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{{short description|American rapper}}
{{short description|American rapper}}


{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2015}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{BLP sources|date=March 2014}}
{{BLP sources|date=March 2014}}
{{Infobox musical artist
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Ed Lover
| name = Ed Lover
| background = solo_singer
| image =
| image =
| caption =
| caption =
| birth_name = James Roberts
| birth_name = James Roberts
| alias =
| alias =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1963|02|12}}
| birth_place = [[Brooklyn]], [[New York City]], U.S.
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1963|02|12}}
| birth_place = [[Queens]], [[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]], U.S.
| origin = [[Queens]], New York City, U.S.
| genre = [[Hip hop music|Hip hop]]
| genre = [[Hip hop music|Hip hop]]
| occupation = {{flatlist|
| occupation = {{flatlist|
* Rapper
* Deejay
* radio personality
* radio personality
* actor
* actor
* musician
* musician
}}
}}
| years_active = 1988–present
| years_active = 1988–present
| label = [[Relativity Records|Relativity]]
| label = [[Relativity Records|Relativity]]
| associated_acts = {{flatlist|
| associated_acts = {{flatlist|
* [[Doctor Dré]]
* [[Doctor Dré]]
* [[No Face (rap duo)|No Face]]
* [[No Face (rap duo)|No Face]]
}}
}}
| website =
| website =
}}
}}


'''James Roberts''' (born February 12, 1963), better known as '''Ed Lover''', is an American [[rapper]], [[actor]], [[musician]], [[radio personality]], and former [[MTV]] [[VJ (media personality)|VJ]]. He hosted "The Ed Lover Show" on [[Sirius XM Radio|SiriusXM]]'s [[old-school hip hop]] station, [[BackSpin]]. As of April 12, 2018, he hosts the morning show at classic hip-hop "104.3 Jams" [[WBMX (FM)|WBMX]] in [[Chicago]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Venta |first=Lance |url=http://radioinsight.com/headlines/167655/ed-lover-joins-104-3-jams-chicago/ |title=Ed Lover Joins 104.3 Jams Chicago |website=RadioInsight.com |date=2018-04-06 |access-date=2020-03-10}}</ref>
'''James Roberts''' (born February 12, 1963), better known as '''Ed Lover''', is an American deejay, radio personality, actor, musician, and former [[MTV]] [[VJ (media personality)|VJ]]. He hosted "The Ed Lover Show" on [[Sirius XM Radio|SiriusXM]]'s [[old-school hip hop]] station [[BackSpin]]. As of April 12, 2018, he hosts the morning show at classic hip-hop "104.3 Jams" [[WBMX (FM)|WBMX]] in Chicago.<ref>{{cite web|last=Venta |first=Lance |url=http://radioinsight.com/headlines/167655/ed-lover-joins-104-3-jams-chicago/ |title=Ed Lover Joins 104.3 Jams Chicago |website=RadioInsight.com |date=April 6, 2018 |access-date=March 10, 2020}}</ref>


He is also widely recognized for being the first person to announce the unsolved case of [[Tupac Shakur|american rapper]] [[Murder of Tupac Shakur|Tupac Shakur's death]] at a [[Nas]] concert in 1996.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tupac Shakur dies |url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/tupac-shakur-dies |access-date=2022-05-02 |website=HISTORY |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=2pac announced dead at Nas Concert |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIwnNe3RPQA |language=en |access-date=2022-05-02}}</ref>
He is also widely recognized for being the first person to announce [[Murder of Tupac Shakur|Tupac Shakur's death]] at a [[Nas]] concert in 1996.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tupac Shakur dies |url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/tupac-shakur-dies |access-date=May 2, 2022 |website=HISTORY |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=2pac announced dead at Nas Concert |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIwnNe3RPQA |language=en |access-date=May 2, 2022}}</ref>


