Comments on: Ronald Jenkees

Ronald Jenkees

vishnubob — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 22:15:01 -0800

"Hello Youtubes, have you heard my SICK beats?" Ronald Jenkees started a youtube channel over a year ago where you can find him clucking about his roommate, giving tips for the unwashed masses, and producing some incredibly awesome beats. The internet agrees, his debut album is genius.

By: Nahum Tate

Nahum Tate — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 23:06:32 -0800

Is he wearing catch-me-fuck-me's?

By: pascal

pascal — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 23:17:27 -0800

I doubt it would be a surprise to anyone if "Ronald Jenkees" turns out to be an alter-ego - I just wonder if it is some "normal" unknown bedroom musician or someone semi-famous. I think we can rule out Prince and Madlib, at least. That "derty" track kicks some ass, for sure. The album is on iTunes, BTW - I was quite surprised to find myself hovering over the "buy album" button.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 23:18:21 -0800

This is great. Love the way he throws off the geek and lets out the funk at the keyboard, and especially love what he says about YouTube commenters at the end of the "awesome" video: There's about one percent - half a percent - that are actually haters, and uh, those don't really bother me. At all, really. Most of them make me laugh, cuz, you know, *they* don't know. [laughs] But, *you* know. [laughs louder] Perfect little intersection of MeFi and YouTube, vishnubob. Thanks.

By: doctor_negative

doctor_negative — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 23:24:31 -0800

Great stuff VB

By: lekvar

lekvar — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 23:56:58 -0800

His "Cousin Goober" routine feels a little forced to me, but goddamn if he doesn't show that keyboard which end is up!

By: Hat Maui

Hat Maui — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 01:48:42 -0800

man, i clicked on the "beats" link first and was blown away, but then i was merely whelmed by what i previewed on itunes. don't get me wrong, it's pretty cool, and i was ready to buy going in, but that song in the "beats" link isn't on there so i passed. but i've got my eye on you, jenkees.

By: Malor

Malor — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 04:49:41 -0800

The 'beats' link is, indeed, really good. Sound quality is terrible, but damn that's good stuff.

By: Admiral Haddock

Admiral Haddock — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 05:19:43 -0800

This guy has to be an alter ego. Because if he is not, there has been a seismic shift in the dork landscape resulting in Doofus Valley smashing into Mt. Awesome.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 05:51:25 -0800

I was quite surprised to find myself hovering over the "buy album" button. But only hovering, right? :)

By: zerobyproxy

zerobyproxy — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 05:52:34 -0800

I breath out when I move away from the microphone.

By: BigSky

BigSky — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 06:14:14 -0800

Great stuff. I'm not a huge fan of electronica or hip-hop but this guy is a stand out. I love that he's able to go from posting videos on YouTube to releasing a CD, and even better, apparently getting some sales. Every now and then, quality breaks through.

By: boo_radley

boo_radley — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 06:19:08 -0800

God damn.

By: thatweirdguy2

thatweirdguy2 — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 06:31:38 -0800

Can't wait for the Jenkees Remix of "Chocolate Rain."

By: 2or3whiskeysodas

2or3whiskeysodas — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 06:32:16 -0800

This is great. Love it. Of course this guy's a dork (even if he's intentionally overemphasizing his dorkiness), but don't you figure that all these hip-hop producers are? I mean, they happily spend most of their time totally dorking out on some extremely sophisticated machinery, right? Being good at making beats requires some severe nerdiness, I'd assume. For example, look at what a huge frickin' dork Timbaland is here (some language NSFW). This is one of my favorite videos on Youtube, btw, in part due to the aforementioned Timbo dorkery and in part due to the look Jay-Z's when he hears the "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" beat for the first time.

By: 2or3whiskeysodas

2or3whiskeysodas — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 06:33:44 -0800

Yeah, I probably could have come up with some synonyms for "dork" and its variants above, but that is the most apt descriptor.

