Greensboro, NC- The 2025 North Carolina Folk Festival, sponsored by Cone Health, was held September 12-14, 2025. The yearly music festival, features musical acts from around the world and a plethora of vending opportunities and activities. Music traditions ranging from folk to funk, soul and blues and more, give a variety of options for authentic live concert experiences on multple sound stages situated around the downtown area. Each night of the festival, presents a headliner on the largest one, the Wyndham Championship City Stage. This year, one of the most prolific Hip-hop groups of all time, Arrested Development, took music lovers by storm for the Saturday night offering. Thousands of people unfamiliar and familiar with their revolutionary rap- style injected with social consciousness and positivity, bore witness to why the Grammy award-winning, Atlanta- based ensemble is legendary. Arrested Development won a Grammy in 1993 for Best Rap Performance by a duo or group. They also won a Grammy the same year for Best New Artist with the ground breaking debut, 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life of…. This esteemed them as the first rap group to ever win that category. This album is certified four times Platinum by The Recording Industry Association of America. In 1994. Their sophomore effort, Zingalamaduni, garnered more prestigious nods with the inspiring single “Ease My Mind”. Among other outstanding honors, They are Rock and Roll Hall of Fame trailblazers and are listed in Billboard’s Top 100 Rap Groups of All-Time. Arrested Development electrified the crowd with a colorful stage display and amazing lights. The sound was pristine with acoustics that commanded every instrument to be felt by all. There was no way to escape the positive energy they were injecting into the night. For more than an hour and a half, the attendees were mesmerized with deep and life affirming sounds from their discography that spans over three decades. Lead vocalist, Speech, guided the set with insightful narration and inspirational understanding to their body of work. While traveling swiftly through their lyrical content, he gave the crowd the keys to Arrested Development’s artistry. He unlocked the heart-felt meaning behind their debut single, “Tennessee”, paying homage to his grandmother and brother. In his early twenties, he penned the song to help with his grief journey. They both succumbed within days of one another. More than three decades later, it still holds meaningful truth to all who know the song, word for word. Among other crowd favorites like “Give A Man A Fish” and “People Everyday”, Speech, Tasha Larae, and Fareedah Aleem belted out soulful renditions accompanied with synchronized body movements to accentuate their cultural passions and “LOVE MUSIC ” mantra. The trio grooved to the live band, bass- heavy boom bap production, and sequencing with a console and digital software programming on- stage. This intensified the authenticity of it all.Their performance was balanced yet unpredictable. Their professionalism and showmanship exuded seasoned prowess and dedication. These attributes are among many reasons why Arrested Development is adored and respected around the world.
Seeing them in person is a must do for anyone who desires a high -energy, meaningful one-of-a-kind experience. Their latest album, Adult Contemporary Hip-hop, was released July 4, 2025. It is available on all digital streaming platforms.
