I knew it was time to pay attention to this self-proclaimed nerd from Kentucky, when I heard him make a connection from the classic rock band, Led Zeppelin, to hip-hop artists Jay-Z and Beyonce.
Ronald clearly understands the concept that “if you want to get noticed you can’t be a clone.” He doesn’t just bang around on a synthesizer imitating his favorite artists. He takes all of his musical influences, which I’ll note, appear to be all over the map, dumps them in a plastic bowl and pours his own special Ronald Sauce all over them.
To many, the persona that Ronald exhibits to the world via a camcorder from his bedroom, is in complete contradiction to what we normally think of in terms of successful musicians, celebrities, or anyone with influence for that matter. However, Ronald blows that idea out of the water with a strong following of over 6000 and rising subscribers on Youtube. He also recently released his long awaited CD, which is available on iTunes and at ronaldjenkees.com.
I believe his unique mix of nerd, Kentucky hick, and spare bedroom hip-hop gangsta may be awkward for some, but is largely what his success can be attributed to. Ronald’s not a clone of anyone. He’s 100% pure Ronald Jenkees. And lets not forget his unbelievable sound that I cannot begin to describe with words.
Check out one of his latest Youtube video to see him in action:
I don’t think we have heard the last of Ronald Jenkees. In fact, I think this is just the beginning. I know it is for me. I bought his CD ten minutes ago on iTunes.
—
The first few times I watched Ronald I was amazed by his musical ability, but I just wasn’t quite sure if he was putting on an act with the coke bottle glasses and lame jokes. After watching all of his music videos on Youtube, I’ve come to the conclusion that if he’s not the real deal he has got his act down cold, and isn’t afraid of criticism.
So what do you think?
Is the real Ronald Jenkees the same guy that thousands are watching on Youtube?
Where do you think Ronald’s success stems from?
Ronald definitely has his very own flavor of marketing appeal. If it weren’t for his “act” (if, in fact, it is one) I don’t believe he’d be nearly as interesting. Whatever the case, he’s brilliant.
I like the actual beats themselves. But his nerd appeal is definitely there. Any nerd that drops a few Ubuntu references before droppin’ a deadly jam is slick anyway.
Ronald Jenkees is simply the greatest thing that ever lived, be it animal, vegetable, or mineral. He’s what everyone else wants to be, a dark destroyer against whose flying fingers no keyboard can stand. And he’s got an endless supply of cool hats.
Ronald’s music is really good, there’s no doubt about it. It sounds like it’s getting even better too with his latest disorganized fun teaser.
On the other hand his nerd persona does have some charm. Although I’m not sure it’s the real Ronald (if that is even his name). At first (a few days ago) I thought he was real. Now I’m having my doubts ( I was fooled by Little Loca too, although she was the first You Tube persona ).
If you look at his videos from the beginning, he is a little different from his current ones. That could be due to alot of things. It maybe that he is developing this persona. Or he’s getting more comfortable.
No doubt his music and talent is driving his popularity. But in todays competitive show biz, talent isn’t always enough. There has to be a different aspect to your show for it to stick out among entertainers. I think Ronald realizes this and may be a (increasingly successful) persona to exploit this.
Either way the guy is brilliant.
Peace out internets 🙂
*I was fooled by Little Loca too, although she was the first You Tube persona I became firmiliar with*
well whatever it is act or actual persona Ronald Jenkees is sure not afraid to step out of the box of conformity and has laid himself bare for whatever criticism or praise comes his way. I think there is a lot to be said for someone with courage to perform like that. and the bottom line he is hugely talented definitely one to watch!
I’m a huge fan as of less than 24 hours ago. I’ve already purchased his album and contact him regarding licensing one of the songs that is to be included in his next album.
I honestly would be greatly disillusioned if his nerdiness is an act. I support him and happily purchase his albums not just because they rock hard but also because of his attitude.
