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.
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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?
Yes, but the problem here is… that this guy made that character to fool people, to earn cash, he is a great musician but he is doing this for money… not for fun like his character said, Jenkees is just another marketing method, created to earn money.
That makes me sad, this world has no real people after all…
Real people? That is how the world works. We all would take advantage of an opportunity to make ourselves some money. He would be no exception. Obviously some of us would go further than others, but what he’s doing isn’t anything new.
In any case, I found his music from a video game movie that featured mostly with his songs (about 5-6 of them). He’s a great artist and I hope he makes some more. I’m still weary about whether his appearance is an act or not, but that doesn’t stop me from listening. 😀
Ron, I have enjoyed all kinds of strange music, but I must say that you have an Anointing On your life and it is a blessing to see some one who can find their ‘Calling’ in life, but brother you have done it Great Music
The Rev. Joseph G. Steadman
So what if he invented a fictional persona. The way I see it, his beats are still amazing and the RJ character is inspiring to a lot of people. So the guy knows how to market himself. Big deal. Musicians create alternate personas all the time. Ziggu Stardust, whoever the hell Garth Brooks pretended to be for a while. All he has done is differentiate himself from the rest of the would-be stars on the Internet. What I would have a problem with is if he had turned out to be affiliated with some elaborate record company hoax.
Damn! Meant to type Ziggy Stardust. I hate typos.
ok all i can say is ! whats eminem’s real name !!! whats madonas real name , who is snoop dog !
you bag someone for creating them selves in a way thats different from the norm
he rocks simple as
wether his name is jo blogs or harry bobbit it dont matter he can play and rock the socks off !
what ben has done makes sense… in a way.
its too bad.. for me that he made jenkees so likable because now i feel betrayed.
i dont dislike the music just the artist.
the difference here is that with majic and rap gangsters we KNOW its staged and the audience implicitly asks to be fooled.
i think he is able to continue the act because most people re unaware.
sure you can google Benjamin Feltes is jenkees but why would you. i tripped over the real name while reading new comments on a video i had already watched several times.
there at times when i expect fakes and times when i dont…and this time i didnt..
the awkward nerd approach was fairly clever since we all know what benefit a false kindness might be but since hes wrapped his heartwarming sweet nothings in such a vulnerable package you are ready to buy it
there is so much more i could say but i will close with this
ronald jenkees is dead, long live the music of Benjamin Feltes
I wonder actually if Ben is just like Ronald, but just using the Ronald Jenkees name. I could be way off, but I get the feeling that Ronald Jenkees is becoming less and less of an act over time, and more Ben showing through. Almost like he is gradually becoming himself. He’s different from his first videos to the current ones. Sure people change over time as well, but Jenkees appears to be developing, so to speak.
Or he’s just a really good actor providing some good entertainment. Either way, I still love the songs. As long as he isn’t a jerk, I have no problems with him at all. I think his stuff is fantastic.
He did a couple songs with Fish Rocks, if you ever heard of him. Fish raps to his songs, some of them we already know. Listen and you’ll catch it right away. I do however like Ronald’s take on Derty though. 🙂
Red Skelton, Bill Cosby, Sonny and Cher, Ben Stiller…do those names ring a few bells to any of you?
Do you think those people acted like their stage personas at the breakfast table, folks?! Would you be disappointed to find one of them reading the Wall Street Journal over their bagels and coffee?
I think actors say that they are pulling some new part of themselves forward when playing a role. Whether the man facing the cereal box each morning is Mr. Jenkees’ or not probably shouldn’t be the question.
Who he is facing the camera is who he’s willing to show us and entertain us with. If you’re entertained, mission accomplished.
Hey who can give me a real evidence on that Ronald Jenkees is really making this “act” everyone is talking about. I think he is exactly the way on youtube that he is in real life.
Oh yeah and even if he had an act who cares. He is great anyways.
So peace out.
Ronald Jenkees might have wished not to perform as “himself” like Sting and others but that doesn’t remove his talent!
