Nappy Roots Albums (3)
What The Critics Say
Fans will be pleased to find that a platinum-selling major-label splash and critical praise from all quarters hasn't gentrified the gloriously rustic Nappy Roots in the slightest. Scraping and scrapping down South just like they did on Watermelon, Chicken and Gritz, the six-pack of rapping Kentuckians alter their focus only slightly on Wooden Leather, the group's second album for Atlantic after two self-released LPs. They do make a few concessions to their new globe-trotting schedule, courtesy of the video hit "Roun' the Globe," which declares in the chorus that the Nappy aesthetic is starting to take hold ("the whole damn world's country"). Fortunately they never swap their emphasis on some serious crunk-drawling for rap music's usual curb-sitting; in fact, the group expand their purview to look lovingly at lower-class life from several viewpoints: perseverance on "Push On," dogged self-improvement on "Work in Progress," and a fatalistic despair on "These Walls" (sample lyric: "As darkness approaches and I'm fumbling through the blunt roaches/It's looking hopeless, totally unfocused, stumbling onto the front porch"). Of course, the infamous clap is never far away, and Wooden Leather is nearly as much a bounce party as before, led by the Lil' Jon collaboration "What Cha Do? (The Anthem)" and the squelchy funk of "Good God Almighty." ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
'Watermelon, Chicken and Gritz'
Release Date 2/26/2002
Tracks 20
Label Atlantic
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Nappy Roots' major-label debut is a fast-moving affair, stock-full of sweet pop hooks and loaded down with an easy, good-time feeling. Watermelon, Chicken and Gritz is a party album of a different sort, splitting the difference between the fat beats of the West Coast and the Dirty South's gritty funk to carve out their own distinctive, high-octane jams. The group's six members met at Western Kentucky University -- four are Kentucky natives -- and make little secret of their Southern roots. With all six members taking turns on the mic, Nappy Roots keeps a rapid pace up, swerving through the 17 tracks here with effortless energy. Southern twang and drawl stand out on tracks like "Kentucky Mud" and the hit single "Awnaw," giving Watermelon, Chicken and Gritz a pleasant, down-home feeling. While the sound here is refreshing, the lyrics rarely stand out and after awhile some of the tracks tend to blur together. Still is this fun -- perfect for rolling down the road on a sunny day and guaranteed to get the party started. ~ Martin Woodside, All Music Guide
