Arrested Development (group)

History

Arrested Development came together in 1988, founded by rapper-producer Todd Thomas, known as Speech, and turntablist Timothy Barnwell, called Headliner. Speech met Baba Oje while both were students at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Their first album, 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of..., topped the Village Voice's 1992 Pazz and Jop Critics' Poll and The Wire's 1992 Critics' Choice. In 1993, the group took home two Grammys: Best New Artist—the first hip hop act to win that category—and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.

Rolling Stone named them Band of the Year, and the debut moved over 6 million copies worldwide. Soon after, filmmaker Spike Lee asked them to write a track for his Malcolm X biopic. They recorded "Revolution," which landed on the soundtrack and played during the film's closing credits in 1992. Their 1994 follow-up, Zingalamaduni, sold poorly, and the group disbanded in 1996.

They reunited in 2000, touring and putting out records through Speech's Vagabond Productions, though Aerle Taree did not rejoin due to vocal issues; she later became a poet and converted from Buddhism to Christianity. DJ Headliner launched his own business, Creative Royalty Group. In November 2003, the group sued Fox over the TV show Arrested Development, a lawsuit mentioned in episodes like "Public Relations," "Motherboy XXX," "Sword of Destiny," and "For British Eyes Only."

In June 2005, they won the first round of Hit Me, Baby, One More Time, performing "Tennessee" and a cover of Los Lonely Boys' "Heaven," donating the $20,000 prize to UNICEF. Their album after 2004's Among the Trees was Since the Last Time, released internationally on September 18, 2006, and in the United States on October 30, 2007, on Speech's boutique label Vagabond Record & Tapes.