Microphone Mathematics

He’s not a Puerto Rican but he’s speakin’ so that you know.

I’ve gotta friend who’s a Special Ed fan and so I told him that I’d do a post. It works out pretty wellI cause now I also get to talk about the Crooklyn Dodgers (2 dope songs!!) as well. So now you get three classic old school cuts and two more recent.

Just like Kwame – Special Ed dropped his first album at 16 and it was pretty friggin’ good for what it was at the time. I’m still not sure how a 16 year old kid freestylin’ in the playground of his Brooklyn high school gets signed to a record deal in 1989?  His first album – Youngest In Charge (1989) – featured what would be his biggest hit “I Got It Made” - which I think my friend PK and I have been able to referernce almost weekly in our pointless conversations to one another for the last 20 years.

I Got It Made – HERE

I’m the Magnificent – HERE

Think About It - HERE

Special Ed’s second album “Legal” had moderate success and then Ed was off the radar for a while until he returned with Masta Ace and Buckshot to form the Crooklyn Dodgers for a track on Spike Lee’s film Crooklyn. When Lee got around to filming Clockers the band had it’s second line-up which was now Chubb Rock, OC and Jeru the Damaja. Both versions of the Crooklyn Dodgers put out a dope track in each case with a sick beat. I have no idea who produced the first song but I do know that DJ Premier is responsible for the beat second come around. Both these tracks are sick. Both tracks and videos below – complete with a Mike Tyson and Michael Jordan intro.

The Crooklyn Dodgers “Crooklyn” – HERE

The Crooklyn Dodgers (1995 Edition) “Return of the Crooklyn Dodgers” – HERE

An additional FYI – If you don’t know who Masta Ace is – he was a member of the Juice Crew way back in the day (I keep meaning to post “The Symphony”) and most recently is in eMC which put out a really solid album this year called “The Show”.