The Rundown: Goodie Mob, Age Against the Machine
A track-by-track look at Goodie Mob's reunion.
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The Rundown: Goodie Mob, Age Against the Machine - Nine years after the release of their last LP One Monkey Don't Stop No Show, Atlanta's hip hop music pioneers, Goodie Mob, return to a totally changed musical landscape. Working in their favor is that one artist helping to alter pop's sound is Mob member Cee Lo, whose celebrity and market sensibities are crucial to his crew's resurfacing. And, from the sound of it, they are continuing to give us that soul food. Click on for a track-by-track rundown of their recent reunion. (Photo: Elektra Records)
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"Your Don't Know What You Got" featuring Big Rube - "Separation of forces," spits Big Rube on this opening track, "The big bang in the universe brings forth the four horsemen." And, over a deeply lush vocal sample and steady funk-driven rhythm, the Goodie Mob are off, bringing that stirring hip hop that they do best. (Photo: Elektra Records)
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"State of the Art (Radio Killa)" - This rock-and-pop-driven cut, laced with sawing violins and doomsday synth work, targets the staleness of radio with robotic-styled rhymes. It's more symphonic pop composition than head-nodder hip hop. (Photo: Monica Schipper/Getty Images)
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"Power" - Cee Lo unleashes all his rock opera influences — from Tommy to Rock Horror Picture Show — on this dramatic, blazing acoustic guitar-driven song decrying white power. "When I wouldn't be your stereotype, the doors kept getting shut," rhymes Cee Lo. "But now that everyone has gotten to know me, am I a great guy or what."(Photo: Christopher Polk/Billboards2012/Getty Images for ABC)
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"I'm Set" - Towering marching band horns accompany a boom-'n'-shuffle beat on this posse brag-fest cut. Even though the Mob come unorthodox, they still take traditional hip hop music to another place. (Photo: Frank Micelotta/PictureGroup)
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"Valleujah" - The Mob offers Black and Brown urban USA some inspiration with "Valleujah," a cut which tackles the hard realities of city life and the need to overcome. (Photo: Getty Images)
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"Pinstripes" featuring T.I. - As pioneers of southern-style hip hop music it's only right that the Goodie Mob add their voice to the south's current sound. Catholic church-styled vocal samples flow with a rolling 808 kick as the crew, accompanied by T.I., run down their pedigree on this club banger. (Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images)
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"Special Education" featuring Janelle Monáe - Janelle Monáe rocks the chorus to this boombastic track armed with a rubbery rock-sounding keyboards. While the music plays, the Mob wax stylistically about the lack of creativity in hip hop music. (Photo: Ben Rose/PictureGroup)
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"Ghost of Gloria Goodchild" - Showing off their storytelling abilities, the Atlanta-based crew delves into the story of a small town girl whose rebel soul is drawn out when she hears hip hop. Add the Broadway-ready musicality of Cee Lo, and you have an award show-friendly cut waiting to be seen more than heard. (Photo: Scott Gries/ImageDirect/Getty Images)
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"Kolors" - The Mob boldly ponders the issues of race in a America on this cut. "I was born in a red state where pale face contemplate," says Khujo, "every single day (on) how to keep colored folk in they place."(Photo: Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images)
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