It took the group three years, five months and two days to be offered a record deal. Hence the name of the first album was 3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life Of..., which produced several hit tracks. These included "Tennessee", "People Everyday", and "Mr. Wendal", which hit the top ten. The group won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and Best New Artist, and were also Band of the Year by Rolling Stone magazine. Their 1994 follow-up Zingalamaduni, which did very well with some critics but was panned by many others, sold poorly. After the group broke up in 1996, Speech released a solo album, but sales were poor. The group reunited in 2000 (sans Headliner) and has been touring and releasing records via Speech's Vagabond Productions and Speech Music. While Arrested Development has struggled to regain a following in the U.S., they have met moderate, consistent success in Japan.
Although she was never an official member of the band (and frequently clashed with Speech), the haunting voice behind "Tennessee", Dionne Farris, released a successful solo album in 1994, Wild Seed-Wild Flower. The album spawned the hit single, "I Know".
In November 2003, the group sued the FOX network over their TV show Arrested Development. The suit is referenced in the Arrested Development episode "Motherboy XXX."
In June 2005, the group won the first round of NBC's television series contest Hit Me Baby One More Time, performing "Tennessee" and covering Los Lonely Boys' "Heaven."
Baba Oje died in October 2018, aged 87.
People Everyday
Arrested Development Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Business as I kick up the treble tone
On my radio tape player box, right
Just loud enough so folks could hear it's hype, see?
Outta nowhere comes the woman I'm dating
Investigation maybe she was demonstrating
But nevertheless I was pleased
My day was going great and my soul was at ease
Drinking the 40 oz, going the nigga route
Disrespecting my black queen
Holding their crotches and being obscene
At first I ignored them cause see I know their type
They got drunk and got guns and they wanna fight
And they see a young couple having a time that's good
And their egos wanna test a brother's manhood
So they came to test Speech cause of my hair-do
And the loud bright colors that I wear
I was a target cause I'm a fashion misfit
And the outfit that I'm wearing brothers dissing it
Well I stay calm and pray the niggas leave me be
But they're squeezing parts of my date's anatomy
Why, Lord, do brothers have to drill me?
Cause if I start to hit this man he'll have to kill me
I am everyday people
I told the niggas please let us pass, friend
I said please cause I don't like killing Africans
But he wouldn't stop and I ain't Ice Cube
But I had to take the brother out for being rude
And like I said before I was mad by then
It took three or four cops to pull me off of him
But that's the story y'all of a black man
Acting like a nigga and get stomped by an African
I am everyday people
Arrested Development's "People Everyday" is a social commentary on the struggles and discrimination that African Americans face in their daily lives. The lyrics serve as a narrative that illustrates a typical day in an African American's life with constant scrutiny from others. The song starts with a description of a peaceful day at the park until a group of men start to harass Speech's black queen, groping her while disrespecting her. Despite Speech's attempts to brush it off initially, the men continue to provoke him and his date, leading to a physical altercation.
The lyrics highlight the constant scrutiny and harassment faced by African Americans, particularly men, as they go about their daily lives. The song speaks to the experience of systemic racism, discrimination, and prejudice. Speech and his date are targeted and harassed simply because of their race, clothes, and appearance. The song shows the unfortunate reality that for many African Americans, even everyday activities like going to the park, going on dates, or listening to music can lead to confrontation and abuse.
Overall, "People Everyday" is a reflection of the ongoing struggle for racial equality and justice in America. The song inspires listeners to continue to stand up against discrimination and fight for a more just and equal society, where everyone can live freely and without fear.
Line by Line Meaning
See I was resting at the park minding my own
Business
I was relaxing in the park, not bothering anyone.
as I kick up the treble tone
On my radio tape player box, right
Just loud enough so folks could hear it's hype, see?
I turned up the volume on my radio so that others could hear the music.
Outta nowhere comes the woman I'm dating
Investigation maybe she was demonstrating
My girlfriend unexpectedly appeared and I wondered if she was trying to show me something.
But nevertheless I was pleased
My day was going great and my soul was at ease
Despite the uncertainty, I was happy and content with my day.
