Edward "Special Ed" Archer was born in Brooklyn, raised in Flatbush before moving to Canarsie. There, he starts to work with Howie Tee on his demo. In the late eighties Special Ed signs with Profile and begins to create his debut studio album at 17-years-old, entirely produced by Howie Tee.
The young MC's technique is simple and effective, while the rhythms pulled out by the beatmaker are funky and minimal, all quite simple. Not even the samples boast too many classics (Lyn Collins, Temptation, Rakim, Al Green, Meters, Ripple, JBs), while giving up both James Brown and George Clinton — hip hop records that don't have samples from one of them are counted on fingertips — has a pretty good sound, functional to decent lyrics, loose delivery and in general to his cheap braggadocio rap.
It takes more spins to appreciate this album that slips away easily and initially seems simply mediocre with its cuts out of place — the commercial misstep "Club Scene", with the discreet proof of the female rapper Kazaam, and the reggae cut "Heds and Dreds" — and without too many strong points, which instead emerge from the distance: "I'm the Magnificent", "Think About It" and above all "I Got It Made" (#9 in the rap chart), make you understand that all have passed through here, and this gives real value to this record.
Distributed by Profile, the CD is supported by four singles ("I Got It Made", "Think About It", "Club Scene" and "I'm the Magnificent") and is a success, selling over half a million physical copies, peaking in the top ten among rnb albums and allowing the boy to start his own career in the industry, later joining the famous Crooklyn Dodgers group a few years later.
No comments:
Post a Comment