"Cooler Ruler" Divine

"Cooler Ruler" Divine (formerly known as "Big Dex") is an RIAA platinum and gold certified hip hop producer and rap artist from Queens, NY.

Cooler Ruler is known primarily for his contribution to the Lost Boyz' hit song "Renee", the chorus particularly. He is also credited alongside Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC for co-producing the "Shifftee (Shytizon Remix)" by Onyx, another hip hop foursome from Queens. On both releases Cooler Ruler Divine would be referred to as "Dex" and "Big Dex".

Big Dex began writing and performing music in elementary school. His mother fed his peak level interest for music at age 8 when she noticed his ability to DJ. She bought an extra turntable and a mixer as a Christmas gift and turned the home stereo system into a DJ set up. Dex developed skills as a DJ and learned fundamental techniques to looping beats and tracking vocals using cassette decks.

Recording with friends and local artists would became Big Dex's favorite past time for years to come. This heavy musical involvement would lead to collaborations with some well known entertainers. The first being a song entitled "Me & My Shadow" that Dex produced in high school for Peppermint Wayne a/k/a Rip featuring Intelligent Hoodlum a/k/a Tragedy Khadafi. The original version also included a verse by Big Dex himself.

Dex began interning at a recording studio not far from where he attended school called Li'l Rascals Recording Studio. This is the studio he already had been frequenting with his group Trinity, Mr Cheeks before the Lost Boyz and many others. He then learned to engineer the songs he produced and become capable of executing a higher quality recording. Upon graduating Dex attended the Institute of Audio Research for 8 months and purchased an Akai MPC60 II, his first programmable workstation.

The summer of 1993 is when Jam Master Jay of Run DMC called on Big Dex to meet and audition music. Upon winning Jay's approval, Big Dex became one of the Afficial Nastee Niguz production team and landed placements with Onyx, Joe Sinistr and set up to work with Jayo Felony and Run DMC on the new album that never came into fruition. That partnership came to an end because of contractual disagreements but Big Dex and JMJ peacefully parted ways.

"Ghetto love is the law that we live by. Day by day I wonder why my shorty had to die. I reminisce over my ghetto princess every day. Give it up for my shorty." as well as 7 other musical compostions by Cooler Ruler are featured on the debut Lost Boyz LP Legal Drug Money three years after that Onyx release. "Big Dex" appears as a guest MC on the song "All Right" on the same album. In addition, there were new releases on two movie soundtracks by the Lost Boyz that featured Cooler Ruler on production using his former professional name.

At this point a comradery had developed between the then known "Big Dex" and Uptown Records A&R Tim "Dawg" Patterson who was responsible for structuring the Lost Boyz musical introduction. Upon completion of the album, the two would continue on to work together on the Terri & Monica release "Intentions (Uptown Systa Mix)" and other unreleased projects.

Also following the release and success of "Legal Drug Money" in 1996, Cooler Ruler, who originally pursued stardom as part of his Rosedale, Queens rap group The Trinity, was offered help by Tim "Dawg" to work on a demo package for the new label he represented, Island Records. The arrangement was for a solo artist however. Dex agreed to the plan under the pretenses that Parle' and G.A. Banx, the other two Trinity members, would be sonically involved with the album. Tim agreed and they were.

Island Records' roster included Boston's Dru Hill who had been promoting their new single "Tell Me" on mainstream radio at the time. Tim "Dawg" invited Big Dex to perform an 8 bar verse on a remix to the song which had been released that year as well on Island.

Quite a few performance features by the young Cooler Ruler had been made under the name Big Dex but never released. This includes another remix for Dru Hill's "Whatever You Want", the "Never Mind" remix by LADAE! produced by Stevie J. (a song that had been eventually released by 112) two songs with Elle from the 90s female R&B group 7669 "Coming Back" and "Can I Go Down?" and an artist named Sonni who was then managed by R&B singer Al B. Sure. Dex had also been penning verses and hooks with a producer by the name of Terrance Quentin (Dru Hill) who was submitting his product to labels for placements.

Going forward, the business relationship between Big Dex and Tim "Dawg" had become lesser soon after Dex had obtained management by Jamal Hakim a/k/a "Landlord J" of Landlord Entertainment. Jamal worked at Stress Entertainment owned by event promoter Jessica Rosenbaum (who became cleverly nicknamed "Stressica").

