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One of the most enigmatic and innovative artists in pop music, Cee-Lo refuses to be defined. He’s a singer, rapper, songwriter, producer, all-around entertainer, and champion of creative freedom.

Cee-Lo was born Thomas DeCarlo Callaway in 1974, in Atlanta, the son of two ministers. He grew up fascinated by the gospel and soul music of the American South. When he was 16, his mother was involved in a car crash, leaving her quadriplegic. She died two years later, which informed Cee-Lo’s darker lyrics on songs such as “St. Elsewhere” and “A Little Better.”

While studying for his GED, he ran into his childhood friend Andre Benjamin (Andre 3000 of Outkast), and the two became creative confidants. Cee-Lo served as an understudy for Outkast’s Big Boi, lent his vocals to the duo’s track “Git Up, Git Out,” and became a member of the Dungeon Family collective. Outkast’s studio, Organized Noize, introduced Cee-Lo to fellow Atlanta MCs Big Gipp, Khujo and T-Mo, and they formed the group Goodie Mob. Cee-Lo’s half-sung raps quickly became the group’s hallmark.

The 1995 album Soul Food and its single “Cell Therapy” set the agenda. Using the same earthy textures as the first Outkast records, Goodie Mob’s music drew from the Southeast’s rich gospel and blues legacies. It also brought back the acute social conscience of Cee-Lo’s beloved Native Tongues era (A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul), to counter the violent nihilism of the then-dominant gangsta aesthetic. 1998’s Still Standing expanded the Mob’s mission and remains a street classic. On World Party, released a week before 2000, Goodie Mob attempted a commercial crossover, which magnified tensions within the group and left Cee-Lo wondering what to do next.

Cee-Lo left Goodie Mob and put out an APB for his muse. His 2002 solo debut, Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections, demonstrates the full-range of Cee-Lo’s artistic power. While it retains traces of the Dungeon Family’s influence, Perfect Imperfections is distinguished by its kitchen-sink eclecticism, held together by Cee-Lo’s crisp production and almost preternaturally versatile voice. Critics acknowledged his daring and diversity, and fans applauded it as his most personal work. The album featured “Closet Freak,” which became a signature hit.

2004’s Cee-Lo Green… Is the Soul Machine further explored his individualism, shifting from hip-hop to soul to pop with palpable joy. The album includes vitriolic battle-raps, tender ballads, spoken-word interludes, and collaborations with Timbaland (the hit “I’ll Be Around”), Pharrell (“The Art of Noise,” Cee-Lo’s personal statement of purpose), Jazzie Pha, T.I. and Ludacris. On the lyrics to songs such as “Die Trying” and “Living Again,” he addresses the difficulties he overcame, and his struggle to pursue his vision in an industry that sometimes misunderstands the artistic impulse.

Closet Freak: The Best of Cee-Lo Green the Soul Machine, released in 2006, contains selections from Goodie Mob and his two solo outings.

In 2003, Cee-Lo collaborated with artist/producer Danger Mouse on a remix of “What U Sittin’ On,” a track he recorded with rapper Jemini. Cee-Lo also appeared on “Benzi Box,” a track from The Mouse and the Mask, the 2005 release from Danger Mouse’s DANGERDOOM project. Cee-Lo’s partnership with Danger Mouse eventually solidified around a project called Gnarls Barkley, a unique mix of psychedelic pop and futuristic soul.

Gnarls Barkley’s irresistible single “Crazy” leaked in late 2005 and received immediate, heavy airplay on BBC Radio 1. When it was officially released in March 2006, it shot to the top of the UK charts on the strength of digital downloads alone, making it the first song in history to do so. “Crazy” dominated the summer and spawned countless cover versions. Cee-Lo completed the song’s soaring vocal, a meditation on art and will, in one take.

Gnarls Barkley released its full-length debut St. Elsewhere on April 24, 2006 in the UK and May 2 in the US. It garnered critical praise and became Cee-Lo’s best-selling work to date. Alongside “Crazy,” St. Elsewhere contains the hits “Smiley Faces,” “Gone Daddy Gone” and “Who Cares,” each of which showcases a new facet of Cee-Lo’s persona. The duo gained a reputation for its festive live performances, including Cee-Lo’s comic riffing and crowd interaction.

The Odd Couple followed on March 18, 2008. Cee-Lo’s performances on The Odd Couple are among his darkest and most psychologically complex, from the energized “Run (I’m a Natural Disaster)” and “Going On” to the menacing “Open Book” to the contemplative “Neighbors.” One of the album’s strongest tracks, “Who’s Gonna Save My Soul,” is a moving tribute to Cee-Lo’s unnamed, fallen hero.

Cee-Lo is one of the music industry’s top songwriters, most recently having penned the ubiquitous “Don’t Cha” for the Pussycat Dolls. Cee-Lo has sung hooks for numerous artists, including De La Soul, Nas, Carlos Santana and Twista. He lent his backing vocals to TLC’s anthem “Waterfalls.” Cee-Lo recently collaborated with comedian Jack Black, on a cover of Karl Douglas’s disco classic “Kung Fu Fighting,” for the film Kung Fu Panda.