Special Ed is the performing name of Edward Archer (born May 16, 1972 in Brooklyn, New York), an American hip hop musician of Jamaican descent. Hailing from Brooklyn in New York City, he was raised in Flatbush before moving to Canarsie, and is identified with East Coast hip hop. Ed is best known for the songs "I Got It Made", "Think About It" and "I'm The Magnificent", produced by "Hitman" Howie Tee and released in 1989 on the Youngest in Charge album, recorded when Ed was 16 years old. The album sold more than half a million copies. In 1990, he released his album Legal, the title a reference to his turning eighteen, with the singles "Come On Let's Move It" and "The Mission".

He was later a member of Crooklyn Dodgers, an ad hoc group who came together to perform for the Spike Lee films Clockers and Crooklyn, and he performed "Crooklyn" with Shillz on the 2003 compilation album MuskaBeatz. Ed released a third solo album, Revelations, with the single "Neva Go Back" in 1995, with the track "Freaky Flow" receiving a remix by DJ Premier. In 2004, Ed released the album Still Got It Made on his own label "Semi."