EDUCATION BEYOND MUSIC: Special Ed
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK | SPECIAL ED
INTERVIEW KB Tindal PHOTOGRAPH AMPARO
Special Ed was a fixture in 80’s and 90’s Hip-Hop but today, as always, Ed has a stern view of us as a people and what needs to be done to secure the next generation. He’s in the tech space and in addition to that he’s always pushing an agenda that covers the opportunity to monetize, capitalize and empower, economically and generationally. Validated Magazine got the chance to sit down with the legend and discuss his career as well as his business smarts. Enjoy!
VALIDATED: Today I got an old Brooklyn legend in the house. Not the new Brooklyn but the old Brooklyn. Classic hits like “I Got It Made”, “I Am The Magnificent”, “The Mission”, “Come On, Let's Move It,”, “Neva Go Back” and more. Brooklyn, New York's own Special Ed. Thank you for tapping in with Validated Magazine.
SPECIAL ED: Thanks for having me. I appreciate this, it is a privilege and an honor.
VALIDATED: Tell me one good thing that you remember and one bad thing that you remember about growing up in 80s Brooklyn?
SPECIAL ED: The good thing I remember is just hanging out and experiencing life. Walking around to different neighborhoods, hanging out with different crews and different people, and just having fun. The bad part is things can pop off, so you just got to chill out. You got to look out for a lot of things in life in general, coming out the house, going down the street, going to the party. We went to some really dangerous parties.
VALIDATED: Especially in the 80s when the crack epidemic hit, that was the landscape of every neighborhood.
SPECIAL ED: It tore us up. People got really desperate and did desperate things in order to get that bread.
VALIDATED: What's your first, should I say not your first but your earliest memory of Hip-Hop culture?
SPECIAL ED: My earliest memories of Hip-Hop culture would probably be like mixtapes, Hip- Hop, disco beats being cut up like “Good Times.” That's my first memories of Hip-Hop and seeing how Howie Tee do stuff like that. Howie Tee was one of the first real active DJs that I was able to witness as a child. I saw him and his brother, Rest in Peace to Rob. I saw them DJ live when I was a little kid, before I knew what the hell was going on. They were doing it.
VALIDATED: Howie Tee is a legend. What were some of the hardest challenges that you had to go through and some of the sacrifices that you had to make back then, when you're trying to get a deal? Because it's much easier nowadays, you don't need a label. What were some of the challenges you had to go through?
SPECIAL ED: Dealing with the business end of it, and the business structure of it, where we had to accept not having any experience or history in the business, and not having any standardization set for us. It was basically you accept whatever you accept. There was nothing that said, this is normal. There was no normal. We had to create a normal out of what we had, and then turn it into what normal should look like.
VALIDATED: What was one of the best and one of the worst things about being an artist in the 80s, because you came in on the tail end of the golden era, before we went into the 90s. And a lot of things started to shift. What were some of the good things and some of the bad things about being an artist at that time?
SPECIAL ED: The good thing is that my success was based on my talent. I'm good with that. One of the bad things was not having that direct access, and exposure to certain things. In terms of the distribution, your fan base, the market, the show market, merch, different areas of monetization, we really didn't have any idea of how these things worked at the time.
VALIDATED: What are your thoughts on Hip-Hop now as far as the current Hip-Hop scene in New York, who are you checking for?
SPECIAL ED: I don't know, I don’t even know what the current Hip-Hop scene is like. I know what the current Hip-Hop scene is in my house. That's what it is. I create, just like they create whatever they are doing, I've been doing that. That's what we do. More power to everybody coming up in New York. I hope y'all make it and if y'all can make it there, y'all can make it anywhere.
VALIDATED: That's a fact. Recently we lost some legends and as time goes on, we're starting to lose a lot more. We lost Ecstasy from Whodini, we lost DMX, Black Rob, Prince Markie Dee. How did any of those guys influence you, or leave you any kind of memories of them?
