Khujo Goodie’s name will forever go down in history as one-fourth of Goodie Mob.
The Atlanta native is best known for his standout, distinct raspy voice as he lays down bars freely with his effortless flow.
Combining the reality of the streets with religious references to God, real name Willie Knighton continues to do what he’s always loved most since the beginning: create music.
Regardless of life’s obstacles, Khujo remains in good spirits.
In 2002, he was involved in a near fatal car accident that left him with an amputated lower leg — but that doesn’t stop him from working.
To this day, Khujo remains the only featured artist on every single Outkast album, which includes Big Boi’s solo album. Last month, he unleashes his new single titled “Wes H Chn,” which preceded the release of his new tape Feed The Lions Vol. 1.
AllHipHop: Soul Food was a groundbreaking album, not just for you and Goodie Mob but also Outkast and everyone on the album. What does it feel like to see this album turn 25 next year?
Khujo Goodie: It seems like a really big accomplishment to me because it seems like a lot of people focusing on that album. We did a lot of albums so it could have just been any record. For some reason on Soul Food, with it being such an innocent record and it being the 25th anniversary, it just reminds me of how innocent we were. How alone in the music industry we were at that time coming from Atlanta, Georgia, so it’s a really big accomplishment being on Goodie Mob’s Soul Food man.
AllHipHop: Any big reunion plans coming?
Khujo Goodie: Of course, of course. We’re definitely in the studio with Organized Noize now. Well we do have a Goodie Mob Day laid down for us on August 19th. We have a Goodie Mob day in East Point, Atlanta on July 24th so we got some days to play around as far as doing something for us. But we’re planning on something really big for our 29th anniversary. We got a lot of new music, we’ll make a new song off the album. Maybe some BTS, behind the scenes type stuff. It’s going to be a real special occasion for us.
AllHipHop: What about new music from Goodie?
Khujo Goodie: Of course, of course. We just dropped new music with Organized Noize called “No Rain No Rainbow.” That single’s on all platforms right now and it’s featuring Goodie Mob, Sleepy Brown, and Organized Noize. Then of course, Cee-Lo just did a song with Big Boi and Sleepy called “Intentions.” A brand new single that’s out, creeping up the charts right now. Most definitely be on the lookout for new music from Goodie Mob Productions, which is us as individuals also.
AllHipHop: Being a godfather in the Atlanta hip-hop scene, can you explain the difference between Atlanta in the 80’s, 90’s, 2000’s, and 2010’s for each decade?
Khujo Goodie: Wow. [laughs] The best way I could explain the difference between those years has got to be the music. In the 80’s, Atlanta didn’t really have a hip-hop scene down here per se. We were still riding off the coattails of bass music from Miami. We were still riding off the gangster music from the West Coast, until we got our own identity with LaFace Records. Even though it was some hard ass MCs coming out of Atlanta, Georgia at that time. You got Ghetto Mafia, you got the Hard Boys that was coming out. There was definitely a lot of MCs doing their thing on the independent level but once Outkast came with the Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik and Goodie Mob was featured on those two songs in the 90’s — I mean that was like ‘93. But we had been underground recording music since we got out of high school in ‘86, you know what I mean? So I could just make that difference as far through music. Right now the 21st century, you got hip-hop living in the South right now. It’s being nourished, reinvented, and doing its thing in the South. That’s probably the difference between those years, and then the advancement as far as how music is being distributed.
AllHipHop: What did you do in the aftermath of Goodie Mob’s break up?
Khujo Goodie: Well, it wasn’t really a break up man. It was just that we kind of stopped doing music together because the record label decided they wanted to do things different than the way we wanted to do. We were actually forced to really hone in our powers and skills to keep putting music out. So in maybe ‘99 or 2000, that’s when I had dropped my first solo record. Because the Goodie Mob album, the World Party album, we dropped that in ‘99. Just being able to have experience in going out on the road with the Goodie Mob and writing music with the Goodie Mob, I had confidence and experience in writing my own solo album. My first solo album was The Man Not the Dawg. Not only just me, each individual was honing their skills and putting forth the effort to make our catalogue bigger.
AllHipHop: Was it hard to make money?
Khujo Goodie: Well no. It wasn’t hard to make money. We didn’t go out on the road during those times together, but we still put in the work. The three or four albums that we put out, we still got paid every three months. It was just a grind hustle. Our little brothers Outkast were still putting out music and they were wanting us to do features on their records, and people were also asking us to do features on other songs. We were still blessed and we would still eat because of the music that we were putting out in the beginning. It wasn’t offensive and it wasn’t derogatory. We weren’t disrespecting people like that so people still respect us to this day.
AllHipHop: Was everyone mad at Cee-Lo for leaving to go after his own solo career?