Never have I met a musician with such skill and admiration for so many others–including other “amateurs” on youtube and such. He does nothing but encourage everyone to play music just to play music. He’s one of the most talented and most humble musicians I’ve ever encountered.
If playing music all the time and putting out CD’s is his dream then, I’m more than happy to help him achieve that humble dream and buy his albums. If it’s an act, I feel I’ll be severely disappointed because I’m sure there ARE geeky kids who don’t have the courage to do what he’s done and who are excellently talented who deserve to live the dream as I feel we all do. I’m working on mine. Ronald is clearly doing well living his and achieving more and more each day. I just hope its for real and honest.
Regards,
Joe Hancuff,
Dev-Inspire Studios
Ron’s humbleness is exactly what’s appealing. Yes his music is amazing but his real gift is the way he portraits himself in public. In world full of musicians and stars that are full of themselves and do little more than to perpetuate the “get mine” attitude, Ron is putting out an incredibly positive vibe. I too would be a bit disappointed if it wasn’t for real only for the fact that it would let a lot of people down once the cat was outta the bag if Ron turned out to be a real jerk (kinda like when we found out Vanilla Ice was really just a rich kid from the burbs). But for now I hope he continues to be humble, encourage to believe in their own gifts and put out more great music!
Big ups to Ron
August,
Ron has you (and many others) snowed. Ron is not real but Benjamin Feltes is very real.
This guy does have real talent but has been on a campaign to mislead the public for some time. And you know what, it has been working. It has made this guy enough money that he doesn’t even have a real job. I am not sure if you can really blame the guy. Had he never created this character, he would have never been nearly as noticeable, just another video blogger with a keyboard.
Ultimately (and unfortunately) the comment that you made above holds true. He is just another jerk. He is a self centered person willing to mislead everyone for his own success.
Truf
A tad annoyed to find out that this man was a fake as a friend of mine bought the album from itunes and we were gobsmacked as it is all great!
I will still enjoy the mussic but it wont be the same for me now i believe the public dont like being tricked and lots of potential fans may now feel insulted. i know that to some extent i do.
How does everyone else feel?
What do you mean, Ronald doesn’t exist? He’s more real than most people I know. This man IS Ronald Jenkees, a living legend, a textual linguist, a raconteur, a man about town and who knows what else. Don’t diss the Jenks, hail him as your king.
He IS Ronald Jenkees. That’s who he is.
This man is Ben Feltes, a sham, a hoax an imposture. If you want to get somewhere in life; then do it by your own identity. In actuality, this guy does have real talent (he is really good) but I think that it is safe to say that he would not be nearly as popular if he hadn’t been masquerading as this character.
I wish that Ron did exist. I love seeing people that are so different from the norm making it in life. There are plenty of really cool odd people on the net to be in awe of; this guy is not one of them. He is just trying to be one of those people. I for one am tired of bogus acts like this. He is making money off of fooling people. He has had plenty of opportunities to be honest about the situation but he has continued to perpetuate this lie. He really could care less about the fans; it is all about how much attention and money he can make off of his act. If that weren’t the case, he would have told the truth by now.
He IS a fake. That’s who he is.
Frankly, I find it really sad that this “Truf” person hangs around deep in some website comments putting fourth a lot of energy trying to “break the news” as if he is the only one privileged enough to know how to perform a Google search. That’s really sad dude.. You need to get on with life, seriously. RJ is still made of awesome, no matter what you say, and your comments say a lot about YOU, not RJ – makes you look like a bitter and jealous person. No matter how cool something is, there always has to be THAT guy though. Never fails.
FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH HIM… I emailed Jenkees (or, “Benjamin”, whatever) a few months back with a n00b production question. I’m sure the guy gets pounded with email, so I knew there was a chance he wouldn’t be able to reply to me directly. Not only did I receive a personal reply, but he went out of his way to help and encourage me on several specific points. Did he make any money off of that? No. Is it required of him to reply do probably dumb questions from random people? No. But he went out of his way to help me “have fun” with music.. Says a lot.
