Cee-Lo Green (Thomas Calloway, formerly Thomas Burton) spit probably the best hip-hop verse in the history of music.
A hint, it starts: “I don’t recall, ever graduatin’ at all - sometimes I think I’m just a disappointment to y’all….”
At least as far as the opinion sits over on the 6600 block of Clinton Avenue, those bars are classic. Without a doubt it’s my favorite hip-hop verse.
But more recently, Cee-Lo delivered (along with Danger Mouse) what has to be considered the best song of 2006: “Crazy.” It gave the Soul Machine the commerical exposure missed on his two HEAVILY slept-on solo efforts. The record also gave Danger Mouse another notable resume point in his so-far concise, but ridiculously successive career. (Look at his body of work and try to find something that missed or people ignored. Here’s his wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danger_Mouse Get Familiar.)
Reading about “Gnarls Barkley” over on okayplayer.com more than a year ago, I figured the project would be another, left of center, under the radar record that the indie bloggers loved and the mainstream public would ignore in favor of a U2 or Green Day tour. (This didn’t happen, even though they performed TOGETHER.) But then “Crazy” absolutely blew up in the Internet, and the Brits devoured the track. Then the U.S. airplay came and yada yada yada - you remember all of that, unless you got caught under your barn somewhere.
But seeing Cee-Lo get his shine actually made ME happy in a way, that is, not in the way people hear their neighbor is getting married and falsely exclaim, “I’m soooo happy for you!!!” but their general disposition doesn’t actually change. They move on in their own life completely independent of if the neighbor got married or if the neighbor’s spouse got hit by a bus while running off to his mistress’ cabana.
Conversely, it honestly pissed me off when the general public and music masses largely ignored Cee-Lo’s “Cee-Lo Green is the Soul Machine,” and it enraged me when I heard that the label would most likely shelf any third solo project ‘Lo turned in. Do I take this too seriously? Does that make me crazy? Possibly.
And then watching “Crazy” shoot up the playlists on MTV (who doesn’t even play videos anymore) and radio (which usually only plays music for 12 year olds) was obviously the antithesis of my earlier feelings.
Cee-Lo’s verses have always struck a chord with me, maybe its because he’s talking about real life issues that I can identify with most of the time.
Say what you will - I can identify with gaps in my own faith (In Due Time, G.O.D.), restlessness in my own life (Git Up, Git Out), time spent with the female (All Day Love Affair), watching people turn against you (Glockapella) and last, bullshittin’, just cracking on each other (Childz Play). I don’t own a Bentley or a Rolls Royce Phantom. And I’m definetly not saying I wouldn’t want to scrawl my sig on a title of such a car, but when I’m having trouble putting gas in my ‘97 explorer it’s hard to identify with people spittin about the troubles associated with thousands of female fans surrounding your limo.
Or maybe I identify with his verses ’cause his voice and fallsetto is crazy as hell (tell me you don’t listen to “Beautiful Skin” and then start singing “You’re my, beginning my end, your my…” for the rest of the day.) Maybe it’s because Cee-Lo brings a certain element of throwback soul to his music that, for whatever reason, creates an addiction for a white kid in whiter Minnesota (me).
It’s probably a combination of the elements. His live show (when he performed at 2002 Smokin Grooves) was energenic, potent and electric - everything a hip-hop show SHOULD be. Lo als brought a live band, with blaring horns as he ran out to “I’m Bad” from “Cee-Lo Green and his Perfect Imperfections,” and the band delivered a “Damn I wish I had this on wax!” moment as they put the music from Spandau Ballet - True to his verse from Git up, Git out. His show wasn’t 12 different motherfuckers, each with a microphone, yelling weak-ass ad-libs every two seconds. His show wasn’t an overblown karakoe event that so many hip-hop concerts turn into. Really, it was a great show, even though he only performed for about 20 minutes as the opener to six other acts.
At any rate, listening to “Git up, Git out” as I thought about my own situations (which a great song should compel you to do), I thought I needed to give some thanks to Cee-Lo. And some thanks to everyone who bought, talked about, and listened to “St. Elsewhere.” Because of you, I get to listen to a third Cee-Lo album someday.
And through these gushing 500 + unedited words about Thomas Calloway, I haven’t even touched his work with Goodie Mob. But “Git up, Git out” identifies to exactly how I feel in my life a lot of times. Which “Crazy” did for a lot of people, aside from making they want to dance around and shit.
And isn’t that what music is supposed to do? Does that reasoning make me crazy?
Probably.
Cee-Lo - Git up, Git Out (from OutKast’s Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik):
(Also, list your favorite verses — not songs — and the justification of such… Or list your favorite Cee-Lo songs. I’m rocking a “Featuring Cee-Lo” smart playlist on iTunes. You can also find most of the songs he’s recorded here: http://www.ohhla.com/YFA_goodie.html#cee_lo)
I don’t recall, ever graduatin at all
Sometimes I feel I’m just a disappointment to y’all
Every day, I just lay around then I can’t be found
Always asked to give me some livin life like a bum
Times is rough, my auntie got enough problems of her own
Nigga, you supposed to be grown
I agree, I try to be the man I’m ‘posed to be
But negativity is all you seem to ever see
I admit, I’ve done some dumb shit
And I’m probably gon do some mo’
You shouldn’t hold that against me though (Why not?)
Why not? My music’s all that I got
But some time must be ingested for this to be manifested
I know you know but I’m gon say this to you I…
Get high but I don’t get too high
So what’s the limit ‘posed to be?
That must be why you can’t get your ass up out the bed before three
You need to git up, git out, cut that bullshit out
Ain’t you sick and tired of having to do without
And what up with all these questions?
As act as though you know somethin I don’t. Do you have any suggestions?
Cuz every job I get is cruel and demeanin
Sick of takin trash out and toilet bowl cleanin
But I’m also sick and tired of strugglin
I never ever thought I’d have resort to drug smugglin
Naw, that ain’t what I’m about
Cee-lo will just continue travelin this route
Without any doubt or fear
I know the Lord ain’t brought me this far so he could drop me off here
Did I make myself clear?
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