Nappy Roots

Country and proud of it, Nappy Roots came together in 1995 as six Western Kentucky University students in Bowling Green. Skinny DeVille, B. Stille, Ron Clutch, and Big V represented the Kentucky contingent, while R. Prophet arrived from Oakland and Fish Scales hailed from Milledgeville, Georgia. The members began recording at the local shop and studio ET's Music, issuing their first full-length project, Country Fried Cess, in 1998. Major labels soon took notice of the ensemble's singular take on Southern bounce, leading to a deal with Atlantic. Their Atlantic debut, Watermelon, Chicken and Gritz, appeared in 2002, followed a year later by Wooden Leather. Multiple postponements preceded the August 2008 arrival of the long-awaited The Humdinger, the first release without R. Prophet, who had departed for a solo path. Two years afterward the remaining five-piece delivered The Pursuit of Nappyness. Their fifth album overall, Nappy Dot Org, surfaced in 2011 through a partnership with Atlanta's renowned Organized Noize. Although the 2012 mixtape Nappy Roots Presents Sh!ts Beautiful kept the name active, the next proper album did not emerge until 2015's The 40 Akerz Project. Its sequel, Another 40 Akerz, reached listeners in 2017 and included contributions from Ashley Rose, Gareth Asher, ForteBowie, Jarren Benton, and additional guests.