By: 2or3whiskeysodas

2or3whiskeysodas — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 06:34:58 -0800

*the look on Jay-Z's face

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 06:44:08 -0800

2or3whiskeysodas: I dunno, I'm not really seeing the dorkiness you're seeing, I guess. I mean, he's just playing Jay-Z a bunch of beats he's put together, slugging down some kind of juice-ish product from a gallon jug, eating a banana and moving his bulky frame a bit to the music. "Huge frickin' dork"? Like I said, I'm not seeing it. FWIW, I thought the 2nd groove he played (while holding the aforementioned gallon jug) was the money beat. I was kinda surprised Jay-Z didn't go for that one.

By: 2or3whiskeysodas

2or3whiskeysodas — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 06:50:47 -0800

flapjax: Really? Fair enough. I just found the entire first half of the video to be that of a dude gleefully dorking out on his own music. And I mean, he's Timbaland, he has every right to. And c'mon, look at the faces he starts making during that second beat (0:57 in) you mentioned! LOLDORK!

By: the jam

the jam — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 07:22:13 -0800

This is awesome, but definitely an alter-ego. The about page seals it with the pre-emptive, careful explaination of how he's not actually autistic. The way it's written, you can feel the concealed panic of someone who had second thoughts about deciding it would be awesome to pretend to be an austistic hip hop producer after the emails started rolling in.

By: Arturus

Arturus — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 07:45:13 -0800

I suffer hypochondria, I think my beats are sick. Sorry.

By: phaedon

phaedon — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 07:56:23 -0800

This combination of musical genius and playfulness really works. In his own way, Jenkees reminds me of a young Qbert. I thought the "incredibly" video was great.

By: phaedon

phaedon — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 08:05:39 -0800

And just to expand on my point: Qbert being a total dumbass, but oh by the way, I'm the best DJ in the universe.

By: hellbient

hellbient — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 08:08:36 -0800

Awesome? Great? Comparable to Timbaland? QBert??? Musical genius? One-handed preset keyboard solos over Fruity Loops beats? Love it? Really? You'd put this in a CD player and enjoy it all the way through? REally?? Unironically? Oh, right, but he's wearing funny glasses...

By: phaedon

phaedon — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 08:13:48 -0800

I stand corrected for using the term "genius" so casually. But I still really his style.

By: phaedon

phaedon — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 08:14:03 -0800

+like.

By: hellbient

hellbient — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 08:30:15 -0800

Oh, I just found the album samples. Certainly better than the YouTube stuff, but "genius" is really, really pushing it. And I think it's a bit early and unfair (to all parties) to compare him to Timbaland and Q-Bert - dudes who have been around forever and paid their dues many times over.

By: rouftop

rouftop — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 08:32:52 -0800

Even if we are being put upon, the dude's attitude is fantastic. Should be required watching for all d0rks.

By: boo_radley

boo_radley — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 08:57:02 -0800

hellbient: yes, I enjoyed it. Unironically and intentionally.

By: Divine_Wino

Divine_Wino — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 09:33:47 -0800

I want to take this dude out and buy him some hamburgers. Good ones!

By: mistersquid

mistersquid — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 09:51:01 -0800

hellbent is right on the money. I like Jenkees's attitude. He has a gift, but that gift doesn't even maximize his tool (keyboard) or exploit even the range of the melodies he's creating, and they are melodies (with a bit of looped percussion). From my perspective, this thread feels like a charity event. The guy is merely OK, and it seems to me that he gets the MeFi props because he's nerdy.

By: Divine_Wino

Divine_Wino — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 09:56:31 -0800

No nerd is gonna get any props while I'm the shurf in this town, I tell you what podna.

By: deCadmus

deCadmus — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 10:03:15 -0800

Part Paul Shaffer, part Larry "Bud" Melman.

By: wfc123

wfc123 — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 10:04:53 -0800

Sounds like everything else.

By: wfc123

wfc123 — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 10:06:25 -0800

And by the way- Mozart was a "genius". People who take other sounds and mix them together and add a beat are are "lazy".