SPECIAL ED: Yeah, all of them. I knew all of them on a personal level, as artists on an artist level, some of them more than others. But nonetheless, I knew them all. It leads me to believe that somewhere we've been compromised because we are dying very young. We only have a lifespan of 50 and that's the trend. We have to look at that and see why that is and where that occurred. Where the lifespan changed? Is it health, is it what we compromise, is it something foreign put in your body, compromising your system? Why are we dying at an early age?
VALIDATED: It's a question that needs to be raised. You came in on the tail end of the 80s, your single came out in 88 and your 1st album dropped in 89. Which decade did you like best? Did you like the 80s better, or did you like the 90s?
SPECIAL ED: I don't know. That's a difficult question because they were two totally different things. I was in two totally different places. One trying to do it and coming up and one already on and out there running around. I enjoyed both. I enjoyed the whole process. I enjoyed my life. Each part of my life is a whole different part of the process. It all makes me right now who I am.
VALIDATED: You just talked about Howie Tee, I know he was your producer, he taught you a lot about music. I'm sure he taught you a lot about life in general. What's something that Howie Tee gave you, that you learned from him that you still carry with yourself today?
SPECIAL ED: Patience. Howie sat there very patiently and produced a lot of great music. He sat there patiently and dealt with a lot of individuals' personalities, and recorded a lot of music. Basically, you have to have a certain temperament for that. Not just in terms of people asking questions, being distracted while you are working, and things of that nature. I've never really seen Howie wild out or spazz out at nothing. He's always mannered, real, sensible, logical and happy. He is always trying to be pleasant, trying to make sure everybody is cool. We don't do disruption well.
That’s how he taught me how to be patient with people. Because it's the same situations and the same people sometimes and the same conversations, but I may take things a whole different way and I may not have the same tolerance, but he showed me that things can work out better if you just chill out for a little bit. Listen, acknowledge what's going on and go about it cool. Howie is cool, cool as a fan. That's one of the coolest people I know on the planet.
VALIDATED: Your storytelling skills, when people mention dope MCs, you get mentioned in that category, but I don't think you get mentioned as much as you should, how do you feel about that?
SPECIAL ED: I don’t care who mentions what. They could talk till they blue in the face and not just that, but what does their opinion matter? Who are they telling that matters? I appreciate and I try hard at my craft and that's what I put into it. So, I accept and I'm grateful for all the appreciation that I received in return. At the end of the day, though, what I don't do is, I don't base anything on a network, on an accolade, on an award, or anything like that. I just base it on the effect that it has in real time. What people say, the media does this, that and the third… that's just one person's opinion. That's the person writing the article, doing the interview, or the editor.
VALIDATED: Like I was saying, your wordplay was unmatched at the time, especially for the age that you were coming out, you were relatively young. I heard you say that you were inspired by Jimmy Spicer, Rest in Peace to him and his storytelling. Were there any other artists or just storytellers in general like authors or books that you read that gave you that feeling of great storytelling?
SPECIAL ED: I will just be thinking about wild things. Aint no real stories. I don't really read books too much. I write more than I read. It is what it is. I just like what I like, and I'm very descriptive. I know what I want to do. I want to set myself aside from the next artists. I want some graphics so that you can see what I'm saying. I'm saying, I'm describing things; I'm telling you the color, whatever, but I'm very particular so you can see what's happening.
VALIDATED: Your lyrics are definitely meticulous without a doubt. I could definitely say that.
SPECIAL ED: You got to have an entertaining and compelling story as well. See, what I do is I say, what's gonna make sense? It's like writing a script, writing a show or a movie. You got to have a point to it all, what’s the point, what happened? Where’s the, what they call, the protagonists and all that stuff, what is this all about? Or are you just gonna start a story and then get distracted and go on to something else? You have to have something that flows and has an ending.
VALIDATED: You always had a beginning, a middle and an ending in all your songs. They’re all built like that.
