Gumbo
In the wake of Arrested Development's huge crossover success, it seemed inevitable that Speech's first venture as a producer would create considerable media interest. Gumbo share more than Speech's input with Arrested Development, notably the affable but politicised Afrocentric vision, and the lolling, unhurried pace. Gumbo comprise three principals; mother figure Deanna Dawn (raps, vocals), percussionist and dancer Gichii Gamba and lead rapper Faluke Kele Fulani (b. c.1976), the latter writing the group's lyrics, .Although the comparisons to Arrested Development and P.M. Dawn will not be easy to shed, they have been greeted with enthusiasm by an audience already worked up on the idea of black cultural rap which does not romanticise an urban base. Signed to Cooltempo in the UK, their debut album was soaked in funk and Afro-Cuban rhythms, with jazz samples culled from John Coltrane and Charles Mingus.