Largely known for their string of popular hit entries such as “Po’ Folks,” “Awnaw,” “Roun’ The Globe” and “Good Day,” Fish Scales, Skinny DeVille, B. Stille and Ron Clutch, collectively known as Nappy Roots, are still just as relevant [see: important to and for the culture] today as they were when the Down South Rap crew first burst onto the Hip-Hop scene more than two long decades ago.
Let’s tap in with dem World Famous Country Boyz…
Let’s hop right into this single, “Kiss The Sky.” Tell me about this particular track; how did it actually come to fruition?
“Kiss The Sky” is a track that is simply just a good time; it’s just a song that our fans can play in their cars, at their homes, etcetera, and just enjoy. With that said, the song and the visuals are inspired by the ‘70’s. While there was turmoil during that era, it was also an era where music and the arts grew substantially. It was a decade where people had fun despite any turbulence or conflict.
How then does “Kiss The Sky” either differ and/or compare to previous Nappy Roots selections?
It’s still the same upbeat, feel-good Hip-Hop many of our fans from day one are used to hearing from Nappy Roots, but – if you listen to the lyrics – this track is written based on the chapter of our lives that we are in now. All four of us are no longer in our twenties; we are in our forties with wives and families and that’s what you’ll hear from us that differs from our music that launched our careers 22 years ago. It’s an evolved version of Nappy Roots that’s more fitting for this period of our lives.
From a lyrical standpoint, when you all sit down to pen your rhymes where do you draw inspiration from?
Honestly, from life and from each other. For us, the writing process and way in which we create a song is very collaborative. Our producer, 808Blake, comes in with a beat and theme in mind for the song. We all take the time to write our individual verses around that theme, but we also take time to listen to whoever goes in the booth first and adjust what we plan on saying based on the story he’s trying to tell. After some back-and-forths, tweaks, and weeks of listening to the song, we land on a version we all are excited for fans and Hip-Hop lovers to hear.
Reflecting, tell me your whole inception into music – when did you all first become interested in it? And how did it all begin for Nappy Roots?
It really began for Nappy Roots at Western Kentucky University, where we all met going to school, though we each got there at different times. Initially, Clutch and Skinny started in 1993 and met the first week of school, hitting it off almost immediately. Scales got to WKU in 1995 on a full scholarship for basketball, and Stille, who was close friends with Skinny’s younger brother, arrived in Bowling Green in 1997.
But the evolution from a bunch of friends rapping in college to making music professionally as Nappy Roots started in 1995 after we listened to Goodie Mob. We all are remarkable at rapping and lyricism, but Goodie Mob inspired us to take the chance to represent Kentucky in the same way they represented Atlanta with Soul Food. And from there, we grew from – like Scales says in “Awnaw” broke, rapping with no headphones and microphones in a closet – to releasing our first record, Country Fried Cess in 1998. That ultimately led to us getting signed to Atlantic Records and releasing Watermelon, Chicken & Grits in 2002, and the rest is history.
Now, you all hail from Bowling Green, Kentucky, correct? So growing up in ‘Vette City,’ who all did/do you consider to be your strongest musical influences?
The group Nappy Roots was created at WKU in Bowling Green, but each of us grew up outside of there. For Skinny, Clutch, and Stille, Louisville is their hometown. Scales is originally from Milledgeville, GA. But no matter where we grew up, our time in college had a significant impact on our success. As college students and rappers from Kentucky, one of our biggest influences was Static Major. He was one of the first to capture and direct Hip-Hop’s attention to Kentucky and motivated us to continue that legacy and represent the state. Other musical influences include Goodie Mob, Wu-Tang Clan, Notorious BIG, and N.W.A.
How did you all even come together to form this collective?
Originally, it was just Skinny and Clutch that were Nappy Roots. When Scales arrived at WKU in 1995, he saw Skinny and Clutch, a.k.a. Nappy Roots, on campus and immediately recognized that it was something special. He wanted to be part of it. Though Stille joined the group in 1997, he had been friends with Skinny’s younger brother his entire life. And with the addition of two other group members at that time, that’s how Nappy Roots was formed…by six friends who had fun and were skilled rappers.
Where does the group’s moniker originally derive from?
The name “Nappy Roots” was derived from Clutch cutting hair out of his dorm room at WKU. There was a moment when he and Skinny were the only ones at WKU and Clutch’s clippers broke, which forced Skinny – who was his best customer – to grow out his hair. Coincidentally, that was around the time the Fugees had released a song called “Nappy Heads,” where Lauryn Hill says, “I got a head full of problems and a hand full of nappy roots.” That phrase resonated with the two. The name took on a deeper meaning as we grew and developed a strong bond and brotherhood with one another. While “nappy” is generally classified as an offensive term to describe the tight coils of afro-centric hair, we found positivity in the term by describing our brotherhood and bond as “tight as nappy roots.”
Having said that, how do you all classify your overall sound and/or style?
We’re classified as Southern-infused alternative Rap, but in reality Nappy Roots is Hip-Hop for everyday life and the everyday person. We’re not trying to sell a lifestyle of glitz and glamour with money and fame. We’re trying to make music that anyone can use as a soundtrack to a day in their life. No matter what you’re going through – celebrating something great, mourning a loss, or just trying to get through a rough day – we have a song that can relate to your situation.
Switching gears here, what exactly do you all want people to get from your music?
We want people to find solace, celebration, or whatever feeling in our music. We aren’t gangster rappers talking about how tough the streets are, and we aren’t rappers with bling and blitz talking about Lamborghinis and billion-dollar mansions. We are just four country guys from Georgia and Kentucky trying to make music that someone that lives on a dirt road, someone that lives in the suburbs, and someone that lives in a penthouse in the city can listen and relate to.
