Cee-Lo
Encyclopedia
Thomas DeCarlo Callaway (born May 30, 1974), better known by his stage name Cee Lo Green, is an American singer-songwriter
, rapper
, record producer
and actor
. He originally came to prominence as a member of the southern hip hop group Goodie Mob
, later launching a critically acclaimed solo career and forming Gnarls Barkley
with DJ Danger Mouse
.
Internationally, Cee Lo is best known for his hip hop work and Gnarls Barkley's 2006 worldwide hit "Crazy
", which reached number one in various singles charts worldwide, including the UK. In the United States, "Crazy" reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100
. Parent album St. Elsewhere
was also a hit, reaching number one on the UK Albums Chart
and number four on the US Billboard 200 album charts. Gnarls Barkley's second album, internationally less successful, The Odd Couple
(2008) missed the top ten in both the UK and U.S., where it charted at number 12 in the U.S. and 18 in the UK.
In 2010, Cee Lo took a break from recording with Gnarls Barkley and released the single "Fuck You!" on August 19, 2010, as a solo recording artist. The song was an instant hit, reaching the top spot in the UK and the Netherlands
and charted at number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The parent album, The Lady Killer
(2010) saw similar success, peaking within the top five of the UK Album Charts and debuting within the top ten on the Billboard 200 album charts, and received a Gold certification from the BPI
in the UK shortly after its release. His second single "It's OK
" was a hit in Europe and the third single, "Bright Lights Bigger City
" has also seen similar charting success. Cee Lo is currently a vocal coach on the NBC
reality talent show The Voice
with Adam Levine
, Christina Aguilera
, and Blake Shelton
.
and graduated from Benjamin E. Mays High School in Southwest Atlanta. Both of his parents were ordained ministers and he started his music career in his church
. His father died when he was two years old. His mother, Sheila J. Tyler-Callaway, was also a volunteer firefighter.
She was involved in a car crash, leaving her paralyzed, and died two years after the accident. At the time, Cee Lo was 18 years old and his career with Goodie Mob
had just begun taking off. His mother's death led Cee Lo into depression, as is reflected in various songs throughout his career, including "Free" by Goodie Mob, songs on St. Elsewhere
, and on The Odd Couple
("She Knows", "A Little Better"). Cee Lo also expresses his love for his mother in the song "Guess Who" from Goodie Mob's Soul Food album. In an excerpt of "Cee Lo Distilled", a mini documentary produced by Absolut and The Fader released on YouTube, Cee lo explained that his mother's death was a defining moment to "crossing that threshold over into a career".
, T-Mo, and Khujo
, Cee Lo was an original member of the Atlanta hip hop group Goodie Mob. He is the youngest of the four. The Goodie Mob were a part of the Atlanta rap collective the Dungeon Family
, which also included OutKast
. The group released their debut album, Soul Food
in 1995. The album received much critical praise as a pioneering record for the then emerging Southern rap
scene. It featured a distinctive soulful southern sound by production team Organized Noize
, who had also produced OutKast
's debut Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik
. Cee Lo got considerable praise for his rapping and singing of hooks, particularly on the hit singles "Cell Therapy" and "Soul Food".
The group's second album, Still Standing came out in 1998 and also received much critical praise. Its commercial performance was slightly lower than the group's previous effort however. At this time, Cee Lo focused primarily on rapping over singing. While he did frequently sing hooks and did some singing, at this point he was a rapper first and foremost. Cee Lo took more creative control on the group's next album, World Party
. Released in 1999, this album was more of a party record than the group's previous output, getting away somewhat from their socially conscious lyricism.
During the making of the album World Party, Cee Lo left the group to pursue a solo career under Arista
and the remaining members continued to perform together under the Goodie Mob name with Koch Records
. They did however collaborate in combinations in the Dungeon Family
album Even in Darkness
. Although the next Goodie Mob album seemed to mock Cee Lo with its title, One Monkey Don't Stop No Show
, the group expressed that it was more of a jab at Arista and the music industry as a whole.
In 2005, Cee Lo and Big Gipp
were both noted in interview. No title or release date have been given for the new project. The song "Hold On" from Big Boi
of OutKast's
Got Purp? Vol 2 album was the first newly recorded Goodie Mob song with all four members since World Party. (Khujo
later revealed to fans at an album signing for his new album "Mercury", that the song "Hold On" was originally recorded in 1995 before Soul Food was released.)
album Supernatural. Lauryn Hill
wrote "Do You Like The Way," and the two of them trade off on lead vocals.
, was heavily in the vein of various other Dungeon Family releases, with southern soul/funk/jazz backings produced solely by himself and boasting appearances by fellow Dungeon Fam members Big Gipp
and Backbone. The album explored his departure from Goodie Mob and his solo growth in the song "El Dorado Sunrise (Super Chicken)", as well as socio-political issues, and showcased his singing. The album did not sell very well, but Cee Lo achieved some airplay with the single "Closet Freak".
His second Arista album, Cee-Lo Green... Is the Soul Machine
brought a more branched-out sound and more deeply explored southern rap music. This is evidenced by collaborations with Ludacris
, T.I.
, and Pharrell Williams
, as well as production from Timbaland
, The Neptunes
and Jazze Pha
, among others. The only other Dungeon Family member that appeared on his second release was Big Rube. This album saw Cee Lo delve into other styles besides traditional rap. Timbaland proved to be Cee Lo's single producer as their song "I'll Be Around" received mild airplay. They performed the single on an episode in the second season of Chappelle's Show
. "The One" featuring Jazze Pha and T.I. was also released as a single. On the heels of the success of Gnarls Barkley, Arista
released a 17-track greatest hits
collection of Cee Lo songs, Closet Freak: The Best of Cee-Lo Green the Soul Machine
. It features predominantly Cee Lo solo tracks and several Goodie Mob songs. His new song "What Part of Forever" has been included in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.
After his second solo album, Cee Lo joined the group Gnarls Barkley
(see below) with Danger Mouse
, temporarily putting his solo career on hold. He would release two albums with that group, before again releasing solo material in 2010.
On August 19, 2010, Cee Lo released the single "Fuck You!" to YouTube
ahead of his planned solo album release, due to its partial leak on April 13. "Fuck You!" was an instant viral smash hit, registering over two million plays in less than a week. Two weeks later on September 1, Cee Lo released to YouTube an official music video of the song. "Fuck You" made a debut at No.1 on the UK charts, notably beating out "Shame
" from the recently reunited Robbie Williams
and Gary Barlow
. On December 1, 2010, Cee Lo received five Grammy
nominations for "Fuck You!", which has been certified Gold in the United States and Denmark. The single achieved platinum status in Canada, New Zealand, and the UK; and multi-platinum status in Australia.
