 photo by steed media service
|
Recording Artists
Thomas
DeCarlo “Cee-Lo” Callaway hasn’t kicked freestyle in
years. The rapper-singer-produce-songwriter has come a long way from
his early days with Goodie Mob and the Dungeon Family, and these days
fans are more likely to catch the Atlanta native playing dad. Although
he’s experienced enormous success as one-half of the alt-music
duo Gnarls Barkley, Cee-Lo says he’s found a new muse in life
with President-elect Barack Obama’s historic victory.
“I didn’t realize how emotionally
invested I was in it because I was braced for anything to happen,
pretty much preparing for the worst, hoping for the best,” Cee-Lo
says of that memorable night. “I’m empowered by it instead
of becoming lax or dependent. I feel like I want to partner-up and do
my part.”
As a father, a black man and a
person in a position of power, Cee-Lo says that even though he’s
a musician, he has a responsibility to African American youth. In fact,
the Soul Machine says it starts with his own children.
“I
think I speak for Barack as well as myself — I have always been
on the frontline to forge towards possibility,” he says.
“It’s pretty evident what we’re capable of, and I
want [my children] to tap into their God power … themselves. Your
life is directed, driven and dictated by what you desire, so it’s
all about what you want. I would much rather them want what they need,
than need what they want.”
Cee-Lo is
arguably in the most prominent position he’s ever been in as an
artist. With commercial and international success to accompany his
unmatched creative prowess, the always peculiar artist is expressing
the need to be more proactive with his music.
With
2009 on the horizon, Cee-Lo already has a full plate. The long-awaited
Goodie Mob album will drop next year, and ‘Lo himself is gearing
up for a possible performance at Obama’s inauguration. Though he
admits that the very thought of performing in front of the first family
makes him genuinely nervous, Cee-Lo says that like Obama, he must
continue to take his God-given talents and lead by example.
“I
do feel like I’ve been active and do consider my music to be
somewhat of community service,” he says. “[I] don’t
feel tired. I’ve just been rejuvenated and revitalized because of
the current events, so none of my work feels like it’s in vain.
I’ll just simply continue on. For a host of others, they just
need to start now. I myself have already started.” –gavin philip godfrey
