If you thought the boundless positivity and fun loving attitude of Arrested Development’s anthems like ‘Mr. Wendal’ were strictly on the surface – think again.
Enigmatic and easygoing frontman Todd “Speech” Thomas sounds as passionate as ever, as if their 1992 heyday were only last week.
Residing in Atlanta, Georgia, Thomas and Arrested Development almost had no choice but to release socially and politically fuelled music. Currently the home of trap rap, Atlanta has a long and tangled history of racial inequality and discrimination.
Subverting the confrontational and aggressive approach of NWA and Public Enemy, Arrested Development chose to frame their tales of being black in America through sunny grooves and inspirational lyrics, an approach that garnered them critical acclaim and has endeared them to a broad spectrum of fans throughout their career.
A melange of hip hop, rock, reggae and countless other genres, Thomas describes the Arrested Development sound as “life music.”
“We want to push music that is living your life in full instead of degrading the women in the community and talking about violence all the time with the men in the community,” says Thomas affirmatively.
“We want to celebrate life, the struggles of the ancestors and lifting up life. I think that’s been the glue that’s kept us so motivated throughout the years.” The dynamic crew are fresh from a month of US tour dates celebrating their 20th anniversary milestone and have just finished a five-date engagement in Australia, including a slot at the Cockatoo Island Film Festival in NSW.“I don’t feel like 20 years has happened in my career yet, I still feel so alive and so vibrant.”
The recent live shows have given them the chance to reflect and witness firsthand the impact they have had on music fans both past and present. “I think there’s a great appreciation for how long we’ve been doing our music and sticking to the heart of what we did when we came out,” Thomas adds.
Products not only of their environment but also of their time, Arrested Development emerged during one of hip hop’s most vital periods, the ‘90s golden era. It is an era that many still remember fondly, with Thomas and co. being an integral part.
“There’s just a great appreciation for that era of the early ‘90s,” reasons Speech. “When innovative styles of music and delivery were celebrated. All of that stuff makes this tour that much more fun because people miss that style of innovation and at the same time they celebrate what we brought to the genre and it’s all of us rocking together.”
With the current wave of ‘90s nostalgia, the rapper-activist has grown to fully appreciate the impression his band made on music history. “It’s similar to how I pay homage to the ‘60s but it’ll never be the ‘60s [again]. There’s something about the ‘90s that it was a capsule of time that is just unique.”
“People can pay homage to it and I think that’s incredible.” Adding humbly, “I think I was lucky that I was part of it, especially lucky to be an influential part of it.”
As with many stories in the music industry, the success of Arrested Development was something that could not have been predicted and something that the group couldn’t fully appreciate when they were in the eye of the storm.
“Especially before our album was released we had no clue the type of impact we would be able to make on the music scene,” replies Thomas. “It was far beyond what we even imagined.”
As an artist who values his freedom and space to create, the runaway success of Arrested Development’s classic debut album 3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days In The Life Of… was something that tested both Thomas and the group as a whole.
“There’s something very scary about your music doing so many numbers and units that you realise there’s a machine and that it has nothing to do with your music any longer. It’s just a matter of this music machine that’s taken over and makes you a household name,” he says.
A double edged sword, the non-stop schedule and mainstream exposure propelled them to heights they never dreamed of, however it came at a price. “It’s exciting but it’s also scary because you realise that you have no control over it at that point. It’s not like if I make another great song it’s gonna do as well or more so. The label has to get behind it and if you don’t – you’re toast.”
As Arrested Development chose to head in a slightly different direction for second album, 1994’s Zingalamaduni, straying from what was viewed as a winning formula, they found their label, EMI Records, to be less supportive.
“After the second album it dawned on me that we needed to have more control because you don’t have all the things lined up all the time,” explains the frontman. “There have been artists that have had that luck in their corner where they’ve been able to maintain chemistry between their record label and them and their audience. But for us we didn’t have that experience so the independent route was definitely more appealing to us.”“We want to celebrate life, the struggles of the ancestors and lifting up life. I think that’s been the glue that’s kept us so motivated throughout the years.”
While Zingalamaduni reached gold status, by that point, the relationship between artist and label was beyond repair.
Going on a five year hiatus to focus on outside work and prevent a complete implosion within the group, they reformed in 2000 and later dropped the independently released album, The Heroes Of The Harvest.
Avoiding the nostalgia act syndrome, the band has continued to record and tour and as a result the time has flown by for Thomas, who feels like he’s still in his prime.
“It feels like it’s been about 10 years. I guess it’s because we stayed busy, whether it was the group or my solo career… touring, recording and continuing to express new thoughts and ideas,” Speech ponders; “I don’t feel like 20 years has happened in my career yet, I still feel so alive and so vibrant.”
Apart from their own energy and enthusiasm for pumping out anthems, the band has found great inspiration from their fans, particularly in Europe, Japan, Canada and, of course, Australia. “It’s been encouraging and they are the ones that have kept us going and kept us passionate about music. I would dare say without those markets we may not be here celebrating 20 years, so I’m really grateful for the fans.”
Despite their place in pop culture history, Arrested Development has not found the same longevity in their home country, where idols of the past can be easily forgotten.
“In the United States our biggest commodity seems to be consumerism,” Thomas ruminates. “We have become such a consumer-driven culture that if you’re not buying something new you don’t have a reason to live. The reason you wake up in the morning is to buy something new. It’s horrible and I think it’s had an effect on the music as well.”
Rather than dwell on the negatives of a fickle public and industry politics, which threatened to tear the band apart at their peak, they have focused on maintaining their international fanbase.
First hitting Australia in 1993, it would be another 10 years before they would make their return to our shores. They have since become regulars in Oz and make the most of their time here.
“Every time we go to Australia we soak it in because we really enjoy the culture. It’s an open minded culture, especially compared to what we’re used to in America.”
When it comes to their live show they like to balance the classics with new material without relying too heavily on their back catalogue or force-feeding only newer songs. “We understand that we have some legendary hip hop songs now,” Thomas concedes, “but if we were only a nostalgia group we probably wouldn’t be together right now; because we still have so much new stuff that we’re excited about doing and releasing for people. If it was only people who wanted to hear the hits we wouldn’t want to do it.”
To coincide with their 20th anniversary Arrested Development has released the album Standing At The Crossroads for free download on their website.
