| Goodie Mob's earnest and reverent approach made them one of the more admired groups of their era, and undeniably one of the most respected groups in the often irreverent and scoffed at Dirty South scene, if not the most respected. The Atlanta group's first album, Soul Food (1995), stands as one of the earliest Southern rap albums to emerge on a major label and, along with OutKast's debut, essentially proved that rap was no longer a West and East Coast phenomenon. Besides being pioneering, Soul Food also stood out for its quality -- the album dealt with serious themes and featured an undeniably unique aesthetic, attributed as much to producers Organized Noize as group members Cee-Lo, Khujo, T-Mo, and Big Gipp. Goodie Mob's sincerity continued with Still Standing, their 1998 sophomore album, as did their still-unique sound. By this time, the Dirty South movement had been put in motion and the group suddenly found themselves with a considerable following, most newcomers astounded by Goodie Mob's thoughtfulness relative to their Southern peers. As the 90s came to a close, Goodie Mob's close allegiance to fellow Atlanta rappers OutKast proved noteworthy in the wake of that group's breakthrough with Stankonia. No longer was Goodie Mob a cult phenomenon but rather a mass phenomenon. This commercial consciousness that had first surface on 1999's World Party had now become a more glaring issue for Goodie Mob, a group that had always prided themselves on sincerity rather than calculation. The pioneering yet increasingly conflicted group sadly broke up at this point, and the members embarked independently, beginning with Cee-Lo, who debuted in 2002 with Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections. A new album from the remaining three was promised in December of 2003. Pushed-back more than once, One Monkey Don't Stop No Show finally arrived at the end of June 2004. Big Gipp was next to leave the group, leaving Khujo and T-Mo to carry on as a duo. Their early 2005 album Livin' Life as Lumberjacks was a "Goodie Mob Presents" affair and the first step towards a permanent name change to Lumberjacks. The street-level mixtape Nuttin But Dat G appeared around the same time, collecting unreleased tracks by the original, four member Mob. |
