I now pronounce this FLASHBACK Friday. Way before Cee-Lo came to his senses and decided to reunite with the group (Goodie Mob Reunion Concert Footage), there was a short documentary developed around the Goodie Mob which carried the name of their “One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show” project.  The entire Dungeon Family, including Outkast, participated in the video and I give the directors much props for putting all this great footage together. If you’re a true southern hip-hop head, this is one video that’ll make your day. Happy Friday!

Video ~ Goodie Mob Documentary (Part 1)

Synopsis: Goodie Mob, based in Atlanta, Georgia, is widely considered one of the founding hip hop acts of the Dirty South movement. Members Cee-Lo (Thomas Callaway), Khujo Goodie (Willie Knighton, Jr.), T-Mo Goodie (Robert Barnett), and Big Gipp (Cameron Gipp) make up the group, which has been functioning since 1995.

“GOODIE MOB”, as it’s written on their album covers, stands for “GOOD DIE Mostly Over Bullshit”. Cee-Lo notes in a song off the Soul Food album that, “[If] you take out one ‘O’ it stands for ‘GOD Is Every Man Of Blackness.’ ”

Its members were all born in Atlanta, and the group is based there with the rest of the Dungeon Family, a collective which includes OutKast and P.A. (Parental Advisory). Goodie was first heard featured on several songs from OutKast’s first album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik.

Cee-Lo was the most visible member of the group prior to his departure in 2000 (among other projects, he is now recording as Gnarls Barkley), while Big Gipp has made several rounds on other Dungeon Family members’ albums and a solo album Mutant Mindframe, and T-Mo and Khujo form a duo within the group called The Lumberjacks.

Watch Part II of the video below: (more…)

Bobby Brown has always been my favorite New Edition member. Not only was he the most charismatic, but he was the most unpredictable of them all.  Yeah, Ralph may have had a soft sexy voice, Mike had that northern swagga on lock, Ricky had a nice smile and Ronnie had… well he had a nice juicy curl…But it was Bobby who kept MY attention on lock.

When Bobby and Whitney hit Atlanta back in the 90’s it was even more evident that he was the one to watch. Bombarded by legal issues concerning child support cases, D.U.I.’s, and whatever else…Bobby never left the spotlight even when he wasn’t performing. I dunno what it was about him, but I was always silently rooting for his return. While the media bashed him for ruining Whitney, I always knew in my heart that Whitney shared responsibility in that downfall.

When Whitney appeared on Oprah she seemed to blame Bobby for all her setbacks. It got me to thinking about all the times I could have blamed my ex *cough* ex(es) for the things that have gone wrong in my life. It wouldn’t have mattered. I still had to take responsibility for my own actions. I’m of the belief that the first step to moving forward is admitting that you made your own decisions and I see Whitney as seeking someone to blame.

Bobby, during his episode of VH1’s Behind The Music, didn’t blame Whitney at all for his failures. In fact, he seemed quite content in his current situation. From being flat broke after his separation (more…)

It is not a disgrace not to reach the stars, but it is a disgrace to have no stars to reach for.
Not failure, but low aim is the sin. – Dr. Benjamin E. Mays

When I was a li’l gul, 3450 Sewell Road was just a big old hill with a bunch of trees next to I-285 expressway that we passed if we took the long way to Southwest Hospital. A couple of years and a street name change later, it became Mays High School.

I went to its feeder middle school, but I didn’t go to Mays because I was lazy. While they cleared a number of the trees, the school was built at the tip top of that dang-on hill. My momma didn’t have reliable transportation, so if I had to (or chose to) stay afterschool, I had to hike “The Hill” to get home. Do that in 90 degree August and May Atlanta heat, get on a MARTA bus and then do some homework:

But I digress…

Back in my day, Mays was virtually an all African-American institution at the pinnacle of urban public education. It was located in one of the more affluent neighborhoods in the city and the Math and Science Academy magnet program was literally churning out rocket scientists. (more…)

You ever wonder what happened to the 80’s group Kid n’ Play? Well peep this episode of “Life After” which features the former rap/dance group, consisting of Christopher “Kid“ Reid and Christopher “Play” Martin. The two starred in the movie House Party and House Party 2, which launched the careers of the likes of Martin Lawrence, A.J. Johnson, Tisha Campbell and more. Remember this crazy dance-off scene?

High top fades and colorful gear were all the rage back then. Anyway…the duo split at least 15 years ago with each going their separate ways in the industry. Kid attempted a career in acting and comedy, while Play… well I still dunno what Play did?  Check out the full video below: (more…)

D’Angelo used to be the sh*t…personified. Especially after his 1995 video sensation “How Does It Feel” hit the airwaves showcasing those thug corn rows, his sexy brown skin, those washboard abs…. *sigh* yes…he did the dayum thing! Jame Foxx even spoofed the video on his show back in the day:

Now, I don’t know about you, but there has never been another video that celebrated the Black male form moreso than D’Angelo’s. That being said, years later (2005 to be exact) this arrest photo totally ruined the lives of all us who were salivating over D’Angelo, aka Michael Eugene Archer’s, tight form. The singer was arrested and plead no contest to a felony cocaine-possession charge. A week later he suffered a nasty car wreck—his Hummer ran off the road and flipped, and he was taken to the hospital in a helicopter. In 2006, Gary Harris, the record executive who first signed him, carted him off to rehab and in 2008, Virgin Records released a greatest-hits album.  In lieu of all the drama, D’Angelo has appeared as a guest musician here and there, but D’Angelo (circa 1995), the groundbreaking musician, has been all but absent from the scene.

Wonder what he’s been doing now? Check out an update below: (more…)

I caught up with an A-town legend a few weeks ago during birthday bash…the one and only DJ Kizzy Rock and of course I couldn’t resist grabbing a bit of Old School Atlanta Memory footage from him for the archives. Kizzy Rock had us all in stitches as he reminisced about Freaknik 94 and Club 559.  Check him out below:

Today’s flashback video is none other than DJ Kizzy Rock’s skripper anthem “Yeah Shawty Yeah.” Back when asymetrical hair cuts were the norm and all the cool dudes drove Jeep Wranglers. Peep the full video under the cut (NSFW):

(more…)

“Beat It” ~ Michael Jackson (Live 1996)

R.I.P. MJ

Related Posts:

Guess Who? ~ The “Beat It” Jacket Edition

Michael Jackson and Eddie Murphy may seem like they have absolutely nothing in common but actually they were quite good friends. Early in his career, Eddie used Mike as subject matter in his stand up, where he joked about Michael’s emotional performance of “She’s Outta My Life”, and as Eddie’s star rose, he and Mike gained a mutual respect for one another.

Check out a few choice videos of the two of them together below,  beginning with Eddie’s 1983 Delirious roast of Jackson and ending with the two of them appearing in each other’s music videos: (more…)