The goal of any musical artist is longevity. Success and popularity typically ebbs and flows and longevity can make sure that you and your group around for several of these cycles. This lesson is well-known to Fayetteville resident Speech, the leader of hip-hop’s Arrested Development, and a solo artist in his own right.

Arrested Development’s debut album “3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life of..” sold over five million copies. Songs like “People Everyday,” “Mr. Wendal,” and, the group’s first single, and biggest hit, “Tennessee” propelled Arrested Development to the world’s biggest stages and two Grammy awards. Sixteen years later, the group has released a new album, “Since the Last Time,” with different goals but the same love of making and performing what they call “Life Music.”

“The new album is selling well overseas and it is just starting to get some attention in the U.S.,” Speech said in an interview, discussing how different the process of selling an album is these days. When the group hit it big with their debut album, MTV was key, but today videos aren’t as influential as satellite and internet radio, music blogs and web sites. Speech also finds that regular radio seems to be locked into its ideas.

“There are only a few major labels in the states, and lots of program directors at radio stations have lost the input to decide what to play,” Speech stated. “It isn’t as streamlined overseas.”

In addition to all of his work with Arrested Development, Speech has made a few solo albums and is currently working on another. All of the music is created at Vagabonds Records, an unassuming building on Ga. Hwy 54 that houses recording studios and the group’s offices. It offers a comfortable atmosphere great for creativity, and Speech has even thought about adding a small coffee shop inside so that people can just drop in.

Today, Arrested Development courts college and terrestrial radio stations market by market and are starting to approach satellite radio and work with the new technology that is at their fingertips and has been a successful tool for a lot of artists.

The work on promoting the album falls to Vagabond Records and the group, and the result is a hands-on effort with all the control.

“It has always been my dream to be more grassroots and be able to have more input and creativity,” said Speech. “This feels like the beginning of my dream.”

While Speech and Arrested Development try to reach listeners through various mediums, they are most successful when performing before an audience. At a recent festival in Florida, along with bands like R.E.M. and the Beastie Boys, Arrested Development won over the crowd, which was filled with people ages 18-26, too young to have heard of the group when they were a Buzz Band in the early 1990s.

“It is just awesome to see these new people discover our music and come along for the journey,” said Speech.

One thing that might be helping the new album is the nostalgic sound. Co-produced with S*A*M*, who produced the Gym Class Heroes’ “Clothes Off,” Speech feels that “Since the Last Time” sounds like older hip-hop.

While the most recent festival appearances have been encouraging, a recent show at The Loft in Atlanta before a close to sell-out crowd has Speech hopeful about the album and the group gaining traction.

There are a number of appearances for the group scheduled, and Speech will perform as a solo artist at Georgia State University in May. His latest solo project is an album called “The Grown Folks Table” and will include appearances from Maxie and Marvin Priest, Jurassic 5’s Charlie Tuna, Belgian group Zap Mama and Christian hip-hop artist Braille.

“This album has a harder feel and allows me to tackle different themes with kind of a different voice,” Speech said. “It’s a lot more personal.”

A spiritual man to be sure, Speech, an ordained minister with the Greater Atlanta Church of Christ, discusses Jesus on his solo album without being preachy.

“I never wanted to be a gospel artist and I still don’t,” Speech stated. “I want to write for people who don’t profess to be Christians - people in all different types of situations, that’s the heart of what I do.” Speech considers his music to be more testimony than sermon, although as a minister he can give quite a sermon.

“I became a Christian 11 years ago, and I was involved and zealous with the church. One day, the leadership of the church said I’ve served the church all these years and asked if I’d like to be ordained. I said sure.” Since then, he has married friends and preached, but he feels no different.

“The dedication had always been there, this was more of a confirmation to my service and faith to God.”

In addition to his service to his family, his band and his church, Speech has also given his time to causes he finds worthwhile. He has been involved with the Freedom Project, which works to stop human trafficking, and also a project called “1 Giant Leap,” a multimedia project which aimed for “unity through diversity.”

“1 Giant Leap is out to prove that people all over the world share more similarities than differences,” Speech said describing the project. “I am so proud of what I was able to contribute.”

Speech and Arrested Development both support presidential candidate Barack Obama and have performed at a number of concerts and appearances, including the one in South Carolina that Oprah Winfrey attended.

Arrested Development has a number of tour dates lined up in the U.S., and after a surgery on a nodule on Speech’s vocal cord this summer, the group is prepared to tour more of the U.S. and then head back overseas.

Though the group sees more people in other countries and album sales for the new album are considerably lower than album sales of their multi-platinum selling debut, Speech and Arrested Development are O.K. with where they are and hungry to rise to the top again.

“The journey from selling five million albums to not selling many was hard,” Speech admitted. “I did ask myself who am I without the hits.”

That question has been answered for both him and his bandmates. Though doing what they did with the first album would be amazing to do again, the goals this time, especially in a hip-hop and music climate that caters to one-hit wonders, dance crazes and ringtones, are decidedly different.

“There is no end in sight for us,” Speech stated flatly. “We’re constantly working and though there have been highs and lows in our career our lows have been incredible.”

“Since the Last Time” might not be blaring from every stereo in the nation right now, but when you shared a stage with R.E.M. and Beastie Boys only a few short weeks ago, you’re not doing too bad.

Listen to Arrested Development’s Since the Last Time

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