Arrested Development

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ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT

Formed: 1988, Atlanta, Georgia; Disbanded 1995

Members: Timothy "Headliner" Barnwell, vocals (born New Jersey, 26 July 1967); Rasa Don, drums (Donald Jones; born New Jersey, 22 November 1968); Montsho Eshe, dancer, choreographer (Temelca Garther; born Georgia, 23 December 1974); Dionne Farris, vocals (born Bordentown, New Jersey, 1969); Baba Oje, spiritual advisor (born Laurie, Mississippi, 15 May 1932); Aerle Taree, vocals (Taree Jones; born Wisconsin, 10 January 1973); Todd "Speech" Thomas, vocals (born Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 25 October 1968).

Genre: Hip-Hop

Best-selling album since 1990: 3 Years, 5 Months, and 2 Days in the Life of . . . (1992)

Hit songs since 1990: "Tennessee," "People Everyday," "Mr. Wendel"

Southern hip-hop collective Arrested Development burst onto the popular music scene in 1992 with a quadruple platinum debut album, three Top 10 singles, and two Grammy Awards. Although they failed to build upon their phenomenal early success, in their short career Arrested Development was influential in expanding the geographic, demographic, and thematic scope of hip-hop. Their many references to life in the rural South prefigured such later southern "alt-rap" groups as Goodie Mob and Nappy Roots, while their introspective lyrics and eclectic inclusion of gospel, blues, and soul elements helped paved the way for artists such as the Fugees and Lauryn Hill.

The founders of Arrested Development, Todd "Speech" Thomas and Timothy "DJ Headliner" Barnwell, met in the late 1980s while students at the Art Institute of Atlanta. Although they initially formed a "gangsta" rap group called Disciples of Lyrical Rebellion, the music of Public Enemy inspired them to reinvent themselves as a more socially conscious, politically minded group. Renaming themselves Arrested Development, Speech and DJ Headliner gradually added new members to their growing collective, including dancers Montsho Eshe and Aerle Taree, percussionist Rasa Don, singer Dionne Farris, and eventually "spiritual advisor" Baba Oje, whom Speech had known from his childhood. The group moved into the same house and began recording music together. In March 1992 they released their debut album, 3 Years, 5 Months, and 2 Days in the Life Of . . ., reportedly named after the amount of time it took the group to secure a record deal.

Spiritual Breakthrough

3 Years, 5 Months, and 2 Days in the Life Of . . . was an instant critical and commercial sensation, thanks in large part to the album's first single, "Tennessee." An unabashedly spiritual and personal song inspired by the deaths of Speech's brother and grandmother, "Tennessee" finds the narrator addressing God, who directs him to seek the self-knowledge and peace of mind he craves by returning to his old family home in Ripley, Tennessee. Bolstered by the refrain's upbeat, heartfelt chorus asking God to "Let me understand your plan," Speech connects his own personal grief and confusion to the larger historical grief of African Americans: "Now I see the importance of history / Why people be in the mess that they be / Many journeys to freedom made in vain / By brothers on the corner playin ghetto games." "Tennessee"'s combination of vulnerability and gentle wisdom was a marked departure from the more confrontational political rap of artists like Public Enemy and KRS-One, and critics and listeners quickly embraced Arrested Development as a group whose "positive" message sought to unify a troubled and racially divided culture.

3 Years, 5 Months, and 2 Days in the Life Of . . . tackles a variety of high-profile issues, from feminism ("Mama's Always on the Stage") and the environment ("Children Play with Earth") to homelessness ("Mr. Wendel"). On the album's second single, "People Everyday," Arrested Development explicitly distance themselves from the "gangsta" posturing then popular in mainstream hip-hop. Taking its tune and chorus from the old Sly and the Family Stone hit "Everyday People" (1968), the track depicts the narrator reluctantly yet successfully defending himself and a female companion from a group of thuggish "brothers" drinking "the 40 ounce" and "holdin' their crotches and bein' obscene." The album further distinguishes itself from the hip-hop of the day by departing from its traditional grounding in inner-city culture. Instead, it draws from the black folk traditions of the rural South, adding bluesy vocals and gospel-tinged call-and-response singing to its raps.

3 Years, 5 Months, and 2 Days in the Life Of . . . ended up being one of the most successful albums of 1992. It scored three major hits, and went on to sell some 4 million copies, and the group was named Band of the Year by Rolling Stone magazine. In late 1992 the band contributed the song "Revolution" to the soundtrack of the highly anticipated movie Malcolm X. In February 1993 Arrested Development won Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for "Tennessee" and became the first hip-hop act to win a Grammy for Best New Artist. A month later, Arrested Development released Unplugged, a live recording of all the tracks from their debut (with the exception of "Tennessee"), along with a few remixes and three new tracks. Although the album failed to sell as well as its predecessor, it sold well enough to keep the group in the public eye, and the group spent the summer of 1993 headlining the popular Lollapalooza alternative music tour.

Growing Pains

By the time Arrested Development released their second studio album, Zingalamaduni, in the summer of 1994, the original group was beginning to fall apart. Emboldened by the attention her vocals on "Tennessee" had won her, singer Farris had left to pursue a solo career. Meanwhile, Speech had rearranged the group's lineup, making Headliner a co-rapper and adding a few new members.

In keeping with its Swahili title (meaning "beehive of culture"), Zingalamaduni both lyrically and musically expanded upon the Afrocentric philosophy hinted at in Arrested Development's debut. Unlike 3 Years, 5 Months, and 2 Days in the Life Of . . ., however, Zingalamaduni failed to make much of an impact with critics, who found it unfocused, shrilly political, and lacking any song on par with "Tennessee." Commercially, the album was also a bit of a letdown, selling half a million copies. Arrested Development broke up in 1996.

That same year Speech went solo with a self-titled album, which, although it resulted in the minor hit "Like Marvin Gaye Said (What's Going On)," sold poorly. Speech followed up with Hoopla in 1999. Although his solo career never brought him the same level of success as Arrested Development did, Speech continued to perform and record, releasing the critically acclaimed Spiritual People in late 2002.

Despite having one of the biggest breakthrough albums of 1992, Arrested Development never parlayed their initial success into a long-term career. Nonetheless, their rootsy, southern-influenced instrumentation and spiritual, positive raps proved influential on the popular music of the decade.

SELECTIVE DISCOGRAPHY:

3 Years, 5 Months, and 2 Days in the Life Of . . . (Chrysalis, 1992); Unplugged (Chrysalis, 1993); Zingalamaduni (Chrysalis, 1994); Classic Masters (Capitol, 2002). Soundtrack: Malcolm X (Warner Bros., 1992).