Remember PM Dawn, Arrested Development, A Tribe Called Quest, and De La Soul?  These were just some of the rap groups who chose to flow about social issues over the more popular “gangsta rap” themes seen in the late 80’s and early 90’s.  As I can recall, although I was very young, there was not much of a southern representation for rappers at that time. That all changed as the mid 1990’s approached and talented artists such as Atlanta based Outkast and Goodie Mob burst on the scene to deliver a whole new brand of hip hop with bone crushing beats, earsplitting highs, and tongue twisting rhymes that carried messages that continue to resonate within me some 15 years later. I can still feel my sternum vibrate from the base!

Showing that they have not disappeared is Goodie Mob, the Southwest Atlanta natives returning to their roots to perform at the Tabernacle on February 12, 2010.  Always a fan of Outkast and the Dungeon Family, I bought my tickets to get my “Soul Food” on with other loyal fans for the upcoming concert.  Although the initial craze of Goodie Mob has progressively died down over the years, as is the case with many music groups, their popularity remains and for me their message is still integral in ways unimaginable.

Goodie Mob, which is an acronym for “Good Die Mostly Over Bull…t,” consists of four fiery members:  T-Mo a.k.a. Robert Barnett (born 1972),  Big Gipp a.k.a. Cameron Gipp (born 1973), Cee-Lo a.k.a. Thomas Callaway (born 1975), and Khujo a.k.a. Willie Knighton (born 1973).  All four of them met while attending Benjamin E. Mays High School in the SWATS or Southwest Atlanta and the magic began.  Their debut album  Soul Food released in 1994 is considered a classic.  This album is chock full of tunes that will make you bob your head as well as use it to think about the subject matter communicated by the members of the group. According to Wikipedia, songs to make the charts included “Cell Therapy,”  “Soul Food,” and “Dirty South” and were heavily rotated on radio stations throughout the country.

Sometimes you have to get past the impressive beats to get to the core of what is being conveyed within the music.  For example, and this is just my take, Wikipedia states that although the album Soul Food dealt with such heavy issues, some songs still carried a lighter tone, such as “Soul Food,” “in which the crew expressed their love for home cooked meals”.  This is true in a sense but places Goodie Mob into the stereotype of black lifestyle in America which is something they have been fighting to get away from.  In actuality, the song and video capture the importance of black unity within the family and the widely spread opinion that this concept is dying in a rapid pace.  The video portais the notion of the difference between the type of detrimental cultural education black Americans  receive from frequenting fast food joints as opposed to the richness of our culture by partaking during a traditional Sunday dinner with family and friends, hence the quote, “Sunday morning, where you eatin’ at?”  Wikipedia definitely attempts to make light of a heavy and under-discussed issue that has been affecting the black American community for a very long time.  This along with other topics such as poverty, educational disparities, and the traps of trappin’ permeate through the existence of this much needed social rap group.

Goodie Mob is not just a group though.  They are also individual people with different ideas and concepts.  That is why after the successes of their first three albums, Soul Food,1994, Still Standing, 1998, and World Party, 1999, Cee-Lo, the more outspoken of the group parted company with Goodie Mob in 2000 to work on solo endeavors.  Cee-Lo was successful with the creation of Gnarls Barkley as he collaborated with DJ Danger Mouse and released the hugely popular single, “Crazy.” The remaining group members went on to pursue other interests as well.  Big Gipp made guest appearances on other Dungeon Family albums while T-Mo and Khujo formed a duo called The Lumberjacks.  In the midst of their separation Goodie Mob supported their group mate, Khujo through the difficulties of a below the knee amputation resulting from a car accident in 2002. The group sans Cee-Lo released their fourth album in 2004 called, One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show, whose title illustrates the tension felt from the absence of Cee-Lo Goodie.  However, T-Mo and Khujo apparently wanted to try and display the unity that was such an important part of the group’s essence by releasing their joint effort in 2005 called, Livin’ Life as Lumberjacks. It was released as The Lumberjacks presented by Goodie Mob informing the world that credit was not due to just T-Mo and Khujo for this venture.

With the passage of time comes maturity and the realization that some disagreements and differences are not worth separation and strife.  In September of 2009, after about 7 years of solo projects and personal growth, Goodie Mob got together at the Tabernacle to a packed and highly anticipatory audience of loyal ATL fans. The reunion tour of last fall covered 11 cities and revived the sleepy popularity of the artists who were on everyone’s tongues 15 years ago. Now in 2010 Goodie Mob is back to breathe more life into their fans for another concert also at the Tabernacle in which I will be in attendance.  For me, February 12th cannot come fast enough as some of my favorite songs vibrate through the speakers.  Not only do these songs sound good, it’s the timeless message that I hope some of the younger fans will take a listen to and learn from.

My favorite Goodie Mob Songs:

From Soul Food:

Funeral

Dirty South

Live at the O.M.N.I.

Goodie Bag-great solos by Cee-Lo to get you crunk!

Sesame Street

From Still Standing:

They Don’t Dance No Mo’

Black Ice

Sky High

Fly Away

Beautiful Skin

From World Party:

Get Rich to This

Feel free to comment on this article and let me know what Goodie Mob songs are most important to you …