Question 1

Did Arrested Development write their own songs?

Accepted Answer

On the records where anyone wrote the credits down, yes. Members are credited on 65 of the group's 178 studio tracks, and 39 of those have no outside writer. The catch is that 105 tracks, spread across seven self-released albums, carry no writing credit for anybody at all.

Question 2

Who wrote "Tennessee"?

Accepted Answer

The 1992 release credits the writing to Arrested Development as a group rather than to individuals, which is recorded here as the six-person line-up of the time. It reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100.

Question 3

How many albums have they released?

Accepted Answer

Twelve studio albums. The first two came out on Chrysalis in 1992 and 1994, and the other ten on Speech's own Vagabond Productions after the group reformed in 2000.

Question 4

Why do so many albums have no credits?

Accepted Answer

Seven of the twelve, all self-released, have no Wikipedia article and no Discogs release that publishes writing credits. That covers Heroes of the Harvest, Strong, Changing the Narrative, This Was Never Home, Craft & Optics, Don't Fight Your Demons and For the Fkn Love.

Question 5

Did they win Grammy Awards?

Accepted Answer

Two, both in 1993: Best New Artist, which made them the first hip hop act to win it, and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.

Question 6

Who is Speech?

Accepted Answer

Todd Thomas, the rapper and producer who founded the group with Headliner in 1988 and is the only member who has been in it the whole time. Everything since 2000 has come out on his label.

Question 7

How many people have been in the group?

Accepted Answer

Nineteen, according to the article's personnel list. Six are current members and thirteen have left.

Question 8

Which album sold the most?

Accepted Answer

The 1992 debut, certified 4x platinum by the RIAA. Zingalamaduni sold poorly two years later and the group broke up in 1996.

Question 9

Who was Baba Oje?

Accepted Answer

The group's spiritual elder, who met Speech at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and stayed with them until his death in 2018.

Question 10

Are they still going?

Accepted Answer

Yes. For the Fkn Love came out in 2021 and Montsho Eshe rejoined the line-up in 2023.