==Biography==
== Biography ==


===Pre-MTV history===
=== Pre-MTV history ===
Roberts was born in Brooklyn, New York. Before reaching fame on MTV, he was part of an eccentric and deliberately enigmatic hip hop collective called [[No Face (rap duo)|No Face]], primarily with fellow members Kevon Shah and Mark "Mark Sexx" Skeete, who served as the main producer. No Face debuted in 1989 on [[Island Records]]' Club music imprint Great Jones with its only known recording for the label, "Hump Music"—an underground sexually explicit [[parody]] of [[Jungle Brothers|The Jungle Brothers']] 1988 hip-house classic "I'll House You." No Face would continue recording for another five years, but it only released one album in 1990, ''Wake Your Daughter Up'' on its own No Face label, which was operated as an imprint of the Rush Associated Labels division of [[Def Jam Recordings]].
Roberts was born in Brooklyn, New York. Before reaching fame on MTV, he was part of an eccentric and deliberately enigmatic hip hop collective called [[No Face (rap duo)|No Face]], primarily with fellow members Kevon Shah and Mark "Mark Sexx" Skeete, who served as the main producer. No Face debuted in 1989 on [[Island Records]]' Club music imprint Great Jones with its only known recording for the label, "Hump Music"—an underground sexually explicit [[parody]] of [[Jungle Brothers|The Jungle Brothers']] 1988 hip-house classic "I'll House You." No Face would continue recording for another five years, but it only released one album in 1990, ''Wake Your Daughter Up'' on its own No Face label, which was operated as an imprint of the Rush Associated Labels division of [[Def Jam Recordings]].


Though Ed Lover was clearly recognizable throughout parts of the album, his name was not credited on the album and he was not featured on any album or single covers during this period, thus rendering Ed Lover the "no face" part of the group. Its main logo featured two heads with the word "face" written in [[graffiti|graffiti-style']] at the bottom of the right face, while the official label logo featured three heads with the word "face" in a more legible font.
Though Ed Lover was clearly recognizable throughout parts of the album, his name was not credited on the album and he was not featured on any album or single covers during this period, thus rendering Ed Lover the "no face" part of the group. Its main logo featured two heads with the word "face" written in [[graffiti]]-style' at the bottom of the right face, while the official label logo featured three heads with the word "face" in a more legible font.


''Wake Your Daughter Up'' spawned two singles—"Fake-Hair-Wearin' Bitch," an underground cult classic that sampled [[The Gap Band]]'s "[[You Dropped a Bomb on Me]]" and featured [[2 Live Crew|the 2 Live Crew]], and "Half," an R&B-styled divorce tale that featured the up-and-coming hardcore female hip-hop duo [[BWP (group)|BWP (Bytches With Problems)]], which was discovered by and recorded for No Face to a slightly bigger level of success for the label than the group No Face did. Ed Lover is featured in the video for "Half," which regularly aired on [[Yo! MTV Raps]] during his tenure as co-host.
''Wake Your Daughter Up'' spawned two singles—"Fake-Hair-Wearin' Bitch," an underground cult classic that sampled [[The Gap Band]]'s "[[You Dropped a Bomb on Me]]" and featured [[2 Live Crew|the 2 Live Crew]], and "Half," an R&B-styled divorce tale that featured the up-and-coming hardcore female hip-hop duo [[BWP (group)|BWP (Bytches with Problems)]], which was discovered by and recorded for No Face to a slightly bigger level of success for the label than the group No Face did. Ed Lover is featured in the video for "Half," which regularly aired on ''[[Yo! MTV Raps]]'' during his tenure as co-host.


For reasons unknown, other than possibly to avoid conflicting with his duties on MTV, Ed Lover left No Face shortly after its time with RAL. His [[swan song]] to the group and to the label was his cameo appearance with partner Doctor Dré in BWP's video of its third single, "Wanted," from its one and only album, ''The Bytches'' from 1991.
For reasons unknown, other than possibly to avoid conflicting with his duties on MTV, Ed Lover left No Face shortly after its time with RAL. His [[swan song]] to the group and to the label was his cameo appearance with partner Doctor Dré in BWP's video of its third single, "Wanted," from its one and only album, ''The Bytches'' from 1991.


