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 ''Youngest in Charge'' is the debut studio album from then 17-year-old hip hop artist Special Ed from Brooklyn. It was released in 1989 through Profile Records. Recording sessions took place at Howie's Crib and at Q's House in New York. Product ...

'', 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 (state), New York. Kings County is the most populous Administrative divisions of New York (state)#County, county in the State of New York, ...

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 U ...

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 mother, Ed was raised in Flatbush before moving to

Canarsie Canarsie ( ) is a mostly residential neighborhood in the southeastern portion of Brooklyn, New York City. Canarsie is bordered on the east by Fresh Creek Basin and East 108th Street; on the north by Linden Boulevard; on the west by Ralph A ...

, and is identified with

east coast hip-hop East Coast hip hop is a regional subgenre of hip hop music that originated in New York City during the 1970s. Hip hop is recognized to have originated and evolved first in the Bronx, New York City. In contrast to other styles, East Coast hip ...

. 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 Aca ...

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 h ...

, 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"

. 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 music ...

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, 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 ''Crooklyn'' is a 1994 American semi-autobiographical film produced and directed by Spike Lee and co-written with his sister Joie and brother Cinqué. Occurring in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, during the summer ...

'', 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 Kel Johari Rice Mitchell (born August 25, 1978) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He was an original cast member of the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series ''All That'' for its first five seasons (1994–1999), where he was often paired a ...

of Kenan and Kel, 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 ...

''. 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 William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Diddy's Bad ...

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