I’m sorry to see the pointing out on something that does’nt matter – his music – his “peace out” – his way to encourage is all the world needs………..
truf said he makes money by playin a character and fooling people..so do actors…but u dont bitch whenever will smith drops a movie, huh? who care if hes not really half retarded…hes talented…and smarter then u…cuz ure sittin here talkin about him and he doesnt even kno who u are
If it’s a character or not doesn’t really matter to me, I’m really digging the music most of all. I think you guys should stop worrying so much about that. He plays good music and I imagine he is having fun with it all, so relax a bit and enjoy the tunes instead of trying to be negative about it all.
My buddy just showed me the videos on Youtube last night. I couldn’t believe that the persona was real. The music yes, but not the persona. It was just too good, too perfect, and were it true, why wasn’t this guy on Leno or Letterman?
At any rate, I can do nothing but aplaud him. What he has done is pure marketing genus, and be an appropriate case study for business school students. It’s like the guy read a Seth Godin book and took it to the next level. This guy deserves our money for his cd because he is a performer. I don’t care if he is really this way or not. I’d pay good money to see this guy perform in person as the act that we see on YouTube.
Being cynical about his true intentions is just silly, and proof that he has dome an excellent job at his act. If you saw this on TV being produced on Saturday Night Live, you’d eat it up. But him performing on Youtube as a new medium doesn’t mean that he’s a sham or using our sympathies to unfairly take our money. It just means that he’s using the next generation of media distribution to it’s full effect. If were going to knock this guy, then we need to knock Jim Carry, Steve Martin, the whole cast of MAD TV, and Will Farrell for doing the same thing.
Keep it going Ron, and let’s see you on tour 🙂
I am tired of all of the talk about Ronald. His real name is not Ben, it IS Ronald. Really! Does anyone spend their time doing anything BUT trying to say a naturally talented man is a fraud?! You all are adults, grow up! I went to school with Ronald for four years, and every yearbook under his photo, their is the named ‘Ronald Jenkees’. Please, guys, he’s the same nerd who I went to school with years ago. He’s always been a true, real, sweet gent!
And naturally I meant there, not their.
Beg pardon, but I read about a quarter of the responses and cut to the end because I felt you all are missing the bigger picture about “BenRon Felkees”. Him being a gifted muscician aside. how many rappers put up a front as hard core thuggish when they grew up in the suburbs? or as the tough but lovable female singer when they are total bitches in real life. almost every (professional)musician puts up a front to some extent. the only difference between them and RJ (or BF) is that instead of acting cool and secretly pleading/needing for your admiration and cash, he’s acting like a goof and inspiring people to create their own music. And who cares if he is doing it for the cash, why shouldn’t he make some cash along the way. His beats are phenomenal and just because someone can truley act good or inspire doesnt mean they have to stay poor. someone’s gotta make a buck right? why not give it to the guy who’s inspiring people with outstanding beats, and folksy nerdy charm while encouraging others to create… anything! It’s not often in the music industry or really any industry that you find someone who holds the popular vote and is actually promoting a (personal) worthy cause. so I say keep arguing about who he really is. put his name in every forum and give him all the publicity he wants, because thats what your doing. wheather or not he’s real or not, he’s good enough on camera, and thats good enough for me. keep making good music Ronald Jenkees, and I’ll keep listening.
If Robert Jenkees is 100% an online persona, then he was very patient in setting it up . . . at least based on what’s on youtube currently, it was five months between his first Robert Jenkees video where he complains for a minute or so about the dirty dishes and the first video of Robert Jenkees performing a song on the keyboard.
Either way, I enjoy the music, the persona he presents online, and he reminds me of what Buckethead is doing in more ways than one.
You RJ haters are so jealous. RJ (Ben) is an extremely talented guy and while he may portray a character, a lot of the real him is in there. He loves to make music, he loves to have fun and he’s good at both. And he genuinely is a good guy. I know this because when I interviewed him for my site I did my research and brought up some issues about RJ with him personally. I feel he was upfront and honest with me in his responses. And having seen him perform outside of musical savant character he’s talented as a comedian/improv guy as well.
There is no doubt in my mind that RJ was put on youtube for fun and not for some “lets fool people and take advantage of them” reason. More power to him for using it to improve his life and career.
