Special Ed (rapper)
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Edward K. Archer (born May 16, 1972), known professionally as Special Ed, is an American rapper and producer. Ed is perhaps best known for the songs "I Got It Made", "Think About It" and "I'm the Magnificent" from his debut album '' Youngest in Charge'', released in 1989 when he was 17 years old.


Biography

Born in
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
,
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
to an
Afro-Jamaican Afro-Jamaicans are Jamaicans of predominant Sub-Saharan African descent. They represent the largest ethnic group in the country. Most Jamaicans of mixed-race descent self-report as just Jamaican. The ethnogenesis of the Black Jamaican people ste ...
father and
Indo-Jamaican Indo-Jamaicans are the descendants of people who came from the Indian subcontinent to Jamaica. Indians form the third largest ethnic group in Jamaica after Africans and Multiracials. History Due to deteriorating socioeconomic of conditions in B ...
mother, Ed was raised in Flatbush before moving to Canarsie, and is identified with east coast hip-hop. Ed attended
Erasmus Hall High School Erasmus Hall High School was a four-year public high school located at 899–925 Flatbush Avenue between Church and Snyder Avenues in the Flatbush neighborhood of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It was founded in 1786 as Erasmus Hall Ac ...
and Samuel J. Tilden High School. At the age of fifteen, he established a rapport with his neighbor
Howie Tee Hitman Howie Tee (born Howard Thompson) is an English-born hip-hop DJ and producer of West Indian origin, but raised in Brooklyn NY. Howie Tee is best known for his work with U.T.F.O, Chubb Rock, Special Ed and The Real Roxanne. Howie got his ...
, who worked with him on his demo. Ed's debut album ''Youngest in Charge'' was released in 1989 and included the songs "I Got It Made", "Think About It" and "I'm The Magnificent", which were produced by "Hitman"
Howie Tee Hitman Howie Tee (born Howard Thompson) is an English-born hip-hop DJ and producer of West Indian origin, but raised in Brooklyn NY. Howie Tee is best known for his work with U.T.F.O, Chubb Rock, Special Ed and The Real Roxanne. Howie got his ...
. In an interview with
Billboard (magazine) ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the mus ...
writer James Richliano, Special Ed, who co-wrote his songs, said that he, "used to like writing poetry and creative writing in school," and that he, "wrote a lot of lyrics that amused my teachers. Even when I was younger, I could kick a beat with my hands and rhyme at the same time." ''Youngest in Charge'' sold more than half a million copies. In 1990, Ed released his album ''Legal'', the title a reference to his turning eighteen, with the singles "Come On Let's Move It" and "The Mission". Ed was later a member of
Crooklyn Dodgers The Crooklyn Dodgers were a hip-hop supergroup based in Brooklyn, New York City, consisting of rotating members. They appeared in three separate incarnations in 1994, 1995, and 2007. The first two incarnations recorded for the soundtracks for S ...
, a supergroup put together in order to perform songs for the
Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...
films '' Clockers'' and '' Crooklyn'', and he performed "Crooklyn" with Shillz on the 2003 compilation album '' MuskaBeatz''. Ed released a third solo album, ''Revelations'', with the single "Neva Go Back" in 1995, with the track "Freaky Flow" receiving a remix by
DJ Premier Christopher Edward Martin (born March 21, 1966), known professionally as DJ Premier (also known as Preemo), is an American record producer and DJ. He is considered one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time. He was half of the hip hop du ...
. In 2004, Ed released the album ''Still Got It Made'' on his own label "Semi." Ed appeared in the film ''Ganked'', alongside Kel Mitchell of
Kenan and Kel ''Kenan & Kel'' is an American buddy comedy sitcom created by Kim Bass. The show originally aired on the Nickelodeon network for four seasons, from July 15, 1996, to July 15, 2000. Set in Chicago, Illinois, the series follows mischievous Kenan ...
, and had an uncredited cameo in ''
Juice Juice is a drink made from the extraction or pressing of the natural liquid contained in fruit and vegetables. It can also refer to liquids that are flavored with concentrate or other biological food sources, such as meat or seafood, such as ...
''. He also made an appearance on ''
The Cosby Show ''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom co-created by and starring Bill Cosby, which aired Thursday nights for eight seasons on NBC between September 20, 1984, until April 30, 1992. The show focuses on an upper middle-class Africa ...
'' as fictional rapper JT Freeze and in a Rick Ross music video entitled "Magnificent". He also appeared in the 1992 movie ''Fly By Night''.


Discography


Studio albums


Compilation albums


As lead artist


References


Notes


Citations


External links

*
Special Ed Myspace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Special Ed 1972 births African-American male rappers American rappers of Jamaican descent Living people Profile Records artists Rappers from Brooklyn Erasmus Hall High School alumni People from Flatbush, Brooklyn 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians People from Canarsie, Brooklyn 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people Crooklyn Dodgers members