‘We make music that celebrates living’

WHATEVER HAPPENS IN life happens for good. Two time Grammy award winners Arrested Development have got a reason to believe the adage.

Over the years since their split in late 1995, they were just living life, doing things creatively but wondering what would happen if they did something together again. After a long hiatus, the group came together in 2000. They recorded ‘Heroes of the Harvest’ in Tree Sounds Studio with a dream team of musicians and engineers and sparked off more recording material than they really expected to - over 30 songs. Their ‘reunion’ inspired their substantive repertoire, traits of which are readily felt in their latest album, ‘Since the Last Time.’

As Speech, founder and one of the vocalists for Arrested Development says, “Hip-Hop is very unforgiving and the fact that we’ve done a lot doesn't matter to the average head out there, they want to hear heat, and that’s what we yearn to give. Our people have been through so much turmoil and strife for hundreds of years now. We get on stage every night with the mission to broaden perspectives and give inspiration to rise above stereotypes and materialism.”

Unsurprisingly, then, Arrested Development has been devoted to nudging folks in the direction of freedom and spiritual evolution with more innovative songs. Speech may be the most known member of the group, being the frontman, but Dionne Farris, Eshe, Rasa Don, Baba Oje, Nicha and many others have contributed much to this kaleidoscope of image and sound which has captured the hearts and minds of listeners from across the planet.

City Times speaks to Speech prior to Arrested Development’s upcoming concerts in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. They will be supported by three of the best Dubai-based bands; The Meerkats, Beat Antenna and Sandwash.

How did Arrested Development come into being?

Right from the beginning we have been speaking through music to the world. I and DJ Headliner would bring people on stage to do African dance, graffiti, some rhyming, back in 1987. And then it just came out. We asked them to join us again.

We describe our sound as ‘life music’. We respect women and promote family, spirituality and male responsibility. We are about consciousness, the earth, African self determination and love. We are probably one of the most unique hip-hop groups that you will ever see! Our mix of dance, beats, lyrics with a uplifting message, and people on stage from 76 years old to 32 and everything in between! It’s truly a celebration.

Did you really expect the hearty response the group received with the first record ‘3 years, 5 months and 2 days in the life of...’?
We knew it was a special record, but you never know how the public will react to things, so we held our breath and wished for the best! We still do that today. And of course, the response surprised us. I was being compared to Bob Marley at the time, so to keep up my competition, I had to strike the right chords.

Tell us about your last record ‘Since the Last Time’.

I think with every album we try new things, we never wanted to stay in one place. Yet, there is a consistent vibe to all of our music. We wanted ‘Since the Last Time’ to be a feel good party album, at the same time we did like to make it substantive. It is a light album and differs from our previous albums, which had lots of messages. Our producer Sam Hollander is an old school hip-hop professional. I think all of our new stuff is more musically interesting than any of the old. We have released ‘Since the Last Time’ here in the States on my own record label. This is a first for me so I am very happy.

Does nostalgia guide you while creating a song?

I am big on letting the music guide you. Once the music is finished it speaks to me as to what the song should be about. It’s a spiritual process. Some songs flow out of you, and other songs are more strategically made. ‘Tennessee’ was one song that just literally flowed. I really enjoy both the newer stuff because we know that we are introducing something new to people’s ears and minds, and we like to see the reaction to the old because they bring back memories of other great times in hip-hop and in our career!

What made ‘Tennessee’ so famous? How did you come up with those lyrics?
That song will always have a special place in my heart. Apart from being the first single of Arrested Development, it was written in a response to the death of my only blood brother Terry and my grandma. They died the same week! It’s like a prayer to God. Terry met me in ‘Tennessee’ for my grandmother’s funeral. The very same week I heard about his death. They both were very close to me, and I lost them. This was the greatest emotional setback for me. The only way I had to recover was to write about it and to express what I felt…

Was that the only song that the haunting voiced Dionne Farris recorded with you guys? Does she plan to do more?
Dionne did two other songs with us, ‘Fishing for Religion’ and ‘Give a man a fish’. She remains great friends with Eshe in the group. When I ended up asking Dionne, who's a fantastic singer – to sing on ‘Tennessee’ she spilled her heart.

