Special Ed (rapper)
Special Ed | |
---|---|
Birth name | Edward K. Archer |
Born | Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | May 16, 1972
Origin | Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
Genres | Hip-Hop |
Occupation | Rapper |
Instruments | Vocals |
Years active | 1988–present |
Labels |
|
Edward K. Archer (born May 16, 1972)[1], known professionally as Special Ed, is an American hip hop musician of Jamaican descent. 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 sixteen years old.[2][3]
Biography
Hailing from Brooklyn, New York City, Ed was raised in Flatbush before moving to Canarsie, and is identified with east coast hip-hop. Ed attended Erasmus Hall High School.[4] Ed's debut album Youngest in Charge was released in 1989 and included songs; "I Got It Made", "Think About It" and "I'm The Magnificent", which were produced by "Hitman" Howie Tee.
The album sold more than half a million copies.[5] 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".[3][6] Ed was later a member of Crooklyn Dodgers, a supergroup put together in order to perform songs for the Spike Lee films Clockers and Crooklyn,[4][3] 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,[7] with the track "Freaky Flow" receiving a remix by DJ Premier.
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, and had an uncredited cameo in Juice.[3] He also made an appearance on The Cosby Show as fictional rapper JT Freeze and music video Rick Ross – Magnificent.[4][3] Fly By Night- movie 1992
Discography
- Youngest in Charge (1989)
- Legal (1990)
- Revelations (1995)
- The Best of Special Ed (2000)
- Still Got It Made (2004)
References
- ^ Hip-Hop Golden Age - Special Ed
- ^ DiBella, M.F. "Youngest In Charge Review", Allmusic, retrieved 2011-01-30
- ^ a b c d e Shapiro, Peter (2005) The Rough Guide to Hip Hop, 2nd ed., Rough Guides, ISBN 1-84353-263-8, p. 341
- ^ a b c Jones, Charisse (1995) "Still Hanging in the 'Hood; Rappers Who Stay Say Their Strength Is From the Streets", New York Times, September 24, 1995, retrieved 2011-01-30
- ^ Larkin, Colin (1999) The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music, Virgin Books, ISBN 0-7535-0252-6, p. 320
- ^ Henderson, Alex "Legal Review", Allmusic, retrieved 2011-01-30
- ^ Henderson, Alex "Revelations Review", Allmusic, retrieved 2011-01-30