When discussing his most recent album, The Lady Killer
(released on November 9, 2010, by Elektra Records
and Roadrunner Records
), Cee Lo said: "I suppose this is a more clear, concise, consistent, conceptual, entire album. It's a complete thought, because it's written to be like a score. The album's meant to be a motion picture, you know? I've never taken that approach to doing an album before." The album was certified Gold in the UK on December 6, 2010.
Green is touring with an all-female backing band named "Scarlet Fever
", performing for
Taratata
,
the BBC
,
Late Show with David Letterman
,
W's Symmetry Live Concert Series,
Saturday Night Live
,
the Jimmy Kimmel Live! special show following the Academy Awards
,
and many other venues.
Green also performed "Forget You", a sanitized version of his hit "Fuck You", with Gwyneth Paltrow
and several puppets provided by The Jim Henson Company
at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards on February 13, 2011, a shoutout to Elton John, who wore a very similar costume in a Muppet show performance in 1977.
At the 2011 BRIT Awards
two days later, he was joined by British vocalist Paloma Faith
in another duet of "Fuck You".
Shortly thereafter, it was announced that Green will be joining Rihanna
and J. Cole on the North American leg of Rihanna
Loud Tour
in the summer of 2011. However, he later dropped out of the tour citing that his busy work schedule which includes his commitment to judging “The Voice”, writing a new book and recording a new album as the reason for his withdrawal.
On August 14, 2011, Green performed at WWE SummerSlam
performing "Forget You" and the event's theme
, "Bright Lights, Bigger City"
.
Cee Lo will be re-releasing his debut album The Lady Killer
as a Platinum Edition on November 28, 2011. The repackaged album will contain the original 16 tracks (including remixed versions of Bright Lights Bigger City (feat. Wiz Khalifa) and I Want You (Hold On To Love) plus one extra track, written by Bruno Mars, Anyway. The new track, Anyway, will serve as the album's sixth overall single and first Platinum Edition single.
, Cee Lo was part of a duo called Gnarls Barkley
. They first met when Danger Mouse took second in a talent contest and opened for OutKast and Goodie Mob at a University of Georgia
concert in 1998. Afterwards, Danger Mouse gave Cee Lo an instrumental demo tape and told him to call him if he was interested. They did not make contact again until Cee Lo was contacted to be featured in a remix
of the Danger Mouse and Jemini
song "What U Sittin' On?" from the album Ghetto Pop Life. They worked together again on the 2005 Danger Doom
(Danger Mouse
and MF Doom
collaboration) album The Mouse and The Mask
on the song "Benzi Box" where Cee Lo sings the chorus.
Gnarls Barkley's first collaborative album, St. Elsewhere
, was released on April 24, 2006, in the UK and May 2, 2006, in the United States. St. Elsewhere entered the charts at No.1 in the UK, as did the first single "Crazy
". "Crazy" is the first single to go straight to No.1 in the UK based on digital download
sales alone and is ranked by Rolling Stone as the No.1 song of the decade. The album is Cee Lo's greatest selling venture yet, having shipped over 3 million copies in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan. A second album by Gnarls Barkley, titled The Odd Couple
, was released in March 2008. Its first single was released in January called "Run (I'm a Natural Disaster)
".
to release an album called Happy Hour on Jazze’s record label. The songs "Happy Hour" (as well as the remix with Bun B
, Snoop Dogg
& Tone Tone), "Man of the Hour", and "Disco Bitch" (featuring The Pussycat Dolls) from the album have already been released as singles and B-sides. Jazze Pha has produced numerous hit singles with many artists, but this project is his rapping and singing debut. Cee Lo is co-producing the album with him, so both artist and producer share equal roles in vocals and production. Also, Melody Thornton
confirmed that she is currently in the studio with Cee Lo working on her solo album. In 2010, he recorded a song for the Sex and the City 2
soundtrack which reached number 9 in the charts and was written by him and produced by T-Pain which is called "Language of Love". He along with The Red Hot Chili Peppers
and OneRepublic
frontman Ryan Tedder
were rumored to be appearing on British DJ Paul Oakenfold's
upcoming album. Green will voice Murray the Mummy in the upcoming film, Hotel Transylvania.
as a member of the Not So Goodie Mob, in which he was credited as "Thomas Burton aka Cee lo". He also has done voice acting work, voicing Prime Cut Miggity-Mo' Macdaddy Gizzabang Doggy Dog Dog on the Brak Show
episode "Brakstreet" in 2002, Frank and Buddy Z Class of 3000
s Christmas special and as Godzilla in the Robot Chicken
episode "Squaw Bury Shortcake" in 2007, and Rev. Rollo Goodlove in the Boondocks
episodes "The S-Word" and "The Hunger Strike" in 2008. In 2010, he appeared in T-Pain
's Freaknik: The Musical
as Light Skin.
On January 15, 2011, Cee Lo both acted and performed on NBC
's Saturday Night Live
hosted by Gwyneth Paltrow
, who, in November 2010, covered his song "Forget You" on an episode
of Glee
.
Cee Lo is currently one of the coaches for contestants on the singing TV show The Voice. He also made a guest-star appearance in the episode "Tales From the Luncheonette" of Parenthood
season 3.
On September 25, 2011, Cee Lo appeared as himself in a live action/voice appearance and as the voice of a hot tub in the American Dad!
episode "Hot Water
".
Cee Lo was married to Christina Johnson until they divorced in 2005. Together they have a son Kingston; and Cee Lo was a stepfather to Christina's daughters, Sierra and Kalah. Sierra appeared on the MTV
show My Super Sweet 16
.
On June 16, 2011, journalist Andrea Swensson of City Pages
negatively reviewed one of Green's performances, writing that it "failed to measure up to the fun factor of his recorded material. Green spent most of the set stationed in front of a microphone at the center of the stage, barely moving an inch while he sang and flanked by two forgettable back-up singers and a DJ that was all but hidden behind a giant LCD display”. In response, the following day Green tweeted "I respect your criticism but be fair! People enjoyed last night! I'm guessing ur gay? And my masculinity offended u? well fuck U!”. Green promptly received angered responses from some of his followers on Twitter, to which he replied "Apologies gay community! what was homophobic about that?" In a subsequent interview with magazine US Weekly
Green stated that his comments were in good fun, adding that "I am not harboring any sort of negative feeling toward the gay community" and that "I am one of the most liberal artists that I think you will ever meet, and I pride myself on that". Green has since deleted the tweets pertaining to this review.