Stress Entertainment was home to the most popular New York City DJs such as Funkmaster Flex, Bouncemaster Doo Wop, DJ Enuff, DJ Red Alert, Big Kap, Mark Ronson, Biz Markie & DJ Cipha Sounds. Jamal, who met Dex while he was an assistant to Lost Boyz' manager Charles Suitt, had been in talks with Big Dex for quite some time about developing some of the projects Dex had put together at home with his movement called "The Nocturnal Project" (eventually renamed "QSR" pronounced "Quasar" in 1997).

Jamal had seen the vision that Dex (who had then been going by "Ruler Divine") had with his home team from the unique mix tapes they released and promoted. QSR Fam goes on record as the earliest hip hop movement to habitually release parodies of contemporary hip hop consistently on 3 mix tape bodies of work ("QSR Fam" #'s 1, 2 & 3 hosted by Ruler Divine). Jamal went ahead to invest his energy and strengths to help push the brand and was pretty successful in doing so.

Landlord J had joined forces with DJ Cipha Sounds who had been working at NY's Hot 97. In the future they would go on to become Jack Move Ent. (Coo Coo Cal, Nina Skyy, The Kid Daytona) In addition to being the only artists that Funkmaster Flex ever let introduce four of his radio shows with a rap jingle, QSR/QSR Fam was featured on Miss Jones' morning show daily courtesy of DJ Enuff (Mary J Blige "Time" Remix featuring QSR/Quasar), the Kool DJ Red Alert 5 o'clock Free Ride (Lucy Pearl "Dance Tonite" Remix featuring QSR/Quasar), the Flipsquad All Stars DJs album (Get Tough '98), DJ Enuff's "My Definition of Hip Hop II" album released in Paris, France, two DJ Cipha Sounds "South Pole" mix tapes, 2 Bouncemaster Doo Wop mix tapes, slots on air during mixshow weekends, many performance cards all mostly during the year of 1999.

At the end of 1999, QSR celebrated the new year as Universal Music Group recording artists. Three of the 40 plus members, (Ruler) Divine, Spintek and Powerful, had inked the deal representing the brand as QSR. They spent the year recording an album and performing in the tri-state area. Nine (9) of the twelve (12) songs on the album was produced by Ruler Divine and the other three by Rockwilder of F5 Entertainment (Red and Meth, Janet Jackson) December 5th of 2000, Universal Music Group released the CD single "Washed Out" (Produced by Rockwilder) b/w "Queens" (produced by Ruler Divine) by QSR which didn't do well to UMG's surprise considering how much promo had been done by the artists.

January of 2001 the group had been given an ultimatum by the record label to stay on as shelved artists or leave the agreement with severance pay. QSR chose the latter. They would continue to pursue music together as the 40 person/7 group team minus Landlord Jamal for a short amount of months after the decision but eventually they would disband and pursue other things.

Ruler Divine continued recording as a soloist and producing for even more local, younger artists. Eventually one day Brooklyn, a female rap artist that he once collaborated with during that Universal period, contacted and informed him that she was now signed to Aftermath (Dr Dre's label) and that she wanted him to be on her album. Ruler eventually did produce a song for Brooklyn called "We Comin'" that featured The Game, Proof from D-12 (R.I.P.) and Joe Beast who was another Aftermath Entertainment artist. Brooklyn later left the label before the song could be released.

From 2002-2004 Ruler Divine had been making a living recording artists in his home studio and striving to create a platform to display new music that he constantly came across. The first platform was the Hood Toons mix tape series (3). Shortly after upgrading his equipment, he returned to the original plan he came up with in the 90s, "Worldwide Queens Side Radio" (aka W.Q.S.R.) This was a radio show on CD. He released 4 of these at Mom and Pop record stores and local neighborhoods out of the trunk.

In 2005, after reuniting with Mr Cheeks of the Platinum-selling Lost Boyz group and working again, Mr Cheeks inked a deal with Contengo Records to release the Lost Boyz "Forever" album which was a greatest hits/new music album that had contained two new songs produced by Ruler Divine. One of them entitled "Hard Workin'" had posthumous vocals on it by Freaky Tah and the other "All I Know" featured Ruler Divine doing a parody of his "Big Dex" verse on "All Right" from "Legal Drug Money". During this era Mr Cheeks and Ruler Divine also recorded a collaborative album entitled "The Blues Brotherz", an underground LB Fam favorite.