IMO, the Internet will be lucky if he just keeps doing what he’s doing.
I agree with Will. I think the CD is awesome. But I felt a little let down when I discovered that Ronald Jenkees is a fictional character. I guess I am a sucker.
He might have a stage name and play with his image & character, but I personally don’t think you can completely fake being that into what you are doing. There’s a glowing aura of badass around his youtube performances, character or no character. I’m still 100% completely absolutely a fan. Still haven’t purchased his CD, but I’m waiting to get both when he’s done with CD #2.
BeezWx,
My first comment was simply to express my opinion.
My second comment was in response to David Gifford, who apparently is a huge Ronald Jenkees fan (thanks to my awesome googling skillz that you so graciously pointed out). I don’t like being told to hail someone as my king, unless it is Jesus or Desmond from Lost both of those dudes rock lol!
This final comment is in response to your attack. I have no intention of trying to “break the news” (a totally dumb idea); I just want to express my opinion. Furthermore, you should note the questions that were posed by Chris Wilson,
“So what do you think?”
“Is the real Ronald Jenkees the same guy that thousands are watching on Youtube?”
“Where do you think Ronald’s success stems from?”
Thanks for your comments fool. You and RJ are both ridiculous people.
Well, the truth is out there. I’ve seen it. The most important thing is that I’ve decided to ignore all of it. Feltes doesn’t exist. Neither does Big Cheez.
Ronald Jenkees is flat out the greatest single living organism that has ever graced the face of the earth. Join the rest of humanity and hail him as your king. Hail him for doing what they said could not be done. Hail him a cab. Whatever you choose, just hail him. He IS Ronald Jenkees…the man, the myth, the legend. Give him room in your heart to take root, to grow on you, to teach you what he knows. For deep down inside we are Ronald Jenkeeses all, dark destroyers against whose flying fingers no keyboard can stand.
It bugs the heck out of me that Ronald Jenkees success stems from the fact that he is pretending to be a nerd, different, retarded… whatever you want to call it.
I have been a big “nerd” my whole life. It has not always been easy as many of you may know but I am always myself. This Ben person is a nerd when it is convenient and gets him attention. I take offense to him assuming this identity.
I would WAY rather watch the RJ character ‘get down’ than some faux-gangsta talkin about bitchez and hoes. Those are the entertainers/influences in our society worthy of raising a fuss about, not RJ. Scuse me while I go buy this kids CD.
IMHO i don’t want to watch gansters or ronald and I definitely don’t want to buy their music. They both suck. Try rock it is way better than this bs.
Peace
If RJ did Rock, his Rock would be better than any other Rock. But RJ, he don’t do Rock. He do hip-hop. His legend continues to grow.
Matter of fact, RJ covers all ground that the keyboard can cover. He is the new breed, the fresh blood, the scratch on your itch…
just you wait, the day will come when all the people that have dissed RJ will have to crawl up to him and apologize for even dreaming they could take him down. RJ is here to stay cuz he’s REAL, baby.
R E A L…
David get off the crack. And get off of the ronald jenkees marketing campaign.
Mario,
No. I refuse. As ridiculously negative as you and the other trolls are on RJ, I will be just as ridiculously positive.
So get off the crack, Mario. And get off the Ronald Jenkees hate campaign and get a life of your own. This usually means worrying about your own business instead of obsessing on what someone else is doing, which by the way is far more wildly successful than you are or have ever been. It also means letting go of your jealousy and bitterness over not having thought of it first, and letting go of your resentment over his popularity and acceptance from tens of thousands of people.
A guy like RJ knows he’s onto something when people like you, with lives going nowhwere and contributing nothing to anyone, are telling him how to conduct his business. And telling others, like me, how to conduct ours.
Learn from RJ. Life can be fun. Use your imagination to inspire people. Speak encouragement into people’s lives. You might learn to like it, cuz right now all you are is rot.
