CeeLo Green Reminisces on Goodie Mob’s ‘Soul Food’ Album

Classic Material
CeeLo Green on Goodie Mob's Soul Food
Words: Emmanuel C.M.
Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the Winter 2015 issue of of XXL Magazine, on stands now.

This past Nov. 7 marked the 20th anniversary of Goodie Mob’s debut album, Soul Food. The LP played an essential role in Atlanta’s hip-hop history and helped break Southern hip-hop on a national level. Together CeeLo Green, Big Gipp, Khujo and T-Mo created an album that was the perfect balance between street lessons and intelligent social commentary over creative production handled by The Dungeon Family’s Organized Noize. Songs like “Cell Therapy” and the title track gained critical acclaim and fueled the group’s popularity. CeeLo chops it up with XXL about Goodie Mob’s classic debut.

Soul Food just turned 20, how does that make you feel?

Man, let me tell you, first of all, this is all crazy because it was just the 15th year anniversary of Stankonia, 20th anniversary of Soul Food, Organized Noize is releasing a documentary called The Art of Organized Noize and having an art gallery showing in Atlanta, which got old costumes and pictures and notebook papers with lines on it. Even the steps from the original Dungeon [studio]. It’s like we are having such resurgence. Not to mention the success I am having at the moment. It’s a blessed time. God is good and life is fair. Life is treating me fairly.

What did Soul Food do for southern music?
Soul Food was significant between the Civil Rights leaders of the South because we were fighting for the civil rights of Southern hip-hop. So we looked at ourselves more as activist than artists or a hip-hop balance of them both.

What’s your favorite song or moment from the making of the album?

Everybody was freestylin’ when we did “Goodie Bag” so that was fun. Everybody use to be sitting around, somebody would have a pallet on the ground and cats used to just be right in the booth on the floor writing their verse while you recording. I also say “The Coming” is a great memory of mine because that was the introduction to Witchdoctor. When we came in and put that verse down, everybody was like, “Ooooh.” It was one of those kind of moments. During that time, everybody was eager. This was after I did “Git Up, Git Out” on OutKast’s Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik album. Everybody was like, “What you going to do? How you going to come?” And there you go, the rest is history. That was fun.

Check out more from XXL’s Winter 2015 issue including Kendrick Lamar’s cover story, Rick Ross' forever hustle, Silento's takeover with "Watch Me (Whip/NaeNae)," Rhymesayers' legendary movement, Eye Candy India Love and Show & Prove with Bryson Tiller.

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