Speech Thomas

Speech Thomas is the two-time Grammy Award-winning founder and lead singer of the four-time platinum hip-hop collective Arrested Development.

Known for consistently pushing the artistic and social envelope, Thomas’s keynote mixed with a musical performance makes for an experience.

Brave leaders can accomplish the seemingly impossible under any circumstance, but how often do we take a step back and ask ourselves if we could do that? Too often we assume that brave leaders are extraordinary people, unlike us, and never stop to consider that each of us holds the traits to become one. Brave leaders make bold moves, and each of us has an opportunity to do the same, and that is the message that Thomas is sharing with global audiences.

Today, Thomas is known for his entrepreneurship, philanthropy and as the beloved leader of Arrested Development, but he didn't always have those accolades behind him. Growing up in Milwaukee, one of the most statistically difficult places for black youth, Thomas understood that he had to make his own path. Pushing against all trends around rap and hip-hop, he and his bandmates decided to focus on more uplifting and positive messaging. It was a brave move at the time when lyrics were filled with hateful and violent words. But staying the course of creating a different impact served them well, which led to their song “Tennessee” becoming Arrested Development's first hit single as well as Best Rap Song winner at the Grammys and being named one of the “500 songs that shaped Rock and Roll” by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. What helped Thomas be a brave leader at a time when he could have been swayed to march in the same direction of other performers? It is that story that he is sharing with global audiences, and how he was able to break away from the mainstream and dig deeper to find a new way to impact the masses. And his message is helping people ask themselves, “What is my Brave Leadership path?

Thomas’s messages couldn’t be more timely. With people feeling powerless and more overwhelmed than ever before, he inspires people to want to accomplish the extraordinary. He challenges participants to look around the room and realize that everyone has the potential to “do what they can with what they have and with the people around them.” At a time when companies are trying to encourage their employees to grow in every way possible, this powerful talk can be used as a springboard for fostering a new generation of brave leaders.