Ronald Jenkees is an Americancomposer, musician, and YouTube personality known for his energetic keyboardperformances and original electronic music. He blends genres such as IDM, electronic rock, techno, and hip hop. Jenkees gained popularity on YouTube, where his videos have garnered over 84 million views.[1] He has independently released fivestudioalbums: Ronald Jenkees (2007), Disorganized Fun (2009), Days Away (2012), Alpha Numeric (2014), and Rhodes Deep (2017). His music has appeared in video games, and he has collaborated with artists such as STS9. Known for his improvisational style, distinctive voice, and playful persona, Jenkees continues to engage fans worldwide.[2][3]
Jenkees began releasing beats and raps online under the nickname "Big Cheez" around 2003. With the name, he produced the 2005 album Strait Laced by Fish. In 2006, Jenkees posted funny videos on YouTube and later started uploading music-related videos. The videos usually feature him wearing a hat and greeting his viewers by saying, "Hello YouToobs!". His videos gradually gained popularity, particularly after Bill Simmons from ESPN.com featured Jenkees and asked him to record his podcast theme, and again after being "thumbed up" by members of the StumbleUpon community. In 2007, Jenkees independently released his first studio album, Ronald Jenkees.
In June 2009, he was featured on the STS9 (Sound Tribe Selector 9) album, Peaceblaster: The New Orleans Make It Right Remixes, producing a remix of "Beyond Right Now". On July 31, 2009, he released his second album, Disorganized Fun. Days Away came out in 2012,[4][5]Alpha Numeric in 2014,[6] and Rhodes Deep in April 2017. A selection of music from his first two albums is included in the Iridium Studios game Before the Echo (previously known as Sequence).
Jenkees creates a variety of music ranging from electronic music to hip-hop to rock and roll using pianos, keyboards, and various PC-controlled electronic synthesizers.[2] He uses keyboard and synthesizer-based synthetic voices to add a variety of instruments to the tracks. The result is a combination of rock and roll with techno or trance-influenced rock opera. In some of his YouTube videos, he plays the harmonica in his slower-tempo songs. Jenkees is distinguished in his videos by the array of hats he wears, his thick glasses, and his distinctive voice. Besides playing the keyboard, he also sings.
