Today we’d like to introduce you to Edward Blair Ii
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I am a jack of all trades, I am a recording Artist and a songwriter as well as a music producer and a recording engineer. I have been doing music since the age of 16 and released my first mixtape “Almost Famous” in 2010. I’ve had quite a few mixtapes from 2010-2015 before releasing my debut album “The Understudy” in 2017 which has features from members of the legendary collective “The Dungeon Family” Big Rube and T-Mo Goodie from Goodie Mob. The album has over 200k streams and the follow up album titled “Zoomatic” also has over 200k streams with features from Big Rube and Mickey Factz (2010 XXL Freshmen class). I have over 8 million streams for my entire discography which is available on all digital streaming platforms and have had music played on over 1k fm and satellite radio stations. I’ve made two television appearances as a performing artist on “The Lori Moore Show” and on “Kalamazoo Lively Arts”. I have had 15 charts placements for singles like “What We Do Remix”, “Devil Wears Prada”, and “Do You” along with “Dagga” and “Boonoonoonoos” which all charted on iTunes, Shazam, Amazon Music. I started “The Ed Blair Podcast” in 2020 and the show is available on all digital streaming platforms and has over 23k downloads and features guests from all walks of life. I am the CEO/Founder of “The Varsity Squad Collective” which started as just a clothing brand and now serves as a multi media company which I started in 2017. I attended Full Sail University and graduated in 2023 with a Recording Arts certificate. During my time I received recognition for my hard work and was initiated into the National Society Of Collegiate Scholars and Grammy
U by The Recording Academy. I returned to Full Sail University in 2024 and will have a BS in sportscasting from the Dan Patrick School of Sportscasting in 2026. While studying I’ve done an internship for the Battle Creek
Battle Jacks as a game day Video Director/Camera Operator and had a few games air on ESPN+. From 2022-Present day I’ve coached Youth/High School Football and Basketball and Middle School Basketball for girls and boys. I also was an assistant JV/Varsity baseball coach for one season. Currently I serve as an assistant coach for Lakeview High School football and Lakeview Middle School Girls/Boys Basketball and am a full time paraprofessional in the school district. I also will have a second BS from Western Governors University majoring in Secondary Education and will teach for Lakeview School District in the near future. I work for Fox Sports as a freelancer part time and was a runner/production assistant for the content week of IndyCar 500 in Indianapolis which some of the work I’ve contributed to will begin to air in March. I am a father of three beautiful children such as Dequan, Roman, and Aubrey (oldest to youngest) and am a husband of almost three years now to my beautiful wife Sierra Shanelle Blair which is the CEO/Founder of Queen By Sierra Shanelle LLC and a Teacher/Tennis Coach for Battle Creek Public Schools. Together we are a hip hop duo called “The Blair Affair” and we have a single out called “Countin’ Blessings” which is available on all digital streaming platforms.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I wouldn’t say I had a smooth road as music was my plan B and playing professional sports was my plan A. After graduating from Kalamazoo Central High School in 2010 and realizing that my dreams of playing college ball would not be my reality I started my freshman year of college and kept pushing for a career in music. There were hardships with being in a group and going solo and rejoining the group and going solo again and then dealing with payola and not having a big enough budget to do music at the level I wanted to in the beginning of my career. I also had hardships as a business owner as having an unknown clothing brand in an over saturated market and having to build a following for the brand was challenging. My clothes aren’t in major retailers so being seen as a brand had its challenges.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a Football/Basketball Coach as well as a Business owner and a Recording Artist/Songwriter/Music Producer/Recording Engineer and a Freelancer/Production Assistant as well as a camera operator and a video director and a sportscaster. I also am a Paraprofessional and a future educator. As an artist I am known as Ed Blair and in sports I am known as Coach Blair. I am proud of the impact I’ve made on kids and the communities I’ve coached in and I am most proud of the bonds I’ve built with students and staff and the parent support I have in my community. I pride myself on being a leader and a man of character and integrity. What sets me apart from others is my work ethic and the desire to grow and the effort I put into being great at everything I pursue.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Covid taught me how to be a go getter and to want more. I developed an entrepreneurial mindset during COVID and realized a job is just an investment for my business and my passions and to love the jobs and make the most of them until I can afford to work for self and evolve.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.TheVarsitySquadCollective.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edwardblairii?igsh=d3hidzllbTc5bGZp&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1B2KksEVkX/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/realcoachblair?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
- Twitter: https://x.com/edwardblairii?s=21
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@edwardblairii?si=zlIRw0Jmit1O1r27
