Special Ed was a hit at 17.
His debut album, Youngest in Charge, charted in 1989, and it looked like he might be rap's next big thing.
But that turned out to be the apex of his career, with his positive brand of rap pushed aside by the gangsta rap of his contemporaries, like NWA.
During his appearance on Drink Champs, he was critical of NWA's message.
[Instagram post not found]"N.W.A. brought the age of destruction to our children and our culture. I respect all of them as men, but as the art form ... that's where it started. That's where the agenda started, and that's where the destruction began," he said.
Xzibit called him out for his words in the comments.
"Man, that’s my family tree right there. I don’t go out of my way to discourage people from expressing their opinions about hip hop, but f*ck this sh*t. Special Ed you outta pocket. Don’t make it hard for yourself. We still active bro," Xzibit, 49, typed.
Did Xzibit prove Special Ed's point?