===''Yo! MTV Raps''===
=== ''Yo! MTV Raps'' ===
Roberts is best known for saying "C'mon, son!" and being the co-host of the weekday version of MTV's [[hip hop music]] specialty program ''[[Yo! MTV Raps|Yo! MTV Raps Today]]'' with partner André "[[Doctor Dré]]" Brown. (The main weekend version was hosted by hip hop pioneer "[[Fab Five Freddy]]" Brathwaite) On ''[[Yo! MTV Raps|Yo! MTV Raps Today]]'', Ed created his own dance called the Ed Lover Dance that became somewhat popular in the 1990s and was performed to the track "The 900 Number" by [[DJ Mark the 45 King]].
Roberts is best known for saying "C'mon, son!" and being the co-host of the weekday version of MTV's [[hip hop music]] specialty program ''[[Yo! MTV Raps|Yo! MTV Raps Today]]'' with partner André "[[Doctor Dré]]" Brown. (The main weekend version was hosted by hip hop pioneer "[[Fab Five Freddy]]" Brathwaite) On ''Yo! MTV Raps Today'', Ed created his own dance called the Ed Lover Dance that became massively popular in the 1990s and was performed to the track "The 900 Number" by [[DJ Mark the 45 King]].


He appeared as a guest on MSNBC's [[The Beat with Ari Melber]] on June 1, 2018, along with Yo! MTV Raps co-host Dr. Dré. During their segment they promoted the re-boot of the show.
He appeared as a guest on MSNBC's [[The Beat with Ari Melber]] on June 1, 2018, along with Yo! MTV Raps co-host Dr. Dré. During their segment they promoted the re-boot of the show.


===New York and Philadelphia radio===
=== Radio career ===
Ed and Dré—who hosted the high-rated ''Morning Show with Ed, [[Lisa Glasberg|Lisa]], and Dré'' on New York's [[WQHT|Hot 97 FM]] from 1993 to 1998—released only one album, 1994's poorly received ''[[Back Up Off Me!]]'' The previous year, they starred as a pair of hapless barbers turned police officers in the [[New Line Cinema]] feature film ''[[Who's the Man?]]'', which was well received and was hailed as the hip hop whodunit.
Ed and Dré—who hosted the high-rated ''Morning Show with Ed, [[Lisa Glasberg|Lisa]], and Dré'' on New York's [[WQHT|Hot 97 FM]] from 1993 to 1998—released only one album, 1994's poorly received ''[[Back Up Off Me!]]'' The previous year, they starred as a pair of hapless barbers turned police officers in the [[New Line Cinema]] feature film ''[[Who's the Man?]]'', which was well received and was hailed as the hip hop whodunit.


Line 54: Line 54:


On June 21, 2014, Ed Lover became part of the Old School 100.3 FM family in Philadelphia with his own "The Ed Lover Show". He later joined 107.9 in Philadelphia on a show with [[Monie Love]].
On June 21, 2014, Ed Lover became part of the Old School 100.3 FM family in Philadelphia with his own "The Ed Lover Show". He later joined 107.9 in Philadelphia on a show with [[Monie Love]].

On February 14, 2024, Ed Lover returned to radio and became the host of "The Ed Lover Experience", a syndicated program heard on rhythmic [[Audacy]] stations including New York's [[WXBK]] and Chicago's [[WBMX]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-02-13 |title=Skyview Networks To Distribute The Ed Lover Experience - RadioInsight |url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/264795/skyview-networks-to-distribute-the-ed-lover-experience/ |access-date=2024-02-14 |language=en-US}}</ref> Ed lover also has his program on San Francisco's [[KRBQ]]. a station, similar to that of [[WBMX]].