If you all could collaborate with any one artist, living or dead, who would it be and why?
We’ve been lucky enough to collaborate and perform with so many legendary artists over the course of our careers, but we wish we would have had more opportunities to work with Static Major before he passed in 2008. As we said earlier, he’s really the first generation of Kentucky Hip-Hop and an inspiration to Nappy Roots. He paved the way for us to blaze a trail for today’s generation of Kentucky Rap.
If you all could play any venue in the world, which one would you choose and why?
We would love to play in Johannesburg, South Africa. Nappy Roots as a group has been fortunate enough to play across the world, but we haven’t been able to make it there. We’d love to be able to share our genre of Hip-Hop with the folks there.
On a more serious note, are you all happy with the current state of Hip-Hop?
Hip-Hop is over 50 years old and is not only part of the community, but a pillar for the culture…from the generations that grew out of the past 51 years to this current generation to the ones to come. No matter what decade, Hip-Hop is a means of teaching and opportunity that everyone can appreciate. It’s amazing to see the sustainability of Hip-Hop, the growth Hip-Hop has taken, and listen to some of the talented artists that have come as a result of that growth. With that said, as artists that have been around for over 20 years, it’s our responsibility as gatekeepers of the genre and culture to lead in a positive direction. It’s important to show that you can be successful without making disrespectful music or sharing messages that will lead our community down a path of destruction.
What do you all feel has and will continue to be the key to your longevity?
Our brotherhood and fans. We respect each other and the different perspectives each of us bring to the group too much to quit now. As for the fans…they have shown nothing but love and appreciation for our authenticity and our sound. Witnessing and feeling that level of support keeps us not only motivated, but humble and focused as we enter our 23rd year as a group.
Do you all have any other outside/additional (future) aspirations, maybe even completely away from music?
A venture we’ve taken on since 2017 outside of music is craft beer brewing. Skinny and Scales started learning how to brew beer in Scales’ garage in 2017 when we took a break from touring. In 2018, we all headed back out to perform but were so in love with the beer-making process and product that we incorporated craft beer into our tour by visiting local breweries before each show to build relationships and knowledge. Today, we own and operate a craft brewery in Atlanta called Atlantucky – a space that represents both Atlanta and Kentucky, since those places had the biggest impacts on Nappy Roots. The brewery is about to celebrate its third anniversary and now has a full brewery, bar and restaurant.
To date, what has been your biggest career moment(s), at least thus far anyway?
One of our favorite career moments was working with Organized Noize on our fifth album, “Nappy Dot Org.” To be able to combine our style of Hip-Hop with theirs was an incredible experience as artists. A career moment that had a monumental impact on us was when we made the decision to leave Atlantic Records and go independent. It was during a time when record companies were trying to just keep the lights on and for Atlantic to do that, they really wanted us to stay in a Country-Rap lane. Though that’s something that’s always rooted in us, we wanted the chance to experiment and branch out. We learned the only way we could do that was to go independent. It was a risk that came with its challenges, but overall was the best decision we could have made.
What’s an average day like for you all?
Not every day is the same for all four of us, but for Skinny and Scales, we spend the early part of our day at Atlantucky – whether it’s brewing, planning events, or just hanging out…90% of the time we’re at the brewery. Later in the day is when we focus on music. We typically have a studio session once a week from about 2pm til 9pm and in that session is where we are consistently making new music, perfecting upcoming releases, or strategizing with our team about an upcoming release, show or event. We always end the day with our families and value that time with them.
Please discuss how you all interact with and respond to fans…
We don’t look at our fans as “fans.” Our fans are truly our friends, family, and loved ones. That’s how we interact with them. We talk with them like we are talking with our childhood friends, siblings, or cousins. We share in the highs and lows of their lives. Developing these kinds of genuine relationships with our fans is important to us and a core value of Nappy Roots. Without them, we wouldn’t be where we are today.
What advice would you all have for someone wanting to follow in your footsteps?
The best piece of advice we could give to someone wanting to follow in our footsteps is to stay honest, humble and hungry. Focus on delivering music and experiences that are authentic to you rather than on what will be that flash in the pan that gets you short-lived fame. Concrete wealth and attention come when you are consistent with your work ethic and honest enough with yourself to understand what aligns with you as an artist and what doesn’t. A secondary piece of advice is to manage your time and money well. Don’t get swept up in going viral on TikTok, the chains, the cars, or even the dollar amount on your first contract. Take your time and read the fine print.
Looking ahead, say five or even ten years from now, where do you all see yourselves?
We hope to still be making music and beer and be even better at both crafts. Nappy Roots is unique in that we are still making and delivering music after 40. Most rappers are young and in their 20’s, but it’s not easy to grow your catalog and message for adults in their late 30’s, 40’s and even 50’s. We’re putting out more music than we have in 2024 with messages and themes that not only relate to where we are in life, but where our fans are in life. That’s something very few have done before in this genre, and we hope to keep doing it.
As for the immediate, what’s next for Nappy Roots?
For the immediate, we have a few shows coming up around the country and a single dropping at the end of October called “Howling At The Moon.” It’s a single that’s fitting for this time of year, but one that allows us to tell a story about Nappy Roots essentially being a wolfpack and sharing life’s twists and turns with each other. In the meantime, people can stream our previous four singles; “Play Clothes,” “Floatin With The Wind,”“Home Fried” featuring Benji, and “Kiss The Sky.” If you’re in the Atlanta area, you can also come visit Skinny and Scales at Atlantucky, just a few blocks away from Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Is there anything else you want to share/parting words?
To see if we’ll be in your area, visit: nappyroots.com, and don’t forget to follow or subscribe to us on Instagram, Facebook, X, and YouTube. Other than that, keep it nappy for life!
