madtheory's Full Review: Watermelon, Chicken and Gritz [PA] by Nappy Roots
I soooo did not want to like this album.
Being the “backpacker” (rap purist) that I am, I usually fully expect that the vast majority of Hip-Hop music coming out of the South and West to be absolute trash (but now the East Coast is spitting out just as much garbage so I guess I’m lost…). Fortunately, my initial assessment of the Kentucky-based Nappy Roots proved me very wrong.
The six-man assembly consisting of rappers Scales, Big V, Ron Clutch, Skinny DeVille, R. Prophet, and B. Stille is currently a huge hit with the college crowd, which is natural since five of the six member attended Western Kentucky University. Though the crew linked up in the halls of that institution, their hearts remained in the streets of KY. Their debut album Watermelon, Chicken, and Gritz is without a doubt a superb musical and lyrical confirmation of their Southern roots.
Tracklisting
1. Intro
2. Hustla
3. Set it Out
4. Country Boys
5. Ballin’ on a Budget
6. Awnaw feat. Jazzy Pha
7. Headz Up
8. Slums
9. Po’ Folks
10. Start it Over
11. Blowin’ Trees
12. Sholiz
13. Life’s a B*tch
14. My Ride
15. One Forty
16. Dime, Nickel, Quarter, Penny
17. Kentucky Mud
18. The Lounge
19. Ho Down feat. The Barkays (Bonus)
20. Headz Up (Refried) (Bonus)
It seems strange that the track I like least of all on Watermelon, Chicken, & Gritz is the first single “Awnaw” featuring Jazzy Pha. I absolutely CANNOT STAND this song. Producer James Chambers creates a slow, lethargic beat with some guitars and keyboards for the group to rap about more county topics, while Jazzy Pha sings some off-key nonsense for the chorus. I’m completely clueless as to why the Nappy Roots chose to make this their lead single, except for the fact that it sounds just like 95% of the rest of the crap tunes they play in endless rotation down here. Hit skip.
“Headz Up” is probably my favorite song on the album. The beat is cheery and uptempo, with an animated bass groove, pounding percussion, and simple synth accompaniment. Lyrically, the guys just have fun rapping about women. I like the line where he describes a girl as a “cross between Britney, Whitley, Whitney, Mya, Pink, Kimberly... ” Lyrically, it’s nothing too crazy; just a tight club song. They also blend together another cool party track with “Dime, Quarter, Nickel, Penny” lacing high-tempo percussion with hard melodies. Nappy Roots just rap about the need for money on this one.
“Po’ Folks” is a little different from most of the other songs on the album. Musically, the track is a little slower, with an accompanying strumming guitar giving the song a more “bluesy” feel. On the mic, Big V, Skinny DeVille, and R. Prophet deliver some meaningful rhymes, rapping about difficulties they’ve experienced in their journey. Skinny gets introspective with his lyrics:
“Even though I picture better days /
I'm thankful for the chance I got to say Amen /
The Lord done blessed me with his grace, I wish this day would never end /
We represent the slums, where we from, we feel they bump /
Polish shot off on these presidents, and hard times they go and come /
Some take up off, without the chance, to make it at all /
Who woulda thought Skinny'd be the one that's makin’ this call /
Lord, help me out, tell me where I went wrong /
I'm trying to find a righteous path, although it's narrow and long /
I gotta do it for my sons, they tellin’ me, ‘Daddy, be strong’ /
We gon' make it through these hard times even though they go and they come /“
“Life’s a B*tch” is one of the better and more typical songs on the LP. The producer architects a forceful, driving beat with a resonating bass line and dramatic orchestral strings. They rest of the guys do nice job with their lyrics, but a track with this kind of fire was made for Big V. He performs the hook and kicks it off the first verse, his low, scratchy, Scarface-like voice perfectly complementing the lyrics. Too bad Nappy Roots don’t do solo songs, this would have been a perfect individual piece.
It’s not surprising that I didn’t think I was going to like this LP. On the surface, it sounds so similar to the acres and acres of sorry Dirty South rap I have to wade through down here in Dallas that I assumed that they were just more of the same. In fact, I’m pretty sure that the first time I heard “Awnaw” come on the radio, I immediately turned it off after a few seconds.
But the fact is that these guys are definitely talented. Their raps are original, humorous, well performed, and well constructed, plus the production is very impressive. The music they rhyme over utilizes a lot of guitar and other instruments to give the album a very distinctive sound with pronounced blues and country influences. The group’s numerous lyrical references to being country (vertical grilles, soul food, etc…) do grow tiresome pretty quickly though, but all the other elements are balanced extremely well.
Those deeply into East Coast or West Coast rap may have a little difficulty getting into their sound (I certainly did), but Watermelon, Chicken, & Gritz unquestionably deserves at least a few test spins in your CD player. Nappy Roots definitely has the ability to put Louisville, Kentucky on the Hip-Hop map, much in the same manner as OutKast did for the ATL. Don’t sleep.
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