==Filmography==
==Filmography==
Line 63: Line 65:
! Title
! Title
! Role
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
! Notes
|-
| 1989
| ''Overcoming Self-Destruction''
| Himself
| Video
|-
| 1990
| ''Rapmania: The Roots of Rap''
| Himself
| TV Movie Documentary
|-
| 1991
| ''Human Education Against Lies''
| Himself
| Video Short
|-
|-
|rowspan=2| 1992
|rowspan=2| 1992
| ''[[Juice (1992 film)|Juice]]''
| ''[[Juice (1992 film)|Juice]]''
| Contest Judge
| Contest Judge
|
|
|-
|-
| ''Move the Crowd''
| ''Move the Crowd''
| Himself
| Himself
| TV Movie
| TV movie
|-
|-
|rowspan=2| 1993
|rowspan=2| 1993
| ''A Cool Like That Christmas''
| ''A Cool Like That Christmas''
| Himself (voice)
| Himself (voice)
| TV Movie
| TV movie
|-
|-
| ''[[Who's the Man?]]''
| ''[[Who's the Man?]]''
| Himself
| Himself
|
|
|-
|-
| 1994
| 1994
| ''[[Gunmen (1994 film)|Gunmen]]''
| ''[[Gunmen (1994 film)|Gunmen]]''
| Himself
| Himself
|
|
|-
|-
| 1995
| 1998
| ''Eyes on Hip Hop''
| ''[[Ride (1998 film)|Ride]]''
| Rapper
| Video
|-
| 1998
| ''[[Ride (1998 film)|Ride]]''
| Six
| Six
|
|
|-
|-
| 1999
| 1999
| ''[[Double Platinum (film)|Double Platinum]]''
| ''[[Double Platinum (film)|Double Platinum]]''
| Party Ardie
| Party Ardie
| TV Movie
| TV movie
|-
|-
| 2002
| 2002
| ''[[Undisputed (film)|Undisputed]]''
| ''[[Undisputed (film)|Undisputed]]''
| Marvin Bonds
| Marvin Bonds
|
|
|-
|-
| 2003
| 2003
| ''The Hustle''
| ''The Hustle''
| Red
| Red
| Video
| Video
|-
|-
| 2004
| 2004
| ''The Bahama Hustle''
| ''The Bahama Hustle''
| Red
| Red
| Video
| Video
|-
| 2011
| ''[[You're Nobody 'til Somebody Kills You]]''
| Himself
|
|-
|-
| 2018
| 2018
| ''[[Come Sunday (film)|Come Sunday]]''
| ''[[Come Sunday (film)|Come Sunday]]''
| Elector
| Elector
|
|
|-
|-
|rowspan=2| 2022
| ''Staring at Strangers''
| Himself
|
|-
| ''Respect the Jux''
| Himself
|
|}
|}


