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"We don't do hip-hop, we do music," says Big Gipp of Goodie Mob. The Atlanta foursome uses the live instrumentation of Organized Noize Productions instead of the turntables and sampling machines favored by hip-hop producers. Organized Noize caters to the style of each member of the Dungeon Family, the Atlanta collective that includes Goodie, OutKast and the newcomer Witchdoctor. Goodie Mob's second full-length, Still Standing: Atlanta, Georgia, Volume I, follows the path set by OutKast's Atliens, eradicating the accepted notions of hip-hop with dope MCing supported by the superb, rhythmic foundations of ONP. The team's tightly programmed drum beats permit a host of talented musicians to reflect on the soulful sensuality of the Dirty South, providing a titillating soundscape for Goodie Mob's Cee-Lo, Khujo, T-Mo and Gipp to convey commonsensical rhymes that can appeal to the youngest of the young and the oldest of the old. The group was mindful of the sensitive ears of these listeners, and those of the record-store censors, and released an edited, or "sanitized," version of Still Standing. "It was strictly business, man," says T-Mo, " so we can get it into them Wal-Marts, man, sell it to the kids and stuff. Kids can pick up the album without goin' to get mama." Mainstream critics often accuse hip-hop artists of being reluctant to look to other genres for influence.
T-Mo addresses this misconception, saying, "Folks out here don't recognize what we doin'. We out here really reachin' back into the roots of music within the black culture." The combination of gospel, jazz, blues, soul, rock and hip-hop on Still Standing is a euphonious innovation that will separate the true players from the perpetrators. The live band backing gives Goodie Mob the freedom to explore these roots, defying the current trend in hip-hop of remixing early '80s hits. The group, like many artists striving for originality, is disgusted with the overproduction of party hits. "I think it's cheating," says Big Gipp, "but it's profit, it's money, know what I'm sayin'? It's money, man, and anytime somebody can show you how to make money doin' a certain thing, most of the time followers follow." Goodie Mob embarks on the lonely road of individuality, looking to the spiritual consciousness of hip-hop for influence instead of the drugs, sex and money prevalent in rap'n'bullshit. The objective of the group is to "excite, enlighten and edutain," as one song puts it, reminiscent of the days when Boogie Down Productions and Public Enemy had similarly righteous goals. Big Gipp issues a dragging chant on the coming of the new millennium, while Khujo ponders the reasons for the killing of innocent people and wonders when it will end. T-Mo aggressively communicates his shortcomings and how they disrupt the relationship with his woman. "Beautiful Skin" flips the script, taking the energy down a few notches and reaching out to connect with the women. The hook, sung by Cee-Lo in a simultaneously attractive and annoying voice, goes, "You're my beginning, my end/You're my sister, lover and friend/...I hope that you understand/You got to respect yourself before I can." It establishes a mood in which each member caneliver tender verses about their significant others. The response to Still Standing has been strong, impelling Goodie Mob to go on the road; the group will make its second visit to the Northwest next week. In Portland in 1996, Goodie Mob supplied a boisterous, entertaining opening set for De La Soul. "It's gon' get a little bit wilder this time, though," vows T-Mo. The breadth of the songs, from the celestial musings to the rawdocious rock, leaves little doubt that it will be off the chain. Goodie Mob's hour will be dedicated to incorporating the skills of newcomer Witchdoctor and other members of the Dungeon Family, all in an effort to please the audience. "We gon' end with a nice little somethin', somethin' nice for you," T-Mo says. The Mob's show will also be a gratifying departure from Puff Daddy's video-transferred-to-the-stage productions and the replaying of '80s pop hits heard at a Wyclef Jean concert. Goodie Mob expresses no desire to achieve the popularity and riches garnered by entertainers fulfilling the pop crowd's craving for shallow music. The foursome remains devoted to the hip-hop ethic of being true to the self and delivering good music for the people. "At the end of the day, will they remember me or they?" Big Gipp asks in the signature dialect of Atlanta residents, then answers his own question, "Sometimes it ain't about how many records you sold. It's about what you said, man." |
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