CeeLo Green got his start in the music industry as a member of the Atlanta hip-hop group Goodie Mob. His solo hits include “F–k You,” ‘I’ll Be Around,” “Fool For You,” and the Gnarls Barkley-assisted track, “Crazy.”
During an interview with Page Six, the Atlanta native recalls how he made a living before he became famous. He said, “I was robbing people by myself. You have to understand, I didn’t have friends and I was not in school. My mom did not know. I dropped out of school, so I was fronting like I was going.”
The five-time Grammy winner said he would leave for school every morning and take the train all day to make his mother think he was at school. It wasn’t until six years ago that he realized the impact of what he did back then.
“I had a young dude come to me and say, ‘You don’t remember me, but I remember you.’ He said, “I was a victim of your robbery.”
The 46-year-old claims he would hang out at the local train station and rob people for their shoes, jackets, or other items.
“He basically said, ‘You took my shoes at Hightower station,’ which is a MARTA train station in Atlanta, Georgia,” Green recalls. “And I said, ‘Sir, I’m so sorry. That was so long ago. I was so young and ignorant. Please forgive me.’ Then he said, ‘I already forgive you. I forgive you 1,000 times.’ He said, “Your music let me know that it was an intervention in your life and healing. I was able to heal from your healing.'”
The songwriter and producer then shared another story about an Instagram user who also claimed he “robbed her too.”
He continued, “All the good I proceeded to do has been intentional. My career has been intentional. It’s very concentrated for productivity’s sake because I actually love people. Music has a lot to do with being my love language.”
After over 30 years in the music industry, the soul singer is confident he made the right career choice despite mixed reviews from fans.
“If music did not happen…that’s the thing, I think music would have happened,” he said. “I was not as received or welcomed as I would like to be, but maybe that was just negativity within me. People were seemingly negative toward me.”
