Thu 21 Aug, 2008
It’s been years since Goodie Mob has recorded or graced the stage together. Word is that that the Atlanta hip hop group are reuniting. In fact they made their first appearance together since 2006 at the Tabernacle in Atlanta, GA.
In an interview with HipHopDX, Cee-Lo said that the reason Goodie Mob’s project has taken so long to come together is the five part considered a threat to the establishment. He likened Goodie Mob to the Black Panthers, all but calling out artists whose music he considers to be detrimental to hip hop culture.
…When we all come back together as Goodie Mob it’s [gonna be the same] way the Panthers had to come back in to clean up their communities. So we’re probably not gonna make some good friends with the trappers and shit. And I’m not trying to knock nobody’s hustle but there has to be a balance. There’s no us anymore, no one else brave enough to pick up that torch and carry it even further. And [southern Hip Hop] is suffering because of it. But it’s suffering on such a scale that they even recognize it themselves. You may not even have to call their names out. I may not even have to do it because they do realize what a travesty it all is. [source]
He goes on to talk about the concept of playing it safe to make money versus being genuine and go against the grain.
Everybody’s trying to feed their families, so there are certain things you have to do to play it safe. But what I love about Goodie Mob was that we weren’t doing it for any money at all. That’s how genuine it was. It was activism more than it was entertainment. I never felt like I was tap dancing for anybody. I’m anti-establishment in that way.
It would be nice to see what sort of evolution Goodie Mob has made since their 2004 release, One Monkey Don’t Stop the Show. Cee-Lo is going to be very busy, working on his solo release, touring with Gnarls Barkley and working on a Goodie Mob project. Speaking of Gnarls Barkley, I’ll be catching them live at the Austin City Limits festival as well as Bumbershoot in Seattle Labor Day weekend. Woot!
