"Where?," the new single from middle-aged hip-hop group Arrested Development, doesn't sound particularly modern. Like much of the group's output over the last decade, it feels like it could fit comfortably on their multiplatinum debut, both in terms of its warm, sample-heavy collage of jazz, soul, and gospel sounds and its unabashed, socially conscious earnestness.

Read More

“We’re going to do a celebration,” frontman Speech told WTOP. “Celebrating the first album, celebrating the music of Arrested Development, but also the diversity and brilliance of hip-hop. … Come on out, it’s going to be an amazing two shows. … We have a new album called ‘Craft & Optics,’ we’re going to be doing three songs from that, so it’s going to be a fun show.”

Read More

We don’t “put our hands in the air and wave them like we just don’t care” at the folk fest. Hmmph, the very idea! We do it because we DO care. It’s just that kind of a shiny, happy event. There was no better band to illustrate this phenomenon than Arrested Development…

Read More

In October 2018, while on a 26-date tour across Europe, Grammy award winner American hiphop band Arrested Development released their ninth studio album. Entitled Craft and Optics, it is composed of thirteen tracks and is now available on digital format.

Read More

There’s some remarkable music coming out of Richmond this year, not from a commercial studio or a concert hall but from the city’s jail. The program is designed to spark redemption through music.

Read More

RICHMOND, VA – Afro-centric Hip Hop group Arrested Development has always been about affecting positive change. Frontman Todd “Speech” Thomas has built his storied career around uplifting his audience while tackling complex issues — from homelessness to racism.

Read More

Sitting in the middle of the five-person circle is Todd “Speech” Thomas, hip-hop artist and leader of the music group Arrested Development. Dressed in a white, buttoned-up business shirt and overalls rolled up at the ankle, paint splattered on the legs, his fashion sense from his 1990s Grammy-winning days still remains. 

Read More

Photos courtesy Travis Conklin, F4D Studios

"How many rappers will get in the garden with me so we can get these kids growing?"

Read More