| 2011
| Himself
| Best Male R&B Artist
|
|-
| align="center" | 2011 || Fuck You || Best Male Video ||
|-
| 2010
| Himself
| Viral Innovator of the Year
|
| rowspan="2"| 2011
|The Lady Killer
| Best International Album
|
|-
| Himself
| Best International Male
|
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="4"| 2007 ||style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"|"Crazy
" || Record of the Year
||
|-
| Best Urban/Alternative Performance
||
|-
|style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"|St. Elsewhere
|| Album of the Year
||
|-
| Best Alternative Music Album
||
|-
|style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"| 2009
|| "Going On
" || Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals ||
|-
| The Odd Couple
|| Best Alternative Music Album
||
|-
|style="text-align:center;" rowspan="4"| 2011
||style="text-align:left;" rowspan="4"|"Forget You" || Record of the Year
||
|-
| Song of the Year
||
|-
| Best Urban/Alternative Performance
||
|-
| Best Short Form Music Video
||
| 2011
| Himself
| Best Male R&B/Soul Artist
|
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, rapper
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
, record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He originally came to prominence as a member of the southern hip hop group Goodie Mob
Goodie Mob
Goodie Mob is a Hip Hop act based in Atlanta, Georgia that formed in 1991 and currently consists of members Cee-Lo Green, Khujo, T-Mo and Big Gipp.-History:The group's name acts as a double backronym...
, later launching a critically acclaimed solo career and forming Gnarls Barkley
Gnarls Barkley
Gnarls Barkley is an American soul duo comprising Danger Mouse and Cee Lo Green. Their first studio album St. Elsewhere was released in 2006; along with its first single "Crazy". Both single and album were a major commercial success and have been noted for their large sales by download...
with DJ Danger Mouse
Danger Mouse
Brian Joseph Burton , better known by his stage name Danger Mouse, is an American musician, songwriter and producer. He came to prominence in 2004 when he released The Grey Album, which combined vocal performances from Jay-Z's The Black Album with instrumentals from The Beatles' White Album.He...
.
Internationally, Cee Lo is best known for his hip hop work and Gnarls Barkley's 2006 worldwide hit "Crazy
Crazy (Gnarls Barkley song)
"Crazy" is the debut single from Gnarls Barkley, a musical collaboration between Danger Mouse and Cee Lo Green, and is taken from their 2006 debut album St. Elsewhere...
", which reached number one in various singles charts worldwide, including the UK. In the United States, "Crazy" reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. Parent album St. Elsewhere
St. Elsewhere (album)
St. Elsewhere is the debut album by United States hip hop soul duo Gnarls Barkley. It was released on April 24, 2006 in the United Kingdom, where it debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, and on May 9, 2006 in the United States, although it was available for purchase one week earlier as a...
was also a hit, reaching number one on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
and number four on the US Billboard 200 album charts. Gnarls Barkley's second album, internationally less successful, The Odd Couple
The Odd Couple (album)
The Odd Couple is the second studio album by Gnarls Barkley, released digitally on March 18 and in stores March 25, 2008. Due to an early leak of the album over the Internet in early March 2008, the duo decided to push up the release from April 8...
(2008) missed the top ten in both the UK and U.S., where it charted at number 12 in the U.S. and 18 in the UK.
In 2010, Cee Lo took a break from recording with Gnarls Barkley and released the single "Fuck You!" on August 19, 2010, as a solo recording artist. The song was an instant hit, reaching the top spot in the UK and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and charted at number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The parent album, The Lady Killer
The Lady Killer (album)
The Lady Killer is the third studio album by American recording artist Cee Lo Green, released November 5, 2010, on Elektra Records. Production for the album was handled by Salaam Remi, Element, The Smeezingtons, Fraser T...
(2010) saw similar success, peaking within the top five of the UK Album Charts and debuting within the top ten on the Billboard 200 album charts, and received a Gold certification from the BPI
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
in the UK shortly after its release. His second single "It's OK
It's OK (Cee Lo Green song)
"It's OK" is the second single from American soul singer Cee Lo Green's third studio album, The Lady Killer. The song is produced by Element, and written by Cee Lo, Element and Noel Fisher. The single was released on December 27, 2010 and has so far peaked at number 20 on the UK Singles Chart...
" was a hit in Europe and the third single, "Bright Lights Bigger City
Bright Lights Bigger City
"Bright Lights Bigger City" is the third single from American soul singer Cee Lo Green's third studio album, The Lady Killer. The song was produced by Ben H. Allen III and Graham Marsh, and written by Cee Lo, Tony Reyes and Ben H. Allen III. The single was released on March 27, 2011, and has so...
" has also seen similar charting success. Cee Lo is currently a vocal coach on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
reality talent show The Voice
The Voice (U.S. TV series)
The Voice is an American reality talent show that premiered on April 26, 2011 on the NBC television network. Based on the reality singing competition The Voice of Holland, the series was created by Dutch television producer John de Mol. It is part of an international series...
with Adam Levine
Adam Levine
Adam Noah Levine is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the front man and guitarist for the pop rock band Maroon 5. He is also a coach on the American talent show The Voice.-Early life:...
, Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
, and Blake Shelton
Blake Shelton
Blake Tollison Shelton is an American country music artist. In 2001, he made his debut with the single "Austin". Released as the lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, "Austin" went on to spend five weeks at Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts...
.
Early life
Cee Lo Green was born Thomas DeCarlo Farranti in Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
and graduated from Benjamin E. Mays High School in Southwest Atlanta. Both of his parents were ordained ministers and he started his music career in his church
Christian Church
The Christian Church is the assembly or association of followers of Jesus Christ. The Greek term ἐκκλησία that in its appearances in the New Testament is usually translated as "church" basically means "assembly"...
. His father died when he was two years old. His mother, Sheila J. Tyler-Callaway, was also a volunteer firefighter.
She was involved in a car crash, leaving her paralyzed, and died two years after the accident. At the time, Cee Lo was 18 years old and his career with Goodie Mob
Goodie Mob
Goodie Mob is a Hip Hop act based in Atlanta, Georgia that formed in 1991 and currently consists of members Cee-Lo Green, Khujo, T-Mo and Big Gipp.-History:The group's name acts as a double backronym...
had just begun taking off. His mother's death led Cee Lo into depression, as is reflected in various songs throughout his career, including "Free" by Goodie Mob, songs on St. Elsewhere
St. Elsewhere (album)
St. Elsewhere is the debut album by United States hip hop soul duo Gnarls Barkley. It was released on April 24, 2006 in the United Kingdom, where it debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, and on May 9, 2006 in the United States, although it was available for purchase one week earlier as a...
, and on The Odd Couple
The Odd Couple (album)
The Odd Couple is the second studio album by Gnarls Barkley, released digitally on March 18 and in stores March 25, 2008. Due to an early leak of the album over the Internet in early March 2008, the duo decided to push up the release from April 8...
