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special ed - i got it made - get on down - vinyl

New Copy

Genre: Hip Hop

1. I Got It Made
2. I Got It Made (Businesslike version)

Reissue as deluxe "big hole" 7-inch, comes housed in a custom Profile 45 jacket.

"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.