MuchMusic for Best R&B Video Of The Year. The year also saw them win a SOCAN #1 Award for "Friend Of Mine" along with 2 Canadian Radio Music Award nominations.

Lead singer Dru has recently embarked on a successful solo career. He had released two solo albums, The One in 2008 and On the Brink in 2011.