("She Knows", "A Little Better"). Cee Lo also expresses his love for his mother in the song "Guess Who" from Goodie Mob's Soul Food album. In an excerpt of "Cee Lo Distilled", a mini documentary produced by Absolut and The Fader released on YouTube, Cee lo explained that his mother's death was a defining moment to "crossing that threshold over into a career".
Goodie Mob
Along with Big GippBig Gipp
This article is about the American rapper. For the Notre Dame football player, see George Gipp. For the Iowa State Representative see Chuck Gipp.Big Gipp , is an American rapper from the South...
, T-Mo, and Khujo
Khujo
Khujo is an American hip hop musician who was born on March 13, 1972 in Atlanta, Georgia.He has child name NaToya Knight. He is one-fourth of Goodie Mob , and one-half of The Lumberjacks . He is also the only featured guest to appear on every single Outkast album, including Big Boi's solo album...
, Cee Lo was an original member of the Atlanta hip hop group Goodie Mob. He is the youngest of the four. The Goodie Mob were a part of the Atlanta rap collective the Dungeon Family
Dungeon Family
The Dungeon Family is a hip hop/R&B/soul musical collective, based in Atlanta, Georgia and specializing in Southern hip hop with heavy funk and soul influences. The group derives its name from "The Dungeon", the name given to record producer Rico Wade's basement studio where many of the early...
, which also included OutKast
OutKast
Outkast is an American hip hop duo based in East Point, Georgia, consisting of Atlanta native André "André 3000" Benjamin and Savannah, Georgia-born Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. They were originally known as Two Shades Deep but later changed the group's name to OutKast...
. The group released their debut album, Soul Food
Soul Food (album)
Sample Credits*"Dirty South" contains samples of "Passacaglia in C Minor" by Hubert Laws.*"Sesame Street" contains samples of "Dreams" by Ramsey Lewis.- Chart positions :AlbumSingles...
in 1995. The album received much critical praise as a pioneering record for the then emerging Southern rap
Southern rap
Southern hip hop, also called Southern rap, is a genre of American music influenced by hip hop that emerged from a late-1980s club-oriented vibe in southern U.S...
scene. It featured a distinctive soulful southern sound by production team Organized Noize
Organized Noize
Organized Noize is an Atlanta-based American hip hop production company made up of Rico Wade, Ray Murray and Sleepy Brown.-History:Among the hit records they have worked on include TLC's "Waterfalls", En Vogue's "Don't Let Go ", and Ludacris' "Saturday "...
, who had also produced OutKast
OutKast
Outkast is an American hip hop duo based in East Point, Georgia, consisting of Atlanta native André "André 3000" Benjamin and Savannah, Georgia-born Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. They were originally known as Two Shades Deep but later changed the group's name to OutKast...
's debut Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik
Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik
Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik is the debut album of hip-hop duo OutKast, released April 26, 1994 on LaFace Records. Recorded at D.A.R.P. Studios, Purple Dragon, Bosstown and Doppler Studios in Atlanta, Georgia throughout 1992 to 1994, the album featured production by the Atlanta-area production...
. Cee Lo got considerable praise for his rapping and singing of hooks, particularly on the hit singles "Cell Therapy" and "Soul Food".
The group's second album, Still Standing came out in 1998 and also received much critical praise. Its commercial performance was slightly lower than the group's previous effort however. At this time, Cee Lo focused primarily on rapping over singing. While he did frequently sing hooks and did some singing, at this point he was a rapper first and foremost. Cee Lo took more creative control on the group's next album, World Party
World Party (album)
World Party is the third studio album by the Atlanta-based, hip hop quartet Goodie Mob. It follows their previous Dirty South classics, Soul Food and Still Standing. This is the last Goodie Mob album with the original four members before their breakup...
. Released in 1999, this album was more of a party record than the group's previous output, getting away somewhat from their socially conscious lyricism.
During the making of the album World Party, Cee Lo left the group to pursue a solo career under Arista
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
and the remaining members continued to perform together under the Goodie Mob name with Koch Records
Koch Records
E1 Music , the primary subsidiary of E1 Entertainment LP, is the largest independent record label in the United States. It is also distributed by the Universal Music Group in Europe under the name E1 Universal...
. They did however collaborate in combinations in the Dungeon Family
Dungeon Family
The Dungeon Family is a hip hop/R&B/soul musical collective, based in Atlanta, Georgia and specializing in Southern hip hop with heavy funk and soul influences. The group derives its name from "The Dungeon", the name given to record producer Rico Wade's basement studio where many of the early...
album Even in Darkness
Even in Darkness
Even in Darkness is the collaborative debut album by the Dungeon Family, a supergroup including Outkast, Goodie Mob and others.-Track listing:#"Presenting Dungeon Family"#*Backbone#*Killer Mike#"Crooked Booty"#*Cee-Lo#*Andre 3000#*Sleepy Brown...
. Although the next Goodie Mob album seemed to mock Cee Lo with its title, One Monkey Don't Stop No Show
One Monkey Don't Stop No Show
One Monkey Don't Stop No Show is the fourth studio album by the Atlanta-based hip hop group Goodie Mob. This album does not include one of the group's former frontman, Cee Lo Green, because he broke away to pursue his solo career . That left Khujo, T-Mo, and Big Gipp to hold up the album...
, the group expressed that it was more of a jab at Arista and the music industry as a whole.
In 2005, Cee Lo and Big Gipp
Big Gipp
This article is about the American rapper. For the Notre Dame football player, see George Gipp. For the Iowa State Representative see Chuck Gipp.Big Gipp , is an American rapper from the South...
were both noted in interview. No title or release date have been given for the new project. The song "Hold On" from Big Boi
Big Boi
Antwan André Patton , better known by his stage name Big Boi, is an American rapper, song-writer, record producer and actor, best known for being a member of American hip hop duo OutKast alongside André 3000. His work in the duo has produced six studio albums. During the duo's hiatus, he and André...
of OutKast's
OutKast
Outkast is an American hip hop duo based in East Point, Georgia, consisting of Atlanta native André "André 3000" Benjamin and Savannah, Georgia-born Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. They were originally known as Two Shades Deep but later changed the group's name to OutKast...
Got Purp? Vol 2 album was the first newly recorded Goodie Mob song with all four members since World Party. (Khujo
Khujo
Khujo is an American hip hop musician who was born on March 13, 1972 in Atlanta, Georgia.He has child name NaToya Knight. He is one-fourth of Goodie Mob , and one-half of The Lumberjacks . He is also the only featured guest to appear on every single Outkast album, including Big Boi's solo album...
later revealed to fans at an album signing for his new album "Mercury", that the song "Hold On" was originally recorded in 1995 before Soul Food was released.)