Line 146: Line 141:
! Title
! Title
! Role
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
! Notes
|-
|-
| 1988-95
| 1988-95
| ''[[Yo! MTV Raps]]''
| ''[[Yo! MTV Raps]]''
| Himself/Host
| Himself/Host
| TV Series
| Main Host
|-
|-
| 1989
| 1989
Line 174: Line 169:
| ''[[Ghostwriter (1992 TV series)|Ghostwriter]]''
| ''[[Ghostwriter (1992 TV series)|Ghostwriter]]''
| Himself
| Himself
| Episode: "Don't Stop the Music: Part 4"
| Episode: "Don't Stop the Music: Part 1-4"
|-
|rowspan=2| 1995
| ''Source Hip-Hop Music Awards''
| Himself/Co-Host
| Main Co-Host
|-
|-
| 1995
| ''[[New York Undercover]]''
| ''[[New York Undercover]]''
| Himself
| Himself
| Episode: "You Get No Respect"
| Episode: "You Get No Respect"
|-
| 1996
| ''[[The Daily Show]]''
| Himself/Correspondent
| Recurring Correspondent: Season 1
|-
|-
| 1998
| 1998
| ''One World Music Beat''
| ''One World Music Beat''
| Himself/Host
| Himself/Host
| TV Series
| Main Host
|-
|-
| 1998-99
| 1998-99
| ''[[The Hughleys]]''
| ''[[The Hughleys]]''
| Cousin Jimmy
| Cousin Jimmy
| Guest Cast: Season 1-2
| Episode: "The Thanksgiving Episode" & "Roots: Part 1"
|-
|rowspan=2| 1999
| ''[[Battle Dome]]''
| Himself/Announcer
| TV Series
|-
|-
| 1999
| ''[[Moesha]]''
| ''[[Moesha]]''
| Himself
| Himself
| Episode: "Isn't She Lovely?"
| Episode: "Isn't She Lovely?"
|-
|-
| 2000
| 1999-01
| ''[[The Jamie Foxx Show]]''
| ''[[Battle Dome]]''
| Himself/Announcer
| Main Announcer
|-
| 2000
| ''[[The Jamie Foxx Show]]''
| Lucien
| Lucien
| Episode: "Serve No Wine Before I Get Mine"
| Episode: "Serve No Wine Before I Get Mine"
|-
|-
| 2001-02
| 2001-02
| ''[[According to Jim]]''
| ''[[According to Jim]]''
| Ed
| Ed
| Recurring Cast: Season 1
| Recurring Cast: Season 1
|-
|-
| 2003
|rowspan=2| 2003
| ''[[Rock Me Baby (TV series)|Rock Me Baby]]''
| ''[[Comedy Central Roast]]''
| Himself
| Episode: "Comedy Central Roast of Denis Leary"
|-
| ''[[Rock Me Baby (TV series)|Rock Me Baby]]''
| Himself
| Himself
| Episode: "A Pain in the Aspen"
| Episode: "A Pain in the Aspen"
|-
|-
| 2004
| 2004
| ''5 Deadly Videos''
| ''5 Deadly Videos''
| Himself/Host
| Himself/Host
| TV Series
| Main Host
|-
|-
| 2006
| 2005
| ''Hip Hop Hold Em''
| ''[[I Want To Be a Hilton]]''
| Himself
| Episode: "Episode #1.7"
|-
|rowspan=2| 2006
| ''VH1 Goes Inside''
| Himself
| Episode: "Yo! MTV Raps"
|-
| ''Hip Hop Hold Em''
| Himself/Host
| Himself/Host
| TV Series
| Main Host
|-
| 2009
| ''Life After''
| Himself
| Episode: "Bell Biv DeVoe"
|-
| 2010
| ''[[Rude Tube]]''
| Himself
| Episode: "Viral Ads"
|-
|-
| 2011-14
| 2011-14
| ''[[Psych]]''
| ''[[Psych]]''
| Himself/Bailiff Comonsat
| Himself/Bailiff Comonsat
| Guest Cast: Season 6 & 8
| Episode: "Last Night Gus" & "Remake A.K.A. Cloudy... With a Chance of Improvement"
|-
| 2012
| ''[[Big Morning Buzz Live]]''
| Himself/Panelist
| Episode: "Episode #5.4"
|-
|rowspan=2| 2015
| ''The '90s: We Invented This''
| Himself/Host
| Main Host
|-
| ''[[Gotham Comedy Live]]''
| Himself/Host
| Episode: "Ed Lover"
|-
|-
| 2015-17
| 2015-17
| ''[[Fresh Off the Boat]]''
| ''[[Fresh Off the Boat]]''
| Himself
| Himself
| Guest Cast: Season 2-3
| Episode: "Family Business Trip" & "Gabby Goose"
|-
|-
|rowspan=2| 2016
| 2017
| ''[[In the Cut (TV series)|In the Cut]]''
| ''[[The Eighties (miniseries)|The Eighties]]''
| Himself
| Episode: "Video Killed the Radio Star"
|-
| ''[[Unsung (TV series)|Unsung]]''
| Himself
| Episode: "Kwame"
|-
|rowspan=3| 2017
| ''[[Dish Nation]]''
| Himself/Guest Co-Host
| Episode: "Episode #5.131" & "#5.217"
|-
| ''[[The Nineties (miniseries)|The Nineties]]''
| Himself
| Episode: "Isn't it Ironic?"
|-
| ''[[In the Cut (TV series)|In the Cut]]''
| Roderick
| Roderick
| Episode: "Matter of Principle"
| Episode: "Matter of Principle"
|-
| 2018
| ''[[The 2000s (miniseries)|The 2000s]]''
| Himself
| Episode: "The I Decade" & "I Want My MP3"
|-
|-
| 2019
| 2019
| ''[[South Side (TV series)|South Side]]''
| ''[[South Side (TV series)|South Side]]''
| Himself
| Himself
| Episode: "Chi-Town"
| Episode: "Chi-Town"
|-
| 2022
| ''[[Unsung (TV series)|Unsung]]''
| Himself
| Episode: "Monie Love" & "P.M. Dawn"
|-
| 2024
| ''Kings from Queens: The Run DMC Story''
| Himself
| Main Guest
|}

