Old Skool Review: Special Ed

Yeah, yeah, yeah, i'm sure you're saying to yourself right about now. All these new tunes are all well and good, but what about those one-hit wonder rap tracks from the early 80s? THAT'S what your play list REALLY is missing, isn't it? Fret not, you greedy bastards, i've got your back.

As a matter of fact, i'm going to do you one better and today lecture upon TWO-hit wonder, Special Ed. While he put out an album as recently as 2004, let's be honest here, Special Ed (nee Edward Archer) hit his high water mark way back in 1989 with his debut, Youngest in Charge. That was when the world was introduced to the then-16-year-old phenom from Brooklyn. The kid had a flow unlike anybody's but his own. His lyrical prowess was precise, and his flow had a kind of stoner sharpness to it, seemingly lazy, but obviously well rehearsed. YIC contained both gems below, excellent examples of those aforementioned skills. i think part of the reason he blew up the way he did was his youth. You just wouldn't think a kid that young could come up with rhymes so dope. Well, live and learn, as the saying goes. On top of all that, back when players were driving around in pimped up cars, Ed had hovercrafts in his videos.

And if all that isn't enough for you, dig this--he guest starred in an episode of The Cosby Show as J.T. Freeze during the show's eighth season. Sure, by that time, Rudy was starting to look like a baby Sasquatch, and Pam and her crew were brought in to give the show more "street cred," but that's also when Raven Simone was still cute, so what can you do? Ah, remember back in the days when i was a teenager...only to be an Old Head now.

mp3: I'm the Magnificent (Special Ed from Youngest in Charge)

mp3: I Got It Made (Special Ed from Youngest in Charge)