Santana
In 1999, Cee Lo, credited as "Cee-Lo" was one of ten famous guest musicians who contributed to the highly successful SantanaSantana (band)
Santana is a rock band based around guitarist Carlos Santana and founded in the late 1960s. It first came to public attention after their performing the song "Soul Sacrifice" at the Woodstock Festival in 1969, when their Latin rock provided a contrast to other acts on the bill...
album Supernatural. Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Noelle Hill is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress.Early in her career, she established her reputation as a member of the Fugees. In 1998, she launched her solo career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album, The Miseducation of...
wrote "Do You Like The Way," and the two of them trade off on lead vocals.
Solo career
Cee Lo's Arista career was short-lived, as he was dropped after only two albums due to low record sales. His first album, Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect ImperfectionsCee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections
- References :...
, was heavily in the vein of various other Dungeon Family releases, with southern soul/funk/jazz backings produced solely by himself and boasting appearances by fellow Dungeon Fam members Big Gipp
Big Gipp
This article is about the American rapper. For the Notre Dame football player, see George Gipp. For the Iowa State Representative see Chuck Gipp.Big Gipp , is an American rapper from the South...
and Backbone. The album explored his departure from Goodie Mob and his solo growth in the song "El Dorado Sunrise (Super Chicken)", as well as socio-political issues, and showcased his singing. The album did not sell very well, but Cee Lo achieved some airplay with the single "Closet Freak".
His second Arista album, Cee-Lo Green... Is the Soul Machine
Cee-Lo Green... is the Soul Machine
- Chart performance :The album has sold over 7,500 copies in the UK....
brought a more branched-out sound and more deeply explored southern rap music. This is evidenced by collaborations with Ludacris
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges , better known by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is the co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings...
, T.I.
T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I., is an American rap artist, film and music producer, actor and author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer of Grand Hustle Records....
, and Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams , commonly known simply as Pharrell, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, composer, and fashion designer. Williams and Chad Hugo make up the record production duo The Neptunes, producing hip hop and R&B music...
, as well as production from Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
, The Neptunes
The Neptunes
The Neptunes are a record production duo consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who are credited with contributing the sound for many successful hip hop, R&B and pop artists in the late-1990s and 2000s...
and Jazze Pha
Jazze Pha
Phalon Anton Alexander , also known as Jazze Pha , is an American singer, and songwriter.raised in Memphis, TN; son of James Alexander ....
, among others. The only other Dungeon Family member that appeared on his second release was Big Rube. This album saw Cee Lo delve into other styles besides traditional rap. Timbaland proved to be Cee Lo's single producer as their song "I'll Be Around" received mild airplay. They performed the single on an episode in the second season of Chappelle's Show
Chappelle's Show
Chappelle's Show is an American sketch comedy television series created by comedian Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan, with Chappelle hosting the show as well as starring in various skits. Chappelle, Brennan and Michele Armour were the show's executive producers. The series premiered on January 22,...
. "The One" featuring Jazze Pha and T.I. was also released as a single. On the heels of the success of Gnarls Barkley, Arista
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
released a 17-track greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
collection of Cee Lo songs, Closet Freak: The Best of Cee-Lo Green the Soul Machine
Closet Freak: The Best Of Cee-Lo Green the Soul Machine
Closet Freak: The Best of Cee Lo Green, The Soul Machine is a greatest hits compilation album released by American hip hop musician Cee Lo Green, also known for his work with Atlanta hip hop group Goodie Mob and production duo Gnarls Barkley. The album consists of tracks from his work with the...
. It features predominantly Cee Lo solo tracks and several Goodie Mob songs. His new song "What Part of Forever" has been included in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.
After his second solo album, Cee Lo joined the group Gnarls Barkley
Gnarls Barkley
Gnarls Barkley is an American soul duo comprising Danger Mouse and Cee Lo Green. Their first studio album St. Elsewhere was released in 2006; along with its first single "Crazy". Both single and album were a major commercial success and have been noted for their large sales by download...
(see below) with Danger Mouse
Danger Mouse
Brian Joseph Burton , better known by his stage name Danger Mouse, is an American musician, songwriter and producer. He came to prominence in 2004 when he released The Grey Album, which combined vocal performances from Jay-Z's The Black Album with instrumentals from The Beatles' White Album.He...
, temporarily putting his solo career on hold. He would release two albums with that group, before again releasing solo material in 2010.
On August 19, 2010, Cee Lo released the single "Fuck You!" to YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
ahead of his planned solo album release, due to its partial leak on April 13. "Fuck You!" was an instant viral smash hit, registering over two million plays in less than a week. Two weeks later on September 1, Cee Lo released to YouTube an official music video of the song. "Fuck You" made a debut at No.1 on the UK charts, notably beating out "Shame
Shame (Robbie Williams song)
"Shame" is a song by Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow, taken from Williams' second greatest hits compilation album, In and Out of Consciousness: Greatest Hits 1990–2010. It was released as the lead single from the album on 4 October 2010 by Virgin Records in the United Kingdom...
" from the recently reunited Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
and Gary Barlow
Gary Barlow
Gary Barlow is an English singer-songwriter, pianist and record producer. He is frontman and lead vocalist of pop group Take That and is currently the head judge on the eighth series of The X Factor. Barlow is one of Britain's most successful songwriters...
. On December 1, 2010, Cee Lo received five Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nominations for "Fuck You!", which has been certified Gold in the United States and Denmark. The single achieved platinum status in Canada, New Zealand, and the UK; and multi-platinum status in Australia.
When discussing his most recent album, The Lady Killer
The Lady Killer (album)
The Lady Killer is the third studio album by American recording artist Cee Lo Green, released November 5, 2010, on Elektra Records. Production for the album was handled by Salaam Remi, Element, The Smeezingtons, Fraser T...
(released on November 9, 2010, by Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
and Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
), Cee Lo said: "I suppose this is a more clear, concise, consistent, conceptual, entire album. It's a complete thought, because it's written to be like a score. The album's meant to be a motion picture, you know? I've never taken that approach to doing an album before." The album was certified Gold in the UK on December 6, 2010.
Green is touring with an all-female backing band named "Scarlet Fever
Scarlet Fever (band)
Scarlet Fever is an all-female backing band touring with Cee Lo Green. Originally formed for promotional tour events, popularity of the "Fuck You" single and The Lady Killer album led to multiple television appearances reaching an audience of millions in Europe and North America...
", performing for
Taratata
Taratata
Taratata is a French TV show showcasing live and pre-recorded footage of current rock acts. Presented by Nagui since its début in 1993, the show was initially shown on France 2. This show often involves surprise and unlikely duets, as well as brief interviews with the artists...