===Documentary===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
|-
| 1989
| ''Overcoming Self-Destruction''
|-
| 1990
| ''Rapmania: The Roots of Rap''
|-
| 1991
| ''Human Education Against Lies''
|-
| 2001
| ''Street Life''
|-
| 2002
| ''Slip N' Slide: All Star Weekend''
|-
| 2003
| ''[[Death of a Dynasty]]''
|-
| 2004
| ''War on Wax: Rivalries in Hip-Hop''
|-
| 2005
| ''New Jack City: A Hip Hop Classic''
|-
| 2010
| ''In Search of Ted Demme''
|-
|rowspan=2| 2016
| ''Spring Broke''
|-
| ''We're Still Here (Now).... A Documentary about nobody.''
|}
|}


==Discography==
== Discography ==
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|-
Line 253: Line 366:
|align="left"|'''''[[Back Up Off Me!]]'''''
|align="left"|'''''[[Back Up Off Me!]]'''''
*Released: November 8, 1994
*Released: November 8, 1994
*Chart positions: No. 91 Top R&B/Hip-Hop, No. 27 Top Heatseekers
*Chart positions: No. 91 [[Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums|Top R&B/Hip-Hop]], No. 27 [[Top Heatseekers]]
*Last [[RIAA certification]]: Gold
*Last [[RIAA certification]]: Gold
*Singles: "Back Up Off Me!", "For the Love of You"
*Singles: "Back Up Off Me!", "For the Love of You"
|}
|}


==References==
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
== External links ==
*{{IMDb name|id=0522615|name=Ed Lover}}
*{{IMDb name|id=0522615|name=Ed Lover}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060803104232/http://edlover.tv/ Ed Lover TV]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060803104232/http://edlover.tv/ Ed Lover TV]
*[http://cmonsononline.com Ed Lover Cmon Son]
*[http://cmonsononline.com/ Ed Lover Cmon Son]
*[https://books.google.com/books?id=fDoDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA53 Jet<!-- Bot generated title -->]
*[https://books.google.com/books?id=fDoDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA53 Jet<!-- Bot generated title -->]


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[[Category:1963 births]]
[[Category:1963 births]]
[[Category:African-American male actors]]
[[Category:African-American male actors]]
[[Category:American male actors]]
[[Category:African-American male rappers]]
[[Category:African-American male rappers]]
[[Category:American male rappers]]
[[Category:African-American television personalities]]
[[Category:African-American television personalities]]
[[Category:American radio personalities]]
[[Category:American radio personalities]]
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[[Category:East Coast hip hop musicians]]
[[Category:East Coast hip hop musicians]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Male actors from Queens, New York]]
[[Category:People from Hollis, Queens]]
[[Category:People from Hollis, Queens]]
[[Category:Rappers from New York City]]
[[Category:Rappers from Queens, New York]]
[[Category:Relativity Records artists]]
[[Category:Relativity Records artists]]
[[Category:VJs (media personalities)]]
[[Category:Video jockeys]]
[[Category:21st-century American rappers]]
[[Category:21st-century American rappers]]
[[Category:21st-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:21st-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American musicians]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American people]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American musicians]]

Latest revision as of 05:14, 22 August 2024

Ed Lover
Birth nameJames Roberts
Born (1963-02-12) February 12, 1963 (age 61)
Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
OriginQueens, New York City, U.S.
GenresHip hop
Occupations
  • Deejay
  • radio personality
  • actor
  • musician
Years active1988–present
LabelsRelativity

James Roberts (born February 12, 1963), better known as Ed Lover, is an American deejay, radio personality, actor, musician, and former MTV VJ. He hosted "The Ed Lover Show" on SiriusXM's old-school hip hop station BackSpin. As of April 12, 2018, he hosts the morning show at classic hip-hop "104.3 Jams" WBMX in Chicago.[1]

He is also widely recognized for being the first person to announce Tupac Shakur's death at a Nas concert in 1996.[2][3]

Biography

[edit]

Pre-MTV history

[edit]

Roberts was born in Brooklyn, New York. Before reaching fame on MTV, he was part of an eccentric and deliberately enigmatic hip hop collective called No Face, primarily with fellow members Kevon Shah and Mark "Mark Sexx" Skeete, who served as the main producer. No Face debuted in 1989 on Island Records' Club music imprint Great Jones with its only known recording for the label, "Hump Music"—an underground sexually explicit parody of The Jungle Brothers' 1988 hip-house classic "I'll House You." No Face would continue recording for another five years, but it only released one album in 1990, Wake Your Daughter Up on its own No Face label, which was operated as an imprint of the Rush Associated Labels division of Def Jam Recordings.