A lot of musicians have a band name or stage name and a little character behind it. Alice Cooper, KISS, 90% of the rappers out there.
RJ shows us it’s cool to have fun and be little goofy. Anyone who can pull that off and make the incredible music he makes is pure awesome in my book.
On his youtube account there are videos from before he was well known, so why would be have a fake name then?
I wonder if all the haters comprehend that talking about the Great One only makes his legend grow? I can only imagine their consternation when it came out that Eminem’s real name isn’t Eminem, but that he’d perpetuated a fraud on the public. They must have been livid when they found out John Wayne’s real name was actually Marion Morrison. It’s a good thing there’s so much name fraud out there, really. This way the Great One only gets a small percentage of their flack when, if he was the only one with a stage persona, RJ would get the full brunt of their considerable indignation.
I, for one, worship the ground that the Great One’s keyboard sits on, and I refuse to debate his profound wisdom in these proceedings.
LONG LIVE THE KING!
Who gives a flying flip who he really is? The fact remains that he is an incredibly talented musician that the world is enjoying listening to.
If what he has is a disability, PLEASE—PLEASE give me whatever it is.
What? Someone famous is using a stage name/persona?!? ALERT THE MEDIA!!!
Just because his name isn’t Ronald Jenkees doesn’t mean he’s fake. The way he thinks and acts can still be 100% genuine even if his name is a fake one. Authors and actors use pen names and screen names all the time. Are they fake?
It’s no different for Ronald or Ben or what ever. Could be that he’s just looking to protect his identity online. Maybe it’s an ‘artist’s name’ used way for him to keep his music/online life and real life separate. When he’s making music and/or he’s Ronald. When he’s at work or with friends he’s Ben.
Either way it doesn’t mean it’s all an act, and there’s absolutely no reason for anyone to assume it is.
The naysayers on this blog are jealous idiots. Go find some credible evidence that the man isn’t who he says he is other than “he said, she said”;p.s. google is a terrible source truf, dont be f***ing retarted.
Make your own judgements as to whether this guy is for real or not. Either you can listen to jealous lunatics who would probably tell you the United States was responsible for 9/11 along with every other bullshit conspiricy theory in the books, or you can give the guy the benefit of the doubt.
I agree. Anytime you have a guy who warrants serious consideration for being considered The Greatest Thing That Ever Lived, you have to give him the benefit of the doubt. Ronald Jenkees is guaranteed to put the spring in your shock. He is the Silky Smooth. He is THE on-ramp to the Freeway of Life. My friends, he’s the butterbrickle in your ice cream, too.
And if you know that, you know everything. Long live the King.
Here is the new video for Ronald Jenkees’ “Loui”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcMIf70fAHU
Enjoy
It’s so funny people get up in arms that Ronald is an act. Everyone says his music is awesome, but i’d be so disappointed. People, how many entertainment personas do you love that are not an act? The music is still awesome people, and it’s real music. The fact that he is self published/promoted is even better, and it’s the most refreshing exciting music I’ve heard in a long time.
compare what he’s putting out to big industry puts out. I’ll still buy his 2nd album and constantly check his youtube page for updates.
He’s still awesome folks.
Awesome? Is that it? How faint with praise you are. Ronald Jenkees is the single greatest organism that ever lived on this planet. He passed “awesome” years ago when he composed a symphony on the number pad of the telephone. He blew by “transcendent” about 20 minutes ago, by most estimates. Where he’s heading now is anybody’s guess, because nobody has ever been this good before. At this point Ronald Jenkees is breaking new ground with every breath he takes.
All hail the King of Beats and Roll!!
Check yourself aye,
I listen to music and I don’t watch it, If his music was playing on the radio what would you have to say then? Yes he is on youtube saying very little words and people start liking his character. But why does it matter if he is acting a character? It the music he wants you to listen to. Alot of music artist are fake but you still look up to them and buy there music right?
(I would also like to say look at MJ)
he’s face got burned he changed his looks for people and his music was amazing but all people could do was hate on the guy. I never really got into MJ’s music but people respected him or hated him, Stop hating people and start enjoying music talent because there is to much hate in the whole music industry these days.