Why did the group have to struggle to regain a following in the United States even though you have met moderate, consistent success in Japan?
The US is a much more fickle market, especially the record industry. In the USA, it’s all about who’s making the most money. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer. If you’re a Lil Wayne or a Kanye West, you’re sorted. If you’re not, well, you’re like us. People over in Japan really liked my music and the U.S. just wasn't feeling it. The Japanese are more dedicated listeners than Americans. They weren’t willing to accept gangster rap when America embraced it. They liked the motivational, inspirational style of music. We have always spoken the truth in our music, we represent the poor and we uplift them. But U.S. is our home and we love it. The people are like pawns; they are being lead by the industry’s directives.

How positive are you about the state of hip-hop today? Is it as influential to the community in a positive way, as it was in the late 1980s/early 1990s? 
Hip-hop has lost its direction. It’s no longer an expression of what’s going on. It’s more a business venture which uses topics of the ghetto not for the betterment of the community. Mainstream hip-hop has sold off to the same philosophy as major corporations. Today it has even more of an influence, but mainly negative. Most of it is forced down our throats by TV, radio and labels that are incahootswith each other! We make music that celebrates living; so many people seem to celebrate dying. So much music revolves around violence and degrading women. We refused to get drawn into the nefarious gangster rap bandwagon. What we are talking about is making life better, making this life exciting! That’s why we wanted to do a hip-hop record in the tradition of honest hip-hop.

How does the digital bandwagon and new forms of availability of music influence the way the new generation is hearing music?

I think it has its obvious positive points. It is easier to get it to people; but it also is easier to ‘steal’. Fans have less of an appreciation for albums and album flows and concepts. The music industry has changed so much in the U.S. Much is different, like the way music is sold - internet, downloads, there are no big record stores anymore, no vinyl records and no real big radio stations here anymore. I think the excitement of a label deal has become a thing of the past. Because of the internet, and digital studio recording, anyone can put out a record even without a label. However, promoting and distribution is another story.

‘Mr. Wendal’ is the band’s biggest hit. Who actually is Mr Wendal?

That song is all about a number of homeless people I was friends with back in Atlanta. There was one man who most reminded me of Mr. Wendal and he died right before we did the video. But I won’t say it is based on Mr. Wendal at all, it is based on some experiences. Feeling the cause of the homeless, we gave half of the proceeds of that song to the National Coalition for the Homeless in the United States. One of the unique passions of Arrested Development is our world vision. In 2005, we performed and won as audience favourite on NBC’s hit show of the summer, ‘Hit me Baby 1 more time’. We donated $20,000 to UNICEF for relief in Sudan, Africa.

What is the AD Middle East Peace Invasion tour?

We are about laying bridges, and helping create understanding. This tour spreads our style of music throughout the Middle East. It's our first time in Abu Dhabi and the first leg of our tour around the Middle East. We are excited to get deeper into this region and people’s hearts. We hope to make this a yearly thing!

Arrested Development has never been as busy as it is today. Where will you be performing next?

We are performing in South Africa and Japan; then it is in Australia. We are also starting on a new album, we've done seven songs already. A new song we just finished called ‘Authentic’ is our favourite track. It will come out in 2009. I just finished a solo album with 20 new songs on it as well! It’s called, ‘The Grown Folks Table’ and is coming out on my own label, Vagabond Records and Tapes. I'm super excited about it all.

EVENT DETAILS

The Club, Abu Dhabi, today from 8pm

Tickets are available from: GMP outlets, The Club and www.timeoutickets.com and are priced at Dh130 for members and Dh140 non-members

The Irish Village, October 17, 7pm

Tickets are available from: The Aviation Club main reception, The Village Craftshop and www.timeoutickets.com and are priced at Dh95. A buffet of traditional Irish food will be on offer too.

citytime@emirates.net.ae