Though Ed Lover was clearly recognizable throughout parts of the album, his name was not credited on the album and he was not featured on any album or single covers during this period, thus rendering Ed Lover the "no face" part of the group. Its main logo featured two heads with the word "face" written in graffiti-style' at the bottom of the right face, while the official label logo featured three heads with the word "face" in a more legible font.

Wake Your Daughter Up spawned two singles—"Fake-Hair-Wearin' Bitch," an underground cult classic that sampled The Gap Band's "You Dropped a Bomb on Me" and featured the 2 Live Crew, and "Half," an R&B-styled divorce tale that featured the up-and-coming hardcore female hip-hop duo BWP (Bytches with Problems), which was discovered by and recorded for No Face to a slightly bigger level of success for the label than the group No Face did. Ed Lover is featured in the video for "Half," which regularly aired on Yo! MTV Raps during his tenure as co-host.

For reasons unknown, other than possibly to avoid conflicting with his duties on MTV, Ed Lover left No Face shortly after its time with RAL. His swan song to the group and to the label was his cameo appearance with partner Doctor Dré in BWP's video of its third single, "Wanted," from its one and only album, The Bytches from 1991.

Yo! MTV Raps

[edit]

Roberts is best known for saying "C'mon, son!" and being the co-host of the weekday version of MTV's hip hop music specialty program Yo! MTV Raps Today with partner André "Doctor Dré" Brown. (The main weekend version was hosted by hip hop pioneer "Fab Five Freddy" Brathwaite) On Yo! MTV Raps Today, Ed created his own dance called the Ed Lover Dance that became massively popular in the 1990s and was performed to the track "The 900 Number" by DJ Mark the 45 King.

He appeared as a guest on MSNBC's The Beat with Ari Melber on June 1, 2018, along with Yo! MTV Raps co-host Dr. Dré. During their segment they promoted the re-boot of the show.

Radio career

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Ed and Dré—who hosted the high-rated Morning Show with Ed, Lisa, and Dré on New York's Hot 97 FM from 1993 to 1998—released only one album, 1994's poorly received Back Up Off Me! The previous year, they starred as a pair of hapless barbers turned police officers in the New Line Cinema feature film Who's the Man?, which was well received and was hailed as the hip hop whodunit.

He was later a radio personality on New York's Hip-Hop Radio Power 105.1 FM starting in January 2003 until January 2010[4] and was reprimanded by Oprah Winfrey for his use of the word "bitches," leading to an Oprah show on the subject of disrespect in hip hop. He also appeared on the VH1 program 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders in 2002. Lover also hosted a show on HBO in 2000–2001 titled KO Nation. Ed is currently the host of the hit TV show Hip Hop Hold 'Em along with the self-produced web show called C'mon, Son! edited and post production by BrowCo. He was also the co-host of the morning show on WWPR-FM (Power 105.1) in New York City until he was released from the station on Friday, November 19, 2010. In 2011, Lover became the host of his own show called "Friday Night Flava" on WRKS (Kiss FM) in New York City.

On June 21, 2014, Ed Lover became part of the Old School 100.3 FM family in Philadelphia with his own "The Ed Lover Show". He later joined 107.9 in Philadelphia on a show with Monie Love.

On February 14, 2024, Ed Lover returned to radio and became the host of "The Ed Lover Experience", a syndicated program heard on rhythmic Audacy stations including New York's WXBK and Chicago's WBMX.[5] Ed lover also has his program on San Francisco's KRBQ. a station, similar to that of WBMX.

