Arrested Development were introduced to the world at a time when most of Atlanta-based artists were ignored by the mainstream media. During the early 1990s, Atlanta had yet to become the Black music capital and was relatively ignored.
But Arrested Development changed that with the release of their debut album, 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of..
The album became an instant hit winning multiple Grammy Awards and selling 4 million copies in the U.S. alone. They were one of a few groups from Atlanta who broke barriers in hip-hop and music in general.
“It was tough because hip-hop was ruled by the East coast and West coast at the time,” Speech said during an exclusive interview before performing at the Atlanta Hawks game at State Farm Arena on Feb. 27. “And so New York and L.A. was basically calling the shots. And it was tough to break through. We had to work hard to prove that we deserved to be here. And so from our first video, “Tennessee,” we firmly established the Southern look, juxtaposing what New York was doing. New York was known for the high rise brick buildings and the fences and the basketball courts. We were in the rural south with grandmothers, and the children running around. It was a 100% different image for hip-hop period, and really represented in the south. And so it was tough, but we made a splash. We won two Grammys, we won MTV awards. And as Andre 3000 would later say, ‘The South has something to say.'”
Arrested Development made it cool for rappers to express themselves outside of the typical hardcore tropes that ruled during the early days of hip-hop. Their freedom of expression surely inspired artists such as OutKast, early Kanye West, and Earth Gang.
The group has also continued to receive accolades for its overall impact on music. And their music is featured in the new season of “BMF” which will debut this week on Starz.
“It’s absolutely magical,” Speech says. “Whenever you’re able to create something that you feel proud about, and then the world catches on to it. And not only do you get to reap the benefits of it during the first release, but three decades later, people still lauded as one of the top things that has come out of hip-hop. We were awarded by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as one of the 500 best songs in the history of Rock & Roll. And that was the song “Tennessee” which was our first single. So you know, it’s magical to have that kind of impact on the world.”
At the top of 2024, Arrested Development released their new album “Bullets in the Chamber” which features Chuck D, Ras Kass, Canibus, Diane King, and more.
“It’s dope, we’ve already got album of the year by three publications,” Speech says.
With 2024 being an election year, the group continues to use their voices to inspire change.
“Let your voice be heard,” Speech emotes. “That’s really the point about voting for me. There will never be a time as long as I’m able that I will not vote. I will always vote and I will always make sure that my voice is heard. There’s numerous reasons for that. But one of the biggest reasons is that only a few decades ago, my ancestors were not allowed to do it. And even if they were they were discouraged from doing it. And so there’s a reason that people wanted to keep you from the voting booth. Get out there and vote.”
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