SPECIAL ED: Especially if you are telling any story because you have to have a point to it. I got a moralist story; every story has a moral. But some people write, then they just get wild distracted and next thing you know, you're just talking about the name.
VALIDATED: What kind of student were you in high school growing up?
SPECIAL ED: I was just ready to go. First of all, my school was disrespectful in the fact that they didn't even maintain it properly for the students. There were giant gaping holes in the walls and the chalkboards like, what is this? We had holes everywhere.
VALIDATED: Erasmus High right?
SPECIAL ED: Yeah, locks on everything. It was like a jail. You go to a jail, but it's messed up, why are there holes everywhere? Then it was like that for a while until they started doing reconstruction. But for me as a student, I was just looking at this thing like, this is what we are doing? I was chilling, I was socialized. I was getting a real education in life on how to survive.
VALIDATED: I think we all got that growing up in New York. I grew up in Hollis, Queens. I think we all got that from the 80s and the 90s. We were just built a little bit different.
SPECIAL ED: What it is now is everything is automated. So, they’re built mechanically, it's not the same. Right now, they've taken away social activities for children... where they're going to get the social behavior from, how are they going to know how to treat people? They can't even have a girlfriend and boyfriend or go on a date. Like everything is so restricted. They are messing up everybody to death. They're destroying children's psyche and developmental process.
VALIDATED: In a lot of ways, I think they definitely are. They're not allowing the kids to interact the way that we did when we grew up.
SPECIAL ED: They are destroying their whole social behavior. Their ability to adapt to people, period. Now, when you go around people, you have anxiety, you don't know how to deal with people. You don't want to be around people. Now you want to be locked up in virtual reality.
VALIDATED: I heard you in another interview talking about how you got into the technology world and how you are doing tech business? Do you have something in mind that would allow kids to interact better, as opposed to just always being in front of a screen and not being able to interact?
SPECIAL ED: Well, right now, most of this stuff is technical. What I've done is, I have a nonprofit called S.E.A.L., Special Ed Arts Literacy, and what we're doing is we're partnering with some tech companies, and we're providing education. Education on the technology, education on the blockchain, education on cryptocurrencies and everything else from A to Z, so that they can understand, participate and it's not just for children, because there's adults that don't know what's going on. We're providing education for all, children to adults.
VALIDATED: How did you view any of the lyricists from your era, did you view them as competition? Because you came from a battling background as well.
SPECIAL ED: I wanted to be different, and I wanted to be the best. So, hell yeah it was always a competition because it was always based on who's the best. That's my whole lifestyle. I am the best now, who is the best, was the best? I am the best.
VALIDATED: You're supposed to always feel that way as an artist.
SPECIAL ED: I know who I am. I'm trying to figure out who they think they are.
VALIDATED: I know, at some point, you got into a legal tussle with Profile Records over finances. How did that turn out for you, did you end up getting what they owed you?
SPECIAL ED: We had some resolution in court. That's all I can say. I won't get into details of old things. I've been in court with many different companies over business matters and we resolve it in court. After that, that’s it. We don’t cry, we go to court. We try to do things the civilized way too. There's been times where you just go to court.
VALIDATED: Did you have a deal in place when you got that deal with Profile? Was it a good enough deal for you to still eat off those records today?
SPECIAL ED: I eat every day. I'm still eating today. But what I'm saying is, the deal wasn't that great of a deal. But I am still eating, so imagine if it was a great deal. I would be positioned differently. But I’m passing over 30 years now. I got my shit back and I'm moving on with my life. I'm doing mad, different things. I am not thinking about that. Other people probably want to know the story and the history, but I'm way past that. I am on to some new money.
VALIDATED: I know you've been producing over the years as well. What are you working on now as far as production, as far as what you're putting out or other artists that you're working with? What do you have in the pipeline?
SPECIAL ED: I have a lot of things in the pipeline, as far as entertainment is concerned. But as far as artists are concerned, I'm working with some young artists. I'm also working with some seasoned veterans, getting them acclimated to the new age of technology and the new game, and how to monetize in 2021. So that's what we're doing.