,
the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
,
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
,
W's Symmetry Live Concert Series,
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
,
the Jimmy Kimmel Live! special show following the Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
,
and many other venues.
Green also performed "Forget You", a sanitized version of his hit "Fuck You", with Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Kate Paltrow is an American actress and singer. She made her acting debut on stage in 1990 and started appearing in films in 1991. After appearing in several films throughout the decade, Paltrow gained early notice for her work in films such as Se7en and Emma...
and several puppets provided by The Jim Henson Company
The Jim Henson Company
The Jim Henson Company, an American entertainment organization, traces its origins to the founding of Muppets, Inc. in 1958 by puppeteer Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets. The Muppets helped the company gain worldwide acclaim in family entertainment for more than four decades...
at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards on February 13, 2011, a shoutout to Elton John, who wore a very similar costume in a Muppet show performance in 1977.
At the 2011 BRIT Awards
2011 BRIT Awards
The 2011 BRIT Awards was held on Tuesday 15 February 2011.It was the 31st edition of the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The award ceremony was held at The O2 Arena...
two days later, he was joined by British vocalist Paloma Faith
Paloma Faith
Paloma Faith is a British singer-songwriter and actress. In 2009, she released her debut single "Stone Cold Sober", then her debut album, Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful?, which was certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry. Her debut album stayed within the top 40 album...
in another duet of "Fuck You".
Shortly thereafter, it was announced that Green will be joining Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
and J. Cole on the North American leg of Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
Loud Tour
Loud Tour
The Loud Tour is the fourth concert tour by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna. Performing in over twenty countries in the Americas and Europe, the tour supports Rihanna’s fifth studio album, Loud...
in the summer of 2011. However, he later dropped out of the tour citing that his busy work schedule which includes his commitment to judging “The Voice”, writing a new book and recording a new album as the reason for his withdrawal.
On August 14, 2011, Green performed at WWE SummerSlam
SummerSlam (2011)
SummerSlam was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by WWE that took place on August 14, 2011. For the third consecutive year, SummerSlam was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, and it was the 24th annual SummerSlam event...
performing "Forget You" and the event's theme
Theme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
, "Bright Lights, Bigger City"
Bright Lights Bigger City
"Bright Lights Bigger City" is the third single from American soul singer Cee Lo Green's third studio album, The Lady Killer. The song was produced by Ben H. Allen III and Graham Marsh, and written by Cee Lo, Tony Reyes and Ben H. Allen III. The single was released on March 27, 2011, and has so...
.
Cee Lo will be re-releasing his debut album The Lady Killer
The Lady Killer (album)
The Lady Killer is the third studio album by American recording artist Cee Lo Green, released November 5, 2010, on Elektra Records. Production for the album was handled by Salaam Remi, Element, The Smeezingtons, Fraser T...
as a Platinum Edition on November 28, 2011. The repackaged album will contain the original 16 tracks (including remixed versions of Bright Lights Bigger City (feat. Wiz Khalifa) and I Want You (Hold On To Love) plus one extra track, written by Bruno Mars, Anyway. The new track, Anyway, will serve as the album's sixth overall single and first Platinum Edition single.
Gnarls Barkley
Along with DJ Danger MouseDanger Mouse
Brian Joseph Burton , better known by his stage name Danger Mouse, is an American musician, songwriter and producer. He came to prominence in 2004 when he released The Grey Album, which combined vocal performances from Jay-Z's The Black Album with instrumentals from The Beatles' White Album.He...
, Cee Lo was part of a duo called Gnarls Barkley
Gnarls Barkley
Gnarls Barkley is an American soul duo comprising Danger Mouse and Cee Lo Green. Their first studio album St. Elsewhere was released in 2006; along with its first single "Crazy". Both single and album were a major commercial success and have been noted for their large sales by download...
. They first met when Danger Mouse took second in a talent contest and opened for OutKast and Goodie Mob at a University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
concert in 1998. Afterwards, Danger Mouse gave Cee Lo an instrumental demo tape and told him to call him if he was interested. They did not make contact again until Cee Lo was contacted to be featured in a remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
of the Danger Mouse and Jemini
Jemini
Jemini were a British pop group from Liverpool, best known for scoring "nul points" and finishing in last place with their song "Cry Baby" at the 2003 Eurovision Song Contest in Latvia.-Early career:...
song "What U Sittin' On?" from the album Ghetto Pop Life. They worked together again on the 2005 Danger Doom
Danger Doom
Danger Doom is a musical collaboration between DJ and producer Danger Mouse and rapper MF Doom. Their first album, The Mouse and the Mask, was released in 2005, and followed by the Occult Hymn EP in 2006.-Background:...
(Danger Mouse
Danger Mouse
Brian Joseph Burton , better known by his stage name Danger Mouse, is an American musician, songwriter and producer. He came to prominence in 2004 when he released The Grey Album, which combined vocal performances from Jay-Z's The Black Album with instrumentals from The Beatles' White Album.He...
and MF Doom
MF Doom
Daniel Dumile is a hip hop artist who has taken on several stage names in his career, most notably MF DOOM, where the "MF" stands for metal face, and for tracks he has produced, metal fingers...
collaboration) album The Mouse and The Mask
The Mouse and the Mask
The Mouse and the Mask is a collaboration album by Danger Mouse and MF DOOM under the name Danger Doom, released on October 11, 2005 by Punk Label Epitaph Records in the United States marking it the third hip hop release for the label...
on the song "Benzi Box" where Cee Lo sings the chorus.
Gnarls Barkley's first collaborative album, St. Elsewhere
St. Elsewhere (album)
St. Elsewhere is the debut album by United States hip hop soul duo Gnarls Barkley. It was released on April 24, 2006 in the United Kingdom, where it debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, and on May 9, 2006 in the United States, although it was available for purchase one week earlier as a...
, was released on April 24, 2006, in the UK and May 2, 2006, in the United States. St. Elsewhere entered the charts at No.1 in the UK, as did the first single "Crazy
Crazy (Gnarls Barkley song)
"Crazy" is the debut single from Gnarls Barkley, a musical collaboration between Danger Mouse and Cee Lo Green, and is taken from their 2006 debut album St. Elsewhere...
". "Crazy" is the first single to go straight to No.1 in the UK based on digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
sales alone and is ranked by Rolling Stone as the No.1 song of the decade. The album is Cee Lo's greatest selling venture yet, having shipped over 3 million copies in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan. A second album by Gnarls Barkley, titled The Odd Couple
The Odd Couple (album)
The Odd Couple is the second studio album by Gnarls Barkley, released digitally on March 18 and in stores March 25, 2008. Due to an early leak of the album over the Internet in early March 2008, the duo decided to push up the release from April 8...
