F.U. C-Lo

One of the hottest and catchiest songs on the charts right now is a song with 3 different titles, each with distinct accompanying lyrics. Officially known as F**k You! during it's sneak preview run on YouTube, it was an instant viral success, registering over two million plays in less than a week, and that was without a video.

On September 1, 2010, Cee-Lo Green (the artist) released an official music video of the song, and it is an absolute blast to watch. As a result, when the single was actually released, F**k You! debuted at #1 on the UK charts, AND THE ALBUM ISN'T EVEN OUT YET! The album, The Lady Killer is set to be released by Elektra Records on November 9, 2010 (Quick shout-out: "The day Moe turn fo-fo").

Obviously, a society as pure as ours wouldn't allow such language to be played on radio or TV. That sort of filth maintains it's rightful place in the grand bouillabaisse of deviant entertainment we so fondly know as "The Internet". Hence the subsequent "safe" titles: F.U. (Very clever. The kids'll never crack that code.), and Forget You, which grace the Wal-Mart shelves for moms who want to protect the young 'uns from profanity and irreverence but still want them to get down with the funky soul grooves, you know?

Regardless of what it's called, it's a damn fine song that seems to have come out of nowhere by an artist who seems to have done the same.
There are a surprising amount of people who somehow still think that Cee-lo is some novelty act destined to be another one-hit wonder. I say this is surprising because I thought we covered this about 4 years back when people were saying the same thing about his duo with DJ Danger Mouse known as Gnarles Barkley. I know you still remember Crazy because it hit the charts like a bullet the same way as F.U. But even then he wasn't "new".

So who is Cee-Lo? I know many of you know, but this is for the rest of you.

In the late 90s, Cee-Lo belonged to a critically acclaimed rap foursome known as Goodie Mob, who gave us tunes like Soul Food, Dirty South, and They Don't Dance No Mo'.

Despite being the youngest member of the band, he was the first to feel that "solo career" itch. The remaining 3 members Big Gipp, T-Mo, and Khujo (whose monikers deprived them of corporate careers) continued to perform together under the Goodie Mob name. Their next full album was entitled One Monkey Don't Stop No Show, but it was obviously all in jest because they are apparently all on good terms now, and have been collaborating on projects for years.

Note: I urge their record company to keep them away from Yoko Ono.

Initially, his solo career encountered some speed bumps in the form of little exposure and low sales, but on his second album, he boasted a resumé of collaborations with names like Ludacris, T.I., and Pharrell, as well as production from Timbaland and The Neptunes. The album was called Cee Lo Green... Is the Soul Machine, and despite similar travails, it contained some very funky hip-hop hybrids.

Arista Records eventually made their money back. To capitalize on the success of Gnarles Barkley, they released a greatest hits compilation of this suddenly interesting artist entitled, Closet Freak: The Best of Cee-Lo Green the Soul Machine.

Gnarles Barkley's album St. Elsewhere spawned the aforementioned Crazy which has the distinction of being the first single to go straight to #1 in the UK based on digital download sales alone. Crazy made a lot of fans stand up and take notice and if you heard the rest of the album, you know that this was no "one-trick pony". This was his best-selling project to-date.

A second Gnarls Barkley album entitled The Odd Couple, caught the attention of critics and passionate followers, but didn't repeat the same sales success.

Well, he wasted no time getting back on the horse, and his people must have recognized the cathartic appeal to a song that tells the ex-girlfriend,
"Now I know that I had to borrow, beg and steal and lie and cheat. Trying to keep ya, trying to please ya...‘Cause being in love with yo' ass ain’t cheap."

Cee-Lo Green is back to show us that he truly IS The Soul Machine.

Now get yo' ass to iTunes or "Ye Olde Music Shoppe" to pick up a copy of his latest, The Ladykillers, and get on down wit'cho funky self.

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