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1992 Juice Contest Judge
Move the Crowd Himself TV movie
1993 A Cool Like That Christmas Himself (voice) TV movie
Who's the Man? Himself
1994 Gunmen Himself
1998 Ride Six
1999 Double Platinum Party Ardie TV movie
2002 Undisputed Marvin Bonds
2003 The Hustle Red Video
2004 The Bahama Hustle Red Video
2011 You're Nobody 'til Somebody Kills You Himself
2018 Come Sunday Elector
2022 Staring at Strangers Himself
Respect the Jux Himself

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1988-95 Yo! MTV Raps Himself/Host Main Host
1989 Camp MTV Himself Episode: "Hour 2"
1992 The Royal Family Himself Episode: "The Fame Game"
Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? Himself Episode: "The Brazen Bean Bamboozlement"
The Cosby Show Taxi Driver Episode: "Bring Me the Lip Gloss of Deirdre Arpelle"
1994 Ghostwriter Himself Episode: "Don't Stop the Music: Part 1-4"
1995 Source Hip-Hop Music Awards Himself/Co-Host Main Co-Host
New York Undercover Himself Episode: "You Get No Respect"
1996 The Daily Show Himself/Correspondent Recurring Correspondent: Season 1
1998 One World Music Beat Himself/Host Main Host
1998-99 The Hughleys Cousin Jimmy Guest Cast: Season 1-2
1999 Moesha Himself Episode: "Isn't She Lovely?"
1999-01 Battle Dome Himself/Announcer Main Announcer
2000 The Jamie Foxx Show Lucien Episode: "Serve No Wine Before I Get Mine"
2001-02 According to Jim Ed Recurring Cast: Season 1
2003 Comedy Central Roast Himself Episode: "Comedy Central Roast of Denis Leary"
Rock Me Baby Himself Episode: "A Pain in the Aspen"
2004 5 Deadly Videos Himself/Host Main Host
2005 I Want To Be a Hilton Himself Episode: "Episode #1.7"
2006 VH1 Goes Inside Himself Episode: "Yo! MTV Raps"
Hip Hop Hold Em Himself/Host Main Host
2009 Life After Himself Episode: "Bell Biv DeVoe"
2010 Rude Tube Himself Episode: "Viral Ads"
2011-14 Psych Himself/Bailiff Comonsat Guest Cast: Season 6 & 8
2012 Big Morning Buzz Live Himself/Panelist Episode: "Episode #5.4"
2015 The '90s: We Invented This Himself/Host Main Host
Gotham Comedy Live Himself/Host Episode: "Ed Lover"
2015-17 Fresh Off the Boat Himself Guest Cast: Season 2-3
2016 The Eighties Himself Episode: "Video Killed the Radio Star"
Unsung Himself Episode: "Kwame"
2017 Dish Nation Himself/Guest Co-Host Episode: "Episode #5.131" & "#5.217"
The Nineties Himself Episode: "Isn't it Ironic?"
In the Cut Roderick Episode: "Matter of Principle"
2018 The 2000s Himself Episode: "The I Decade" & "I Want My MP3"
2019 South Side Himself Episode: "Chi-Town"
2022 Unsung Himself Episode: "Monie Love" & "P.M. Dawn"
2024 Kings from Queens: The Run DMC Story Himself Main Guest

Documentary

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Year Title
1989 Overcoming Self-Destruction
1990 Rapmania: The Roots of Rap
1991 Human Education Against Lies
2001 Street Life
2002 Slip N' Slide: All Star Weekend
2003 Death of a Dynasty
2004 War on Wax: Rivalries in Hip-Hop
2005 New Jack City: A Hip Hop Classic
2010 In Search of Ted Demme
2016 Spring Broke
We're Still Here (Now).... A Documentary about nobody.

Discography

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Album information
Back Up Off Me!

References

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  1. ^ Venta, Lance (April 6, 2018). "Ed Lover Joins 104.3 Jams Chicago". RadioInsight.com. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  2. ^ "Tupac Shakur dies". HISTORY. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  3. ^ 2pac announced dead at Nas Concert, retrieved May 2, 2022
  4. ^ [1] [dead link]
  5. ^ "Skyview Networks To Distribute The Ed Lover Experience - RadioInsight". February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
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