Atlanta, GA · hip hop · conscious hip hop

Arrested Development

1 festival played

Early-'90s Atlanta collective who put southern, rural, spiritual concerns into hip-hop before anyone else did — 'Tennessee' and 'People Everyday' still radiate communal warmth.

Arrested Development formed in Atlanta in the late 1980s, led by rapper and producer Speech alongside DJ Headliner, with a rotating cast of singers, dancers and the group's elder figure Baba Oje. Their 1992 debut, 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of..., combined boom-bap production with soul, gospel and folk elements, and its lyrics dealt with rural southern life, poverty and spirituality at a moment when hip-hop's commercial centre lay elsewhere. The album produced the singles "Mr. Wendal" and "Revolution", and the group won Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. They have continued to record and tour internationally in the decades since.

hip hopconscious hip hop