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LP
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GET 51312LP
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2017 repress. "Special Ed's debut LP presented in a gatefold jacket with liner notes by Brian Coleman that include interviews with Ed and Howie Tee. In 1989, Hip-Hop was truly bona fide. It had shed the 'just a gimmick' tag years before, as it showed not only artistic growth, but serious sales numbers. In short, it was here to stay. After the explosion of Run-DMC, the Beastie Boys and Public Enemy in New York and the rise of the West Coast seen in multiplatinum successes by N.W.A. and Ice-T, the music started to truly expand, letting new voices and approaches join the party and make their own waves. One of those was a young man from Brooklyn who went by the name Special Ed. Only 16 when his debut hit shelves (and then quickly flew off them), his age was indeed just a number. Beyond any gimmicks, Ed had serious skills. Even considering the novelty of Ed's youth, the Youngest In Charge album stands very firmly on its own as a hip-hop classic, the ultimate in late '80s New York brag swagger, with hit singles 'I Got It Made' and 'Think About It,' both which showed off Ed's battle stances and Howie Tee's masterful, never-endingly catchy productions. Add to it deeper album cuts that still resonate like 'Taxing,' 'Fly M.C.' and 'I'm The Magnificent' (a later single, in 1990), and it brings you back to a time when hip-hop was all about skills and chemistry. Special Ed and Howie Tee certainly had both, with dopeness to spare."
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7"
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GET 728EP
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"'I'm kinda young / But my tongue speaks maturity.' Thus stated Special Ed, on his 1989 smash hit, 'I Got It Made.' And he backed up that brag throughout his trademark anthem, which featured laid-back brags that MCs a half-decade his senior couldn't mess with. The Brooklyn MC was only 16 when it was released, making him one of the youngest rappers -- especially at the time, before the 90s brought us Kris Kross and Lil Bow Wow -- to ever have a hip-hop hit. The song itself, which floated over a perfectly hooked up slice of Ripple's 'I Don't Know What It Is, But It Sure Is Funky,' was produced by Hitman Howie Tee, who also made waves in the late '80s with his cousin, Chubb Rock. When Ed and Howie combined, it was a match made in heaven, and the song exploded in New York before taking over worldwide. Eventually becoming sample fodder on dozens of later songs -- from Fat Joe to Kendrick Lamar -- the track still invokes heavy head-nods today from crowds of all ages. Also included on this special 7-inch is the 'Businesslike Version' of the song (also produced by Howie), which also appeared on the original 12-inch. Featuring a minimal, synth-driven backdrop and a quicker pace, it offers an excellent new way to experience Ed's forward-thinking lyricism."
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