VALIDATED: You were doing some booking as well, are you still booking for artists?
SPECIAL ED: I booked today. I've been booking work all the time. I don't advertise because it's just people that are in the game and need artists for shows, they know that I book. I am going a little more public with all of that, because I have a new website, where I do a lot of media and tech consulting. I do a lot of media tech consulting, servicing different areas that I've picked up over the years of my education and industry. I decided to participate fully in all kinds of activities and verticals. That's where I'm at now and I enjoy it because it is less ego driven and it's all really down to the business and what you can and cannot do. What you can and cannot provide, and what you can and cannot monetize. And where's my money? Where's my involvement? This is real life right now. We're all positioning ourselves to do real things.
VALIDATED: Crooklyn Dodgers, another classic joint, you, Masta Ace, Buckshot? There was even a remix for it. Were you guys approached by Spike to do that song? How did that track come about?
SPECIAL ED: Spike approached Tip and Tip called everybody. Tip called me, Buckshot and Ace, and then Tip came over to my studio. We started it out. He did the beat. We started writing and doing our thing and then we ended up mixing in the city. Shout out to Buckshot and Ace.
VALIDATED: I know at some point, you were touring with the Alumni. Are you guys still touring?
SPECIAL ED: I am still touring with the Alumni. We are still touring. All the time, our next show is coming up in Virginia and then we go to Maryland. Things are opening back up, so as they are opening back up, people are booking, and things are happening. Shout outs to the Alumni. Monie Love, Chubb Rock, Dana Dane, Kwame, Greg Nice and the Alumni, there's actually a concept, so really everyone is Alumni. Everyone that has been in there, dedicated their lives to this and this is Alumni. This is really just our idea to unite and bring ourselves together as a business and not just like we friends hanging out or just doing shows together. No, we're doing business together. We have a brand; we have a Corporation. We move forward with the Alumni, and we've been doing business for some years now.
VALIDATED: A lot of elder statesmen, as far as Hip-Hop artists, sometimes they don't turn out to be financially secure as they should be. I've heard people talk industry wise about maybe starting a union or something like that to care for them if they get sick, and they don't have money or things like that. What's your take on that?
SPECIAL ED: My take is they should have been doing that a long time ago because there's no… See, when I first started, I had a good CPA. So, I had a little insurance and a little future stuff put to the side. Things of that nature, where artists now don't think about any of that. They need to, they need some financial planning. They need to really sit down and understand how money works, wealth works, how to keep it, how to obtain it, and how to invest. How to do things that make sense, and not things that do not make sense.
VALIDATED: As an elder statesman, in Hip-Hop, what do you try to give back to the younger artists, what do you feel your responsibility is to give them when it comes to the culture?
SPECIAL ED: To know the process, know their worth, know what they might not have been told. Just to be aware, I mean to full disclosure, into understanding. Once someone has the information, then they can perform better, act better, react better. It's just about really knowing what's going on and in its entirety. Some people know they can rhyme. They do not know about publishing, mechanicals, royalties, digital rights, all kinds of stuff. It's about helping them with that.
VALIDATED: What would you like to see change within the culture today, musically, or just in general, when it comes to the preservation of our people and of the culture?
SPECIAL ED: I would like to see a lot of change. I would like to see them be more responsible about the corporations that they support and fund. The brands that they so recklessly, provide free advertising to. Rapping is one thing, but you can control what you're saying. You don't have to do free advertising. You don't have to be destructive. You don't have to promote drug abuse. You don't have to promote pharmaceuticals that have nothing to do with you or any of us. We're not benefiting, and we're actually being destroyed from it. I would like to see them stop promoting their personal lifestyles that don't apply to everyone, don't apply to me. I would like to see them stop pushing their own agenda, stop pushing satanic things. Nobody wants to see that; nobody wants to be a part of that. At least I don’t, don’t put that in the mainstream. They're trying to put that in schools now.