, was released in March 2008. Its first single was released in January called "Run (I'm a Natural Disaster)
Run (I'm a Natural Disaster)
"Run ", also known more commonly as "Run", is a song written and recorded by Gnarls Barkley. It is the first single to be released from the band's second album The Odd Couple. Released in February 2008 as a digital download in the UK and the U.S. via the iTunes Store, a physical release of the...
".
Future projects
Cee Lo is collaborating with producer Jazze PhaJazze Pha
Phalon Anton Alexander , also known as Jazze Pha , is an American singer, and songwriter.raised in Memphis, TN; son of James Alexander ....
to release an album called Happy Hour on Jazze’s record label. The songs "Happy Hour" (as well as the remix with Bun B
Bun B
Bernard Freeman better known by his stage name Bun B, is an American rapper and was one half of the southern hip hop duo UGK . He is also a guest lecturer at Rice University located in Houston, Texas...
, Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
& Tone Tone), "Man of the Hour", and "Disco Bitch" (featuring The Pussycat Dolls) from the album have already been released as singles and B-sides. Jazze Pha has produced numerous hit singles with many artists, but this project is his rapping and singing debut. Cee Lo is co-producing the album with him, so both artist and producer share equal roles in vocals and production. Also, Melody Thornton
Melody Thornton
Melody Thornton is an American R&B singer-songwriter, Soprano vocalist, dancer, model, showgirl and television personality who rose to stardom as a member of the successful pop group the Pussycat Dolls...
confirmed that she is currently in the studio with Cee Lo working on her solo album. In 2010, he recorded a song for the Sex and the City 2
Sex and the City 2
Sex and the City 2 is a 2010 American romantic comedy film directed by Michael Patrick King. It is the sequel to the 2008 film Sex and the City, which is based on the HBO TV series of the same name....
soundtrack which reached number 9 in the charts and was written by him and produced by T-Pain which is called "Language of Love". He along with The Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
and OneRepublic
OneRepublic
OneRepublic is an American pop rock band from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Formed in 2002 by Ryan Tedder and Zach Filkins, the band achieved massive success on MySpace, becoming the most prominent unsigned act on the website then...
frontman Ryan Tedder
Ryan Tedder
Ryan Benjamin Tedder is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the frontman of the pop rock band, OneRepublic, though he has an independent career as songwriter and producer for various artists such as Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, Far East Movement, Jordin Sparks, Leona...
were rumored to be appearing on British DJ Paul Oakenfold's
Paul Oakenfold
Paul Mark Oakenfold is a British record producer and a trance DJ.-Early Career: 1979–84:Paul Oakenfold's career was set to be a chef, after having hopes of becoming part of a band. He describes his early life as a "bedroom deejay" in a podcasted interview with Vancouver's 24 Hours, stating he grew...
upcoming album. Green will voice Murray the Mummy in the upcoming film, Hotel Transylvania.
Television and film career
Cee Lo, along with the rest of the Goodie Mob, had a cameo in the 1999 film Mystery MenMystery Men
Mystery Men is a 1999 comedy film based on a Dark Horse comic book series feature in Flaming Carrot Comics by Bob Burden, directed by TV commercial director Kinka Usher. It stars William H. Macy, Ben Stiller, and Hank Azaria as a trio of lesser superheroes with fairly unimpressive superpowers who...
as a member of the Not So Goodie Mob, in which he was credited as "Thomas Burton aka Cee lo". He also has done voice acting work, voicing Prime Cut Miggity-Mo' Macdaddy Gizzabang Doggy Dog Dog on the Brak Show
The Brak Show
The Brak Show is an animated television series that aired on Cartoon Network's late night programming block, Adult Swim. The Brak Show is a spin-off of the animated television series, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, and featured recurring characters from Space Ghost Coast to Coast and Cartoon Planet...
episode "Brakstreet" in 2002, Frank and Buddy Z Class of 3000
Class of 3000
Class of 3000 is an American animated television series on Cartoon Network that was created by, was executively produced by, and starred André 3000 of the Hip Hop group OutKast as superstar and music teacher Sunny Bridges, set at Atlanta, Georgia's Westley School of Performing Arts. Mr...
s Christmas special and as Godzilla in the Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
episode "Squaw Bury Shortcake" in 2007, and Rev. Rollo Goodlove in the Boondocks
The Boondocks (TV series)
The Boondocks is an American animated series created by Aaron McGruder on Cartoon Network's late night programing block, Adult Swim, based on McGruder's comic strip of the same name...
episodes "The S-Word" and "The Hunger Strike" in 2008. In 2010, he appeared in T-Pain
T-Pain
Faheem Rasheed Najm , better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor, currently signed to Young Money Entertainment. His debut album, Rappa Ternt Sanga, was released in 2005. In 2007, T-Pain released his second studio album Epiphany,...
's Freaknik: The Musical
Freaknik: The Musical
Freaknik: The Musical is a musical special produced by T-Pain. It features the voice of T-Pain as the Ghost of Freaknik, as well as the voices of entertainers such as Lil Wayne, Young Cash, Snoop Dogg, Sophia Fresh, and Rick Ross, and comedians such as Andy Samberg and Charlie Murphy who provide...
as Light Skin.
On January 15, 2011, Cee Lo both acted and performed on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
hosted by Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Kate Paltrow is an American actress and singer. She made her acting debut on stage in 1990 and started appearing in films in 1991. After appearing in several films throughout the decade, Paltrow gained early notice for her work in films such as Se7en and Emma...
, who, in November 2010, covered his song "Forget You" on an episode
The Substitute (Glee)
"The Substitute" is the seventh episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 29th episode overall. It was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Ryan Murphy, and premiered on Fox on November 16, 2010...
of Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
.
Cee Lo is currently one of the coaches for contestants on the singing TV show The Voice. He also made a guest-star appearance in the episode "Tales From the Luncheonette" of Parenthood
Parenthood (2010 TV series)
Parenthood is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Jason Katims and produced by Imagine Television and Universal Media Studios. The first season premiered on March 2, 2010 on NBC...
season 3.
On September 25, 2011, Cee Lo appeared as himself in a live action/voice appearance and as the voice of a hot tub in the American Dad!
American Dad!
American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...
episode "Hot Water
Hot Water (American Dad!)
"Hot Water" is the first episode and season premiere of the seventh season of the animated comedy series American Dad!. It was aired by Fox on September 25, 2011.-Plot:...
".
Personal life
Cee Lo has described himself as having been a "goon" in his youth.Cee Lo was married to Christina Johnson until they divorced in 2005. Together they have a son Kingston; and Cee Lo was a stepfather to Christina's daughters, Sierra and Kalah. Sierra appeared on the MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
show My Super Sweet 16
My Super Sweet 16
My Super Sweet 16 is an MTV reality series documenting the lives of teenagers, usually in the United States, Canada and UK, who usually have wealthy parents that throw huge coming of age celebrations. Parties include the quinceañera , the sweet 16, and other birthdays including a My Super Sweet 21 ...