Until a group of brothers started bugging out
Drinking the 40 oz, going the nigga route
Disrespecting my black queen
Holding their crotches and being obscene
Some guys showed up and started acting aggressively, drinking and being disrespectful toward my girlfriend.
At first I ignored them cause see I know their type
They got drunk and got guns and they wanna fight
And they see a young couple having a time that's good
And their egos wanna test a brother's manhood
I tried to ignore them because I recognized their behavior as dangerous and aggressive. They were likely looking for a fight to prove their masculinity.
So they came to test Speech cause of my hair-do
And the loud bright colors that I wear
I was a target cause I'm a fashion misfit
And the outfit that I'm wearing brothers dissing it
They specifically targeted me because of my unique fashion sense.
Well I stay calm and pray the niggas leave me be
But they're squeezing parts of my date's anatomy
Why, Lord, do brothers have to drill me?
Cause if I start to hit this man he'll have to kill me
I tried to remain calm, but they started touching my girlfriend inappropriately. I didn't want to fight them because I knew it could end badly.
I told the niggas please let us pass, friend
I said please cause I don't like killing Africans
But he wouldn't stop and I ain't Ice Cube
But I had to take the brother out for being rude
I asked them to let us go peacefully, but they refused. I didn't want to resort to violence, but I had to defend myself when they became aggressive.
And like I said before I was mad by then
It took three or four cops to pull me off of him
But that's the story y'all of a black man
Acting like a nigga and get stomped by an African
I am everyday people
I became angry and had to be restrained by police. This is a story of a black man standing up for himself and being labeled as the aggressor. Despite this, I am simply an ordinary person like everyone else.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT MUSIC
Written by: Todd Thomas
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Junior ngatiri
Lyrics
People
Right about this time, stay loose
Cool, chilled licks by one called, Arrested Development
Say, come on, selectah, easy
See, I was resting at the park minding my own
Business as I kick up the treble tone
On my radio tape player box, right?
Just loud enough so folks could hear it's hype, see?
Outta nowhere comes the woman I'm dating
Investigation, maybe she was demonstrating
But nevertheless I was pleased
My day was going great and my soul was at ease
Until a group of brothers started buggin' out
Drinkin' the 40 oz, going the nigga route
Disrespecting my black queen
Holding their crotches and being obscene
At first I ignored 'em 'cause, see, I know their type
They got drunk and got guns and they wanna fight
And they see a young couple having a time that's good
And their egos wanna test a brother's manhood
So they came to test Speech 'cause of my hairdo
And the loud bright colors that I wear
I was a target 'cause I'm a fashion misfit
And the outfit that I'm wearing, brothers dissin' it
Well I stay calm and pray the niggas leave me be
But they're squeezing parts of my date's anatomy
Why, Lord, do brothers have to drill me?
'Cause if I start to hit this man they'll have to kill me! See?
I am everyday people
You see, I am everyday people
I told the niggas, "Please let us pass, friend"
I said "Please", 'cause I don't like killing Africans
But he wouldn't stop and I ain't Ice Cube
But I had to take the brother out for being rude
And like I said before, I was mad by then
It took three or four cops to pull me off of him
But that's the story y'all of a black man
Acting like a nigga and get stomped by an African
You see
I am everyday people (everyday, yeah)
You see, I am everyday people
The moral of the story is
You better look very hard at who you step into
'Cause you might get killed, or shot, and it's not worth it
Africans need to be loving each other, and unite
Dustin
Some songs age gracefully and this one will never get old.
Duke Nicholson
The enemy would have to KILL US ALL.........#eternalx
Dany Seevraz
AGREE...It's a mood booster
Dustin
@Dany Seevraz for sure I love this one.
Hershel Fowler
TIMELESS
ATOMIC-HUSKY
AMEN to that🙏🏾
Champ LION
I usually don’t comment but I just had to. This was a child gold memory for me. It took me ages to find this song and today I finally found it, tears to my eyes🥲. I feel like child again and I’m 33 years old dude. I’ll end it here, I can’t describe how the memory was great in the 90’s. Thank you so much!
Steven Mackie
I tear up whenever I hear the chorus. It reminds me of back when I was 9-11 years old out at the park in the summertime.
cornel stamate
times have changed
GenEx
Same, I was a teen when this came out