In 2008, Jack Move (Landlord J & DJ Cipha Sounds) contacted (the once again reinvented) "Cooler Ruler" for some help coaching their artist, The Kid Daytona, vocally as well as recording for his new mix tape "A Tribe Called Fresh". That year also, Cooler Ruler attempted to break a world record with a song he produced called "Mob Party" that featured 34 artists from Rosedale, Queens NY including Grafh. In addition, Cooler Ruler featured on a song called "Dominoes" with Strike Team (Mr Cheeks & Craig G) & Mr Who.

2009 began the "Golden Era", which was the name of a trio consisting of Cooler Ruler, an MC by the name of T-Mack the Artist who is Papoose's younger brother, and a sassy rapstress by the name of India Blonde. Cooler Ruler executive produced a total of 7 bodies of work for the imprint, five for T-Mack and two for India. On Papoose's album Nacirema Dream, that was released during that time, T-Mack the Artist can be heard mentioning Ruler Divine's name on "Where I Come From", a posse cut on that album.

In later months, Cooler Ruler produced "Love in the Club" for clients and neighborhood rap colleagues V.H. (Verbal Harrassment - Lotto, Curt Digga & HBO) that featured T-Mack's brother Papoose.

In 2012, Cooler Ruler released an "audio-discography" by the name of "Music of My Time" on DatPiff.com that included 13 "Cooler Ruler" Divine related unreleases featuring Lost Boyz, Fredro Starr, The Kid Daytona, Estelle, C.N.N., Grafh, T-Mack the Artist, Papoose, V.H., QSR, DJ Rogers Jr., Brooklyn, Joe Beast, Proof, The Game, Craig G, India Blonde, LADAE! & Stevie J. He also released a video for the title song "Music of My Time".

In 2013, Cooler Ruler makes another world record attempt with "Mob Party 2", a song he produced with 41 artists from Rosedale featuring Mr Cheeks. This time he directed a video for it and applied to the Guinness Book of World Records (who denied the entry because of the wording).

In 2015, Cooler Ruler produced for a client, an aspiring artist by the name of Oowop the Don, a song called "Ink Pen" featuring Tragedy Khadafi (once again), Sean Price and Kima Rocel. Later that year he also released "Rosedale Day", a mix tape album produced by Cooler and other local producers (Menace 2.0, Chilly Davis a/k/a Deli) that featured the "Mob Party" Rosedale artists throughout the project. Cooler is credited for featuring on 2 cuts on the Mr Cheeks album "Raised" And lastly, back in his producer hat, he worked on a follow up to Oowop the Don, "Ink Pen" with "State of Emergency" by Oowop the Don featuring the legendary Cuban Link.

In 2016, Cooler Ruler moved up to broadcasting online as Coolerbeats Radio, which began as a 24-hour playlist of new music and prerecorded shows. He developed the "Stress Free Radio Show" originally with a co host named Chrissy then with a different guest co host on every show. "Stress Free Radio Show" guests included Donshea Hopkins, Cuban Link, Mathematics from Wu Tang Clan, Geechi Suede from Camp Lo, Royal Flush, DJ Ted Smooth, DJ Don Demarco, Grafh, Reek Da Villain and many more.

Also on the Coolerbeats Radio playlist schedule was "Jelly Talk", an urban topic "call-up" talk show that Cooler co hosted with the main host Jana a/k/a "Jelly"; and "Friday Night Live", a 2-hour live interactive mix show with callers.

2016 is also the year that Cooler Ruler started DJing again at schools, local bars and events, which led to meeting an event promoter by the name of Chu Chi Saunders. Cooler and Chu Chi began the "Open Mic Series", a string of new artist and vendor events that developed a community of artists who work together to this day outside of the gatherings.

Interviews and mixshows were Cooler Ruler's primary focus during the next year (2017), although this is when he collaborated with Mr Cheeks again along with Chaz Money on "Stressin'", a jazzy hip hop venting session by three lyricists.

TVOne aired "Unsung: The Lost Boyz" in 2018. Cooler made the call to put together a new Lost Boyz release to follow up to the on screen celebration of The Lost Boyz legacy. The release followed 2 years later after trials and tribulations such as the global pandemic and viscous sabotage by a business adversary. The album was overshadowed by quite a few unofficial Lost Boyz releases but was still released 2 years to the date after the Unsung episode was aired. (April 22nd, 2020) The album is entitled "Grand Scheme 12:26" and features all four (4) of the original Lost Boyz members.

Present day, Cooler Ruler produces and releases collaborative singles with various artists.

References

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