Before he was the "Crazy" (and "Fuck You") guy, Cee Lo was one-fourth of premier Atlanta MCs Goodie Mob. The key to a Dirty South classic? "The bass," he says. "If a song makes my license plate rattle, man, then you know it's doin' something right."
1.
"We Want Some Pussy" 2 Live Crew, 1986
I was young and impressionable when this came out, and I just could not believe my ears. I'm just wild and loose, so I can really appreciate artists bringing that type of honesty.
2.
"Space Age Pimpin" 8Ball and MJG, 1995
I call 8Ball and MJG ghetto griots. They came from Memphis and they went on to become the first representatives of real Southern rap. This has a real sexy vibe.
3.
"The Piz" Kilo, 1992
An Atlanta pioneer. This sounds like an old Grover Washington, Jr. jazz track or something. It's really slinky and slow.
4.
"Action" Poison Clan, 1992
They were a Miami act, and they sounded very Southern, but they were also very vocabulous: Their songs were full of analogies and wordplay. This is one of my favorite songs of all time.
5.
"Feel the Bass (Speaker Tearer Upper)" Magic Mike and the Royal Posse, 1989
This is just sheer 808 bass drum – the hardest and deepest bass you've ever heard. That was rock & roll to us: to be aggressive and offensive with the bass. It was a hood way of saying, "Fuck you."
6.
"Watch for the Hook" Cool Breeze feat. OutKast and Goodie Mob, 1998
It has a faster-sounding, East Coast kind of vibe. With this song, we were blurring the definition of what was Southern — impressively, I might add.
7.
"Sho Nuff" Tela, 1996
A strip-joint standard.
8.
"Stay Fly" Three 6 Mafia, 2005
That beat! It's a Willie Hutch sample they turned tribal.
9.
"Cell Therapy" Goodie Mob, 1995
Busta Rhymes was in a studio with us and said, "I want to bless you with some knowledge." He gave us [conspiracy-theorist tome] Behold a Pale Horse. So the lyrics are about New World Order and such
10.
"B.o.B." OutKast, 1999
This was just mega, from the energy to the urgency to the groove. It was like "Planet Rock," but more youthful.
http://rollingstoneextras.com/playlists/view/cee-lo