By: Divine_Wino

Divine_Wino — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 10:19:11 -0800

But people who complain and generalize about things they don't know much about, they're the real innovators!

By: nzero

nzero — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 10:50:07 -0800

Did any of you watch any of his other videos? For instance, the "Laundry Hack" video, or the "Smarter Light Bulb" video? I don't think he's acting, or even exaggerating his "dorkiness." Seems more like he's got mild autism or something.

By: billysumday

billysumday — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 10:55:02 -0800

This guy is GREAT. Who wants to play balderdash?

By: phaedon

phaedon — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 10:58:46 -0800

And I think it's a bit early and unfair (to all parties) to compare him to Timbaland and Q-Bert - dudes who have been around forever and paid their dues many times over. You know, just to clarify, I didn't bring up Q-Bert in order to suggest that Jenkees had reached a similar pinnacle of fame or talent. What I am suggesting is that he underplays the "I am the shit" angle that a lot of "hip hop" artists employ as a means to market themselves. Popular examples of groups that never had to "act hard" to market themselves include the Invisibl Skratch Piklz, De La Soul, and Parliament. And to that extent, I enjoy Jenkees' act.

By: 2or3whiskeysodas

2or3whiskeysodas — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 11:37:35 -0800

nzero: That's been adressed upthread.

By: hellbient

hellbient — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 12:34:23 -0800

I hear ya, phaedon. That was a little hasty of me to suggest you were comparing the two.

By: quarter waters and a bag of chips

quarter waters and a bag of chips — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 13:08:40 -0800

fuck, after reading some of the comments here, it's clear that i am an inferior human being for enjoying this

By: nzero

nzero — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 13:50:01 -0800

2or3whiskeysodas wrote: That's been adressed upthread. Thanks, I missed that somehow. After reading his about page, I'm still not convinced. I also think he's misinformed about autism.

By: undule

undule — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 14:34:31 -0800

This guy is GREAT. Who wants to play balderdash? That is awesome -- but it sure seems like a super-dry Mr. Show skit. Surely this is not genuine.

By: phrontist

phrontist — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 15:10:26 -0800

I think he's legit - nothing about him seems "unrealistic" to me, he's just having more fun than people are used to. He mentions in some the videos that he is from Kentucky, where I'm currently going to college. I've just emailed him to extend an invitation to come play my radio show, on WRFL. If he agrees, I'll post an update in MetaTalk so you can listen to the stream live.

By: C.Batt

C.Batt — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 15:33:43 -0800

Fucking awesome. I could care less if this is a put-on "astro turf" publicity stunt for an otherwise somewhat well known musician (though I don't think that it is). And I don't care if he isn't fucking Mozart (or whomever). It's just cool that he's half-way decent and just doing whatever it is that he does and to hell with what anyone else thinks. I applaud his attitude. Fuck, I applaud the marketing firm that came up with the Ronald Jenkees persona if it indeed turns out to be fabricated. It strikes a chord with the nerdy, music loving, amateur beats making fools like myself. I'm sure we're a sizable market. :-)

By: vishnubob

vishnubob — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 20:03:24 -0800

phrontist - word! if he accepts, i have some questions i would like you to include in a possible interview.

By: stavrosthewonderchicken

stavrosthewonderchicken — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 07:38:50 -0800

Dunno how I missed this the first time 'round (I tend to skip Youtube stuff, I guess), but I love this guy.

By: saturnine

saturnine — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 13:30:44 -0800

I am seriously impressed. Thinking about purchasing his album now. Excellent post.

By: smackfu

smackfu — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 12:27:47 -0800

Another one for the dork category is DJ Z-Trip's "How to Rock a Party" from the Scratch DVD. Don't get me wrong, it's awesome, but it's a guy in his bedroom playing with his toys.

By: klangklangston

klangklangston — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 17:18:10 -0800

Nope, sorry. This sounds like being stuck in the bathroom in an Iranian restaurant. That it has independently evolved through some faux-tard in Kentucky does not make it more interesting.