As a right of religious belief, and educational material, they are saying that if they can do the national anthem and they can learn about God, they can learn about the devil as well. So that's really what's going on right now.
VALIDATED: Where do you think the culture shifted? Where do you think the shift came when that started happening?
SPECIAL ED: I am going to tell you where the shift came. Ask me no more, I'm gonna tell you when the shift came. The shift came when they realized that it was effective, and it worked, and it had an effect and control on the people. Then they took that model and turned it against us with low money. Throughout history, you have these people that sell out for money quick, fast and do dumb things for money. They don't really see the result that it has down the line. Just in terms of generations. All these people are selling out and doing things for a quick buck. Setting you back years again, setting you back like you really determined the process of evolution and growth. Stop selling out for some money. You can always make money, what is wrong with people? What happens is they bring the bag, and they tell you what they want you to do. I never let nobody tell me what I'm gonna do, even now. I'm not into that. Don't tell me what to do and don't tell me what to say and don't tell me what to feel. I make those decisions.
VALIDATED: That's how it should be. People will do anything for that bag.
SPECIAL ED: Exactly, and then they take that, and they turn that around. They say, Okay, you put on a dress, you put on lipstick, you cut your hair off, you kiss these girls and boys. You do this, you do that. you take these pills, you sip this illegal substance, do dumb things publicly and make people think it is cool. So, they can jump off the cliff with you, that's what's happening, and it is apparent. My son has a poster of some kid that overdosed. I'm like, he just came out. Why is he overdosing? Rest in Peace to him. My condolences to his family and he's an African American, Black whatever. He's melanated and I'm not against anybody. Rest in Peace to Mac Miller. Another young artist passed away; he overdosed as well. We have a history here of even young new brand-new artists coming out and overdosing. Don't you have a new deal? Don't you have great parameters set up, don't you have a good monetization possibility? What's going on? Why would you turn to enough drugs where you would die? That's always been a question to me as why would you be in a great situation and making all this money living this lifestyle and then do that, ruin it all, throw it away and away yourself? Literally. Like I said, Rest in Peace to those souls, it’s terrible.
VALIDATED: At the end of the day, what does Hip-Hop mean to you?
SPECIAL ED: Hip-Hop means the opportunity to monetize, capitalize and empower, economically, generational wealth. That's what Hip-Hop means to me and it's about an awakening also because you have to use the information and the ability. That's what we started doing. It was the beginning. Spread some information. What's going on? What's happening? What is the reality? Now we see the reality clearly, now we have social media. Social media is kind of like what Hip-Hop was. Hip-Hop was the oral version of social media. That's what technicians did, they took Hip-Hop and turned it into social media.
VALIDATED: Last question. What can we expect from you coming up now? Anything that you're working on, maybe something that we didn't touch on in the interview, anything that you want the people to know about Special Ed that you got coming up?
SPECIAL ED: I got a lot of smart, interesting things for everyone to wake up to. We're putting things together now. There's a lot of proprietary things that I can't really go into however, we are there, I know what's happening right now I know what's going on. I see what everyone is doing. I just know that it can be done correctly. It's not being done the right way. It's reckless. It's loose out there. It's a Wild Wild West, it is uncharted territory, just like it always has been. It's about now putting them into the correct path.
VALIDATED: I thank you for coming through. You are definitely a legend in the culture and it's good to see you still here. Still prospering and still doing what you got to do and that's love, no doubt.
SPECIAL ED: Thank you, brother. I appreciate that. Like I said, it's an honor for me to even still want to be heard 30 years after the fact and that's good. For me, I really don’t have too much to say, I'm not talking about blah blah. I don't have a bunch of hype. I am not saying a bunch of hype. You want to know some facts then we can do that. But I'm not really selling a bunch of smoke. No smoke and mirrors. I ain't got no game for that. Real things.