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Cee-Lo
Biography
Multi-talented and flamboyant, Cee-Lo initially made a name for himself and his trademark crooning as part of pioneering Dirty South rappers Goodie Mob before he broke away in the early 2000s for a colorful solo route. Along with fellow Atlanta rappers OutKast, Goodie Mob laid out the blueprint for the Dirty South style during the mid-'90s, making serious waves with their debut album, Soul Food (1995). Cee-Lo was an important member of the group, often singing the hooks to many of Goodie Mob's best songs (e.g., "Cell Therapy," "Soul Food," "Black Ice"). But the group didn't last too long, and after a few releases over a five-year span, Cee-Lo split with Goodie Mob for a promising solo deal with Arista.

The deal came in the wake of Arista's success with OutKast's Stankonia (especially the single "Ms. Jackson"), not to mention the burgeoning neo-soul movement characterized by the likes of Alicia Keys, Jill Scott, and Macy Gray. Arista label head L.A. Reid no doubt sensed a lot of potential in Cee-Lo and gave him the green light to record a solo album. That album, Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections (2002), sounded unlike anything else out there -- unlike Cee-Lo's past work with Goodie Mob, unlike his neo-soul contemporaries, and unlike pretty much anything else except the weirder corners of OutKast's Stankonia album.
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