Who Created Rush E? The Story Behind the Viral Piano Meme

The Genesis of a Meme: Who Created Rush E?

If you have spent any time online over the last few years, chances are you have crossed paths with Rush E. Whether it blared through a TikTok compilation, challenged a gamer on YouTube, or inspired countless sweat-inducing “impossible piano tutorial” videos, Rush E is a modern internet phenomenon.

Yet, despite sounding like a lost, terrifyingly difficult classical composition by a nineteenth-century maestro, Rush E was actually created in the digital age by Sheet Music Boss—specifically by Australian composer and pianist Andrew Wrangell, alongside his business partner Samuel Dickenson.

Meet the Creators: Sheet Music Boss

Sheet Music Boss is an Australian YouTube duo and digital sheet music publisher launched by Andrew Wrangell and Samuel Dickenson. Specializing in MIDI-art animations and engaging piano visualizers, the channel gained early popularity by transforming popular video game soundtracks—such as Kirby and The Legend of Zelda—into high-energy, Russian-folk-inspired arrangements.

They built a massive following by turning music theory, fast-paced piano tutorials, and algorithmic visual media into entertaining content. But nothing in their catalog could have prepared them for the global juggernaut that Rush E would become.

The Inspiration Behind the Chaos

To understand Rush E, you have to look at internet culture and gaming history:

• The Name: The title is a direct nod to the online multiplayer shooter Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), where Russian-speaking players would frequently urge their teammates via chat to “Rush B” (meaning to aggressively charge a specific objective point on the map). Sheet Music Boss played on this trope, centering their composition around the musical note E.
• The Meme: Released around the time internet humor was heavily saturated with deep-fried, absurd meme culture—such as the distorted Lord Farquaad/Markiplier “E” meme—the song was purposefully designed to capture that chaotic internet energy.

From a YouTube Video to a Global Virus

When Sheet Music Boss released Rush E, it wasn’t written as a piece meant to be easily played by humans. It was meticulously programmed as a MIDI composition—a digital blueprint pushing notes past physical human limitations. The song famously incorporates a moment where the pianist supposedly has to smash their entire forearm or a specially placed block down onto the keyboard just to hit the impossible cluster of notes.

The internet took the concept and ran wild with it:

1. The Cover Challenge: Pianists around the world began attempting to arrange and physically play the piece, spawning a subgenre of “How to play Rush E” videos.
2. Animation & Parody: Creators made animations depicting fictional characters, cats, and robots struggling through its absurdly fast tempo.
3. Mainstream Crossovers: High-profile creators, including Mark Rober, referenced or utilized the track, cementing its status as a timeless internet meme.

A Legacy Woven in MIDI

While classical purists might scoff at its origin as a meme, Rush E stands as a brilliant testament to internet-era creativity. It proved that modern classical and instrumental music doesn’t have to be confined to concert halls; it can be born on YouTube, fueled by gaming culture, and shared by millions.