Khujo Goodie: Well, we weren’t because we had discussed that before time. Because if you go back in history on Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, you’ll hear Andre saying “Big Gipp, Goodie Mob, Cee-Lo, Outkast,” so right there he’s already making the difference between the energies at that time. But since we did so well on Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, Organized Noize and LaFace was like “okay well, let’s go ahead and put them together and let’s put out Soul Food.”
I guess at the time — no time is perfect for when you’re getting ready to go your own way and do your own solo stuff. We were friends and kinfolk at the beginning so just like family s### man, you get mad and ya’ll talk it over. Gotta get back in there and ya’ll do ya’ll damn thing. Like I said, we just did a song together called “No Rain No Rainbow” and we just got off tour. We just did the Dungeon Family tour (Big Boi) and we just got off tour with Erykah Badu.
AllHipHop: Did you work with Kanye in the studio when you guys made the song “Rebuilding?”
Khujo Goodie: You know what, I didn’t even know Kanye West had did that song until later on. Actually, we were in the studio with D-Dot, the Madd Rapper. You remember him? Back in the day with Diddy? We had no idea that he did that record man. We were in New York at the time in the studio, we were going through some tracks and that track right there just had a vibe to it. A different vibe. But I seen Kanye West, I don’t think he knew who I was. I mean, it was a while back. But I said “damn man that song you did for us, ‘Rebuilding,’ I had no idea you did that. It’s a great song.” So he showed me some love, he rocking with the movement.
AllHipHop: What do you think of Kanye’s new Christianity?
Khujo Goodie: Well I think it’s a brilliant idea what he’s doing, because I know exactly what he’s doing. It’s money in Gospel music too. I hadn’t heard his whole album to really give an opinion on it but I have heard some of the tracks. I like some of the production of what I heard.
AllHipHop: I’ve heard you refer to the Bible as a “history book” and nothing else.
Khujo Goodie: Yeah, it is. The Bible is a history book of the children of Israel and the people that fit the description of the children of Israel, or the people that came to America on slave ships. That’s what I got out of reading that history book.
AllHipHop: Is It true you believe you were the first person to use the term “trap” in hip-hop?
Khujo Goodie: I wouldn’t say I was the first to use that term because it was people that came before me doing the same thing that could be the meaning of what the word trap is. Trap was given to me from the streets number one, I can’t reverse it. It wasn’t something that I came up with personally in the lab saying t-r-a-p, okay trap. No, that’s a term that I got from the streets at the time before Goodie Mob came out. Before we were able to record music, so I have to give that credit it to the streets man. I was just able to put it in my rhymes. At that time, nobody else was using that word.
So nah, I ain’t going to take credit for it but I know a lot of people want to say that. But Andre said it in his raps on Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. He said “I set up traps so shut up that, nonsense about some solid 9’s, I got it crunk. If it aint real, ain’t right,” on “Players Ball.”
Now he said the word trap on “Players Ball” in that one particular line. That came out before Soul Food so if we want to be technical about that, he said the word first — on wax. But it’s all good. At the end of the day, it’s all about Goodie Mob putting out ours. In hip-hop, as being one of the greats.
AllHipHop: You are the only rapper to have appeared on every Outkast album. Can you explain your relationship with the guys and how it has remained so tight over the years?
Khujo Goodie: You know, I don’t know what it’s supposed to be. I just remember the first song I did after I came back when I had my leg amputated below the knee, it was called “Reset.” That was the song with me, Cee-Lo and Big Boi. One of the first songs I recorded once I got out the hospital. We were just recording at the end of the day. It was planned songs that were being recorded at that time not only by me, but other members of the Dungeon Family. I guess at the time, it was right to use that song. I’m just honored and thankful for that because a lot of people ask me about that. I’m like wow, what if I hadn’t been on those songs like that? Would I still get the same reaction? So it ain’t nothing but love that my little brothers would even choose me to come up and be featured on the songs. That ain’t nothing but love.
AllHipHop: Any updates on the new Outkast project?
Khujo Goodie: Outkast? No updates. Them boys stay in the studio. I know Big Boi’s working on The Big Sleepover with Sleepy Brown. Right now we’re working on the new Goodie Mob album. Each one of us individually is sharpening up what we got in the stash to get ready for 2020 at the end of the day. Hopefully, we’ll be on another tour with the Dungeon Family.
AllHipHop: Anything else you want to let us know?
Khujo Goodie: I want to tell the people to check out my new single called “WES H CHN,” produced by legendary Ku Dolla from Decatur, Georgia. I just dropped a new compilation album called Feed the Lions. It’s a compilation comprised of independent artists that come up to me and say “Khujo man, can you please present my music man? Can you please put my music out?” Actually, I have two songs on there, along with some great artists on there. Definitely worth checking out.