The Minds Behind the Madness: Who Created “Rush E”?

If you have spent any time on YouTube, TikTok, or gaming forums over the last few years, chances are you have crossed paths with “Rush E.” Widely recognized as one of the most infamously complex, internet-breaking piano pieces ever conceived, it has spawned thousands of covers, terrifying difficulty adaptations, and viral challenges.

But who is actually behind this monster of a meme-melody?

The short answer: Sheet Music Boss—specifically Australian composer and musician Andrew Wrangell, alongside his business partner Samuel Dickenson.

Meet Sheet Music Boss

Sheet Music Boss is an independent Australian YouTube duo and digital sheet music publisher based in Brisbane, Queensland. Comprising Andrew Wrangell (who handles most of the composition and arrangement) and Samuel Dickenson (who focuses on the technical, production, and operational sides), the channel built its initial reputation by creating engaging, colorful MIDI piano tutorials.

Before “Rush E” took over the internet, they were already well-known in online piano communities for turning video game soundtracks, classical hits, and pop songs into fast-paced, visually striking falling-note videos. However, they wanted to tap into internet culture by creating a musical joke that spiraled completely out of control.

The Origins: From “Rush B” to “Rush E”

The conceptual lineage of “Rush E” actually begins with an earlier internet trend: “Rush B.”

The term “Rush B” is a classic gaming meme originating from Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), rooted in the stereotype of rushed, chaotic team communications shouting instructions to storm a specific map site heavily utilizing the musical note B. Sheet Music Boss capitalized on this by writing a Russian-folk-styled piano piece heavily fixated on the note B.

When the deep-fried, absurd internet meme featuring a mashed-up image of Markiplier and Lord Farquaad—universally known simply as the letter “E”—took over meme culture, Wrangell and Dickenson saw an opportunity. They decided to follow up their previous work with a piece built entirely around the letter “E”.

Thus, “Rush E” was born.

Designing an Impossible Song

Released in 2018, “Rush E” was intentionally written to be absurdly, hilariously impossible for a single human pianist to play naturally.

• The MIDI Illusion: Because Sheet Music Boss specializes in MIDI visualizations, the song was constructed on a digital audio workstation. It features walls of overlapping notes that would require a pianist to have dozens of fingers, playing at superhuman speeds.
• The Meme Integration: True to its internet origins, the sheet music literally incorporates the shape of the letter “E” in its note layout at key moments, cementing its status as a piece of interactive internet art.

How it Exploded into Global Culture

While Sheet Music Boss published the original video, the internet instantly ran with it. “Rush E” turned into a massive viral phenomenon through several distinct waves:

1. The “Impossible Piano” Challenge: Pianists and content creators across YouTube began trying to physically play the song. Some used multi-person arrangements (duets or triple-hands), while others wrote software scripts or used mechanical keyboards and automated setups to pull it off.
2. TikTok and Shorts Generation: Millions of younger viewers encountered the song via short-form video platforms where kids and professional pianists alike reacted to the chaotic visual cascade of notes falling down the screen.
3. Parodies and Sequels: Sheet Music Boss themselves leaned into the joke, eventually releasing spin-offs and follow-ups like “Rush F,” “Rush G,” and even harder, mathematically impossible iterations.

Legacy

What started as a cheeky nod to a shitpost meme evolved into a cultural touchstone for a generation of internet-raised musicians. Andrew Wrangell and Samuel Dickenson proved that classical composition mechanics, when fused with internet absurdity and bright visual media, can capture the attention of millions worldwide.

So, the next time you hear those terrifying, escalating notes of “Rush E” echoing through a YouTube Short or a piano recital meme, you’ll know exactly who to thank: two Australian guys behind Sheet Music Boss who decided to see just how far a single letter of the alphabet could go.