Arrested Development (group)

Arrested Development is an American hip hop group formed in 1988 in Atlanta by rapper and producer Speech and turntablist Headliner. The group offered an Afrocentric, socially conscious alternative to the prevalent gangsta rap of the late 1980s, and gained critical and commercial success with its 1992 debut album, 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of.... The album topped the Village Voice's Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll and sold over 6 million copies globally. In 1993, Arrested Development became the first hip hop act to win the Grammy Award for Best New Artist, also receiving the award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.

After the commercial disappointment of their 1994 follow-up, Zingalamaduni, the group disbanded in 1996. They reunited in 2000 and have continued to tour and release music independently through Speech's label, addressing themes of racial justice, spirituality, and environmental issues.

Arrested Development was formed in 1988 by rapper and producer Todd Thomas ("Speech") and turntablist Timothy Barnwell (known as Headliner). Baba Oje and frontman Speech met at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee when they were both students.

The group's debut album 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of... was the number-one album in the Village Voice's 1992 Pazz and Jop Critic's Poll and in The Wire's 1992 Critic's choice. The group won two Grammy Awards in 1993: for Best New Artist, making them the first hip hop artist to win this award, and for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. They were also named Band of the Year by Rolling Stone. The debut album sold over 6 million copies worldwide.^{[citation needed]}

A few months later, the group was approached by film director Spike Lee to compose a song for his upcoming biopic based on the life of Malcolm X. The group then recorded "Revolution", which appeared on the soundtrack for the film as well as the second half of its closing credits when the film was released in 1992.^{[citation needed]}

Their 1994 follow-up, Zingalamaduni, sold poorly, and they broke up shortly after in 1996.

The group reunited in 2000, touring and releasing records via Speech's Vagabond Productions, but Aerle Taree did not return due to vocal problems. Today, Aerle is a poet and converted from Buddhism to Christianity. DJ Headliner started his own business named Creative Royalty Group.

In November 2003, the group sued the Fox network over the name of the TV show Arrested Development. The suit is referenced in the Arrested Development episodes "Public Relations",^{[citation needed]} "Motherboy XXX", "Sword of Destiny",^{[citation needed]} and "For British Eyes Only".^{[citation needed]}