.
Controversies
At the April 2011 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Cee Lo was booed by fans after he showed up late, drew fan disapproval, had his set cut off, and then stormed off stage. Cee Lo had arrived 25 minutes late for which he apologized to disgruntled fans for his tardiness at the top of his set, saying, "Sorry guys, I just landed. Y'all still gonna party with me? I only have 20 minutes. It ain't my fault. They should have... given me a better time slot." Things then took a turn for the worse and after performing five songs including the “Fuck You” and a cover of Journey's “Don't Stop Believin' “, Green’s set was cut and then stormed off stage.On June 16, 2011, journalist Andrea Swensson of City Pages
City Pages
City Pages is an alternative weekly newspaper serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. It features news, film, theatre and restaurant reviews, and music criticism. It is printed in a tabloid format, and is available free every Wednesday...
negatively reviewed one of Green's performances, writing that it "failed to measure up to the fun factor of his recorded material. Green spent most of the set stationed in front of a microphone at the center of the stage, barely moving an inch while he sang and flanked by two forgettable back-up singers and a DJ that was all but hidden behind a giant LCD display”. In response, the following day Green tweeted "I respect your criticism but be fair! People enjoyed last night! I'm guessing ur gay? And my masculinity offended u? well fuck U!”. Green promptly received angered responses from some of his followers on Twitter, to which he replied "Apologies gay community! what was homophobic about that?" In a subsequent interview with magazine US Weekly
Us Weekly
Us Weekly is a celebrity gossip magazine, founded in 1977 by The New York Times Company, who sold it in 1980. It was acquired by Wenner Media in 1986. The publication covers topics ranging from celebrity relationships to the latest trends in fashion, beauty, and entertainment...
Green stated that his comments were in good fun, adding that "I am not harboring any sort of negative feeling toward the gay community" and that "I am one of the most liberal artists that I think you will ever meet, and I pride myself on that". Green has since deleted the tweets pertaining to this review.
Discography
- Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect ImperfectionsCee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections- References :...
(2002) - Cee-Lo Green... Is the Soul MachineCee-Lo Green... is the Soul Machine- Chart performance :The album has sold over 7,500 copies in the UK....
(2004) - The Lady KillerThe Lady Killer (album)The Lady Killer is the third studio album by American recording artist Cee Lo Green, released November 5, 2010, on Elektra Records. Production for the album was handled by Salaam Remi, Element, The Smeezingtons, Fraser T...
(2010)
BET Awards
|-| 2011
BET Awards of 2011
The 2011 BET Awards took place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on June 26, 2011. The awards recognized African-Americans and other minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. Actor Kevin Hart hosted the event for the first time. ...
| Himself
| Best Male R&B Artist
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| align="center" | 2011 || Fuck You || Best Male Video ||
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Billboard Music Awards
|-| 2010
| Himself
| Viral Innovator of the Year
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Brit Awards
|-| rowspan="2"| 2011
|The Lady Killer
The Lady Killer
The Lady Killer is a 1913 American silent short comedy film starring William Garwood, Victory Bateman, Florence Crawford, Howard Davies, Lamar Johnstone, and Anne Drew....
| Best International Album
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| Himself
| Best International Male
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Grammy Awards
|-| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="4"| 2007 ||style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"|"Crazy
Crazy (Gnarls Barkley song)
"Crazy" is the debut single from Gnarls Barkley, a musical collaboration between Danger Mouse and Cee Lo Green, and is taken from their 2006 debut album St. Elsewhere...
" || Record of the Year
Grammy Award for Record of the Year
The Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959.-History:The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer....
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| Best Urban/Alternative Performance
Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality urban/alternative performances...
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|style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"|St. Elsewhere
St. Elsewhere (album)
St. Elsewhere is the debut album by United States hip hop soul duo Gnarls Barkley. It was released on April 24, 2006 in the United Kingdom, where it debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, and on May 9, 2006 in the United States, although it was available for purchase one week earlier as a...
|| Album of the Year
Grammy Award for Album of the Year
The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is the most prestigious award category at the Grammys. It has been awarded since 1959 and though it was originally presented to the artist alone, the award is now presented to the artist, the producer, the engineer and/or mixer and the mastering engineer...
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| Best Alternative Music Album
Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album
The Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums in the alternative rock genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards...
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|style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"| 2009
51st Grammy Awards
The 51st Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA on February 8, 2009. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were the biggest winners of the night, jointly winning five awards including Album of the Year and Record of the Year...
|| "Going On
Going On
"Going On" is the second single taken from Gnarls Barkley's second studio album The Odd Couple. It is played in an upbeat hip hop and blues style. The track is also featured on the video game NBA 2K9. It was nominated at the 2009 Grammy Awards for 'Best Pop Performance'. "Going On" uses a sample...
" || Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals ||
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| The Odd Couple
The Odd Couple (album)
The Odd Couple is the second studio album by Gnarls Barkley, released digitally on March 18 and in stores March 25, 2008. Due to an early leak of the album over the Internet in early March 2008, the duo decided to push up the release from April 8...
|| Best Alternative Music Album
Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album
The Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums in the alternative rock genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards...
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|style="text-align:center;" rowspan="4"| 2011
53rd Grammy Awards
The 53rd annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2011, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. They were broadcast on CBS with a rating of 26.6 million viewers. Barbra Streisand was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year two nights prior to the telecast on February 11. Nominations were...
||style="text-align:left;" rowspan="4"|"Forget You" || Record of the Year
Grammy Award for Record of the Year
The Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959.-History:The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer....
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| Song of the Year
Grammy Award for Song of the Year
The Song of the Year is one of the four most prestigious awards in the Grammy Awards ceremony, if not in all of the American music industry. It has been awarded since 1959 and unlike the Record of the Year award, which goes to the performer and production team of a single song, Song of the Year...
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| Best Urban/Alternative Performance
Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality urban/alternative performances...
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| Best Short Form Music Video
Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video
The Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to performers, directors, and producers of quality short form music videos...
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Soul Train Music Awards
|-| 2011
| Himself
| Best Male R&B/Soul Artist
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External links
- Cee Lo Green on BBC MusicBBC MusicBBC Music is a team working in the department of Audio and Music Interactive at the BBC. Responsible for the BBC Music website - the portal site to music content across the BBC website....
- Official Jazze Pha & Cee Lo website
- Cee Lo Green Storytellers on VH1VH1VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
- Cee-Lo Documentary on Youtube Part 1
- Cee-Lo Documentary on Youtube Part 2