Interesting, i found a video on youtube from a guy called ‘Donald Menkees.
I actually uploaded it to a another site.
Its now obvious to me he is doing a parody of this Ronald Jenkees Guy.
I actually uploaded it to a another site
I now understand why the “menkees” guy is getting slammed.
What’s funny is his chops are superior(menkees), and until the last few days i had no idea of the jenkees guy. What amazes me is even though the “jenkees” guy is really playing on the ignorance and sympathies of humanity, some of his fan base seems to want to justify his scam. I have taken the time to watch ‘jenkees” and admit he is talented though without his well rehearsed plagiaristic take on someone who truly is challenged, he would be nothing more than a decent musician. From a marketing standpoint though GENIUS as long as he can live with himself for taking advantage of what little decency humanity has left.
Now that i am aware of the menkees spoof, its even more fun watching once understood that his portrayal is so over the top so there is no confusion of his intent.
I fully intend now to write to the “menkees guy& jenkees guy to get their views.
Bob.
Sorry about the typo, it s really late…
just wondering if you guys would also consider samuel clemens, rednow eivets, and marion morrison as FAKES as well?
let me quote TRUF:
“This man is Ben Feltes, a sham, a hoax an imposture. If you want to get somewhere in life; then do it by your own identity.”
It’s spelled “impostor” btw. anyway samuel clemens=mark twain; rednow eivets=stevie wonder; marion morrison=john wayne.
stop hating. peace.
No, I wouldn’t consider a pen name (Mark Twain), a stage name (John Wayne), or an album released under a pseudonym (eivets rednow) grounds for someone to be labeled as fake. I would consider a person that attempts to dupe everyone into thinking that you are someone with a disability a FAKE.
Since we are being petty and pointing out typos, you should note that it is eivets rednow. That is Stevie Wonder spelled backwards.
No one is hating here, it seems that you are the one that has been systematically attacking those that do not share your opinion.
I agree with Robert and several others above. The guy has talent but his success stems from being a fake. I have no beef with anyone and I just wanted to express my opinion. This whole thing has been blown way off topic by your terrible comments.
i apologize ofr any typhoes
WTF! @ Truf’s comments:
“I would consider a person that attempts to dupe everyone into thinking that you are someone with a disability a FAKE.”
That’s 100% incorrect. If you actually knew anything about disabilities, he clearly doesn’t act like he has a disability and he’s never claimed to have one.
** From his youtube site: “Before you ask, I’m a perfectly normal and healthy guy….. My hope is that you are entertained and at the same time, inspired to make music. Anyone can have fun with music.”
Seems pretty clear to me. It’s OK to have opinions about what he does, but get your facts straight first. He’s playing a funny character.
Ronald Jenkees is truly talented and he just keeps getting better. And his persona (if it’s an act, so what) is great! He’s a genuinely nice guy who enjoys making music and has inspired lots of people to do the same. There are tons of people who would have been too afraid to put themselves out there, but after seeing him I’m sure they say “hey, if Ronald can do it, so can I.”
So to Ronald I say – “Kudos”
m
I have only discovered this guy, in the last ten minutes, and all I can say is this guy is amazing, it’s obviously a fake personality, but what concerns me is…could it be that the piano he plays isnt generating that sound…has anyone seen it live or can anyone with pianist skills verify it.
I am not musically minded…and I wish I was like this genious, but could it not be a recording and him tapping fingers in time on the keyboards.
Regardless the music is awesome.
If it is all real…and we know the personality isn’t… then understand perhaps why.
How many crackpot weirdo’s watch You Tube, recognise cloting or apartments etc etc, perhaps he just fears for safety or perhaps he works for a Symphony Orchestra etc…sometimes it is safer to be in disguise.
Either way its pure entertainment and I will be giving my $10 to his cause.
Ask yourself, are you disapointed when a magician does a magic trick…sure you know it’s fake…but it’s still entertaining…right?