90’s Group Arrested Development Returns From Obscurity

By Quibian Salazar-Moreno

       When Arrested Development released their debut album, “3 Years, 5 Months, & 2 Days in the Life of…” they were a little late to the “conscious” hip-hop vibe of the late 80’s as the rest of the hip-hop world were stuck on the sound of Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Death Row Records. Nevertheless, Arrested Development managed to score several hits and two Grammys from the mainstream media. Now the group has reunited for their first album in 13 years, “Since the Last Time.”

      "People have been saying they’re tired of this one-dimensional viewpoint of our community, of what our values are," Speech, lead rapper/vocalist of the group, told the Associated Press. "Now, it’s an opportunity to put their money where their mouth is and support music that’s not about that. We stayed away from the United States because the atmosphere here was so anti-message. We stayed away from the U.S. for 12 years and released music everywhere but here. Now with the Don Imus situation, with the Jena 6, with all the recent sort of awakening that’s happening, where people are at least starting to talk, maybe it’s time for us to start releasing music here again.”

      The album was released on the group’s indie label, Vagabond Records, with the first single being “Miracles.” The album also covers the Los Lonely Boys hit, “Heaven.”