Before Southern rap was a thing,
Arrested Development may have coined the term as well as crafted the genre but never get enough credit for it. The Afro-influenced hip-hop collective released their debut,
3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life Of..., in 1992 and was propelled by the success of the single "Tennessee." While the record was a smash for the year, over time the group and record have collected dust and not referenced. In our current era of uncertainty, looking back and listening to this record, the issues of acceptance, love and struggle still resonate. The album and group arrived at the height of gangsta rap but also during the time of
Native Tongues, A Tribe Called Quest and
Queen Latifah who all had the same common core principles in their sound and never rapped about murdering someone. For the 90s, when hardcore rap and grunge was king, the debut from the rappers was an alternative for the new and popular genres. Now, as racial profiling, discrimination and racism is very much alive, this record of Black pride can be released now and show how far we have not come.
