Whats goin on yall? I'm Jay Fusion, from an upcoming company called Swap Management. We manage many artists such as B.G., Nappy Roots, various Dj's, and other ventures.
“When you think of Nappy, you think raw and untamed," says Nappy Roots’ member Fish Scales, explaining the Kentucky-based hip-hop sextet's unique moniker. "But you also think pure and natural." "That's what we are," chimes in partner in rhyme, Skinny Deville. "Our name signifies our unwillingness to conform with fads. Once the fads die out, you always come back to the roots."
Nappy Roots formed in 1995 around a group of students attending Western Kentucky University and living in Bowling Green. The six members of the group, Skinny DeVille, B. Stille, Ron Clutch, Big V, R. Prophet, and Fish Scales began making music together at a local record shop cum studio named ET's Music and released their full-length debut Country Fried Cess in 1998.
Drawn to the group's distinctive twist on Southern bounce, major labels came calling, and Nappy Roots eventually signed with Atlantic Records. Their label debut, Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz, was released in 2002 and sold over 1.2 million units. Rolling Stone described the album as "an organic classic" and exclaimed that the band had, overnight, "carved out a new hip-hop niche: the humble South.”
Shying from the self-aggrandizing flashiness that has become a staple of recent hip-hop, Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz stands as a humble reflection of the group’s origins. "You ain't gotta be country to understand it," says Big V of the album's title and overarching themes. "Our music is just like those foods - fresh of the earth, of the soul."
They received a 2003 Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for their blockbuster hit "Po' Folks" featuring Anthony Hamilton. Nappy Roots also garnered a pair of 2003 American Music Award nominations for Favorite New Artist and Favorite Band, Duo or Group.
The band's 2003 follow-up record, Wooden Leather, received significant critical acclaim and cemented Nappy Roots as a hip-hop powerhouse and one of the genre's most influential acts. Working with hip-hop’s most sought-after producers, including, Kanye West, Lil Jon, Jazze Pha, and Raphael Saadiq, the album reflects deep maturity and thoughtfulness. Having toured around the globe after Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz, Nappy Roots employed a worldly perspective in constructing Wooden Leather. “We had been to across the country and talked about more than just the South.”
In 2002, Nappy Roots joined Jay-Z, N.E.R.D, Hoobastank, and 311 as featured acts on the trailblazing Sprite Liquid Mix Tour. Nappy Roots teamed up with Dave Matthews Band and P.O.D. for one of 2004’s most high-profile tours. Later that summer the group appeared with Bob Marley’s sons as a headlining act at Marleyfest. They were also part of Warner Brothers Television Network's highly popular "WB On Tour" with funnyman Jaime Kennedy.
Nappy Roots has also taken a leading role in community and charitable initiatives. The band appeared in Speak Up, a series of PAX-sponsored television public service announcements, a campaign urging students to take an active role in preventing school violence. More recently, Nappy Roots has pledged its support to use music as a tool to increase literacy through the Failure Free program.
Nappy Roots' upcoming release, The Humdinger, is one of 2005's most anticipated records. As the title suggests, The Humdinger is, indeed, an album of remarkable excellence. Continuing the growth exhibited in Wooden Leather, Nappy Roots showcases a lyrical complexity and an inventive sound. Socially and politically aware, The Humdinger, reflects a confluence of Southern and global hip-hop qualities. Soulful and playful, Deville promises that the record will be “some of the most honest music you can find.” Hit single "Rewind" already has been banging clubs coast to coast.
1. Intro
2. The Dialogue
3. Took It To The Woods
4. Fishscales Skit
5. Big Boy Shit
6. Sun Don't Shine
7. That's What They Say
8. On The One
9. Big V Freestyle
10. Hip Hop
11. Strangers In The Night
12. Go Low
13. B Stille Freestyle
14. Move Ya Body
15. Fishscales Freestyle
16. Welcome To The World
17. Ron Clutch P.S.A.
18. Boulevard
19. Skinny Deville Freestyle
20. Who Are You
21. Shake Em Up
http://www.southwest-connection.com/new ... appyr1.mp3
http://www.southwest-connection.com/new ... appyr2.mp3