Nappy Roots Interview: SXSW 2010

Nappy Roots is a Southern Hip Hop group that started in Kentucky. They were the number one selling hip hop artists in 2002 and have received several award nominations, including a Grammy award nomination in 2003 for their song 'Awnaw.' Spinner caught up with Nappy Roots members Big V, Skinny (SK) and Scales for an interview at SXSW.

Describe your sound in your own words.

Skinny: I think it's a mix between southern hip hop and maybe the conscience. It's reality rap from a common man perspective. It's a humble look at life, and being able to give it a colorful portrait. It's conscience not like back packing, more like conscience of what's going on with current events, family living, speaking on relative issues people can relate to; southern conscience that way.

How did your group form?

Big V: We met in college, from there we all got together on the basis of education, we wanted a better life. Music was always our common denominator. We were just serious about it and it kind of blossomed on a mix tape project; we we're just making music and people were stealing out tapes as fast as we could make them so we got a duplicator machine. Before you know it, It became a movement that grew into what you see today as Nappy Roots.



You started off with another member. How did it affect your sound when he left?

Big V: Did you like 'Good Day'? It didn't affect it much then, did it? 'Tis what it is, ya know?

How did you come up with your band name?

Skinny: The name Nappy Roots evolved from an idea. Nappy life style, just doing you. The roots being our family, where we're from. So that was the idea how we gravitated towards each other. It just became a movement and a lifestyle that we attached to the group name.

What are your musical influences?

Skinny: There are five us and everyone has their own things that inspired them to rap and get into music. We can all agree on a couple artists -- Outkast, Geto Boys, Michael Jackson, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and current influences Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, T.I. A lot of the people who are rapping on real-life issues.

What is the inspiration behind your lyrics?

Skinny: Life, family, living, struggle.

Big V: Barack Obama ... and Tiger Woods.

Skinny: Wow, um... living, man! You can draw a lot of inspiration from life. Just stop and smell the wind, the trees, the roses. You hear it, live it and breathe it; art is imitation of life. A lot of what we do, we write from reality, so that's the main inspiration for our lyrical content.

What's your biggest vice?

Scale: I drink too much. I can consume a lot of liquor. I tend to test myself sometimes. We be on the road with college kids and they tend to make me drink more.

Big V: My vice is leaning on the other captains too much, having them do too much work. I'm the guy who didn't want to help the mother hen bake the bread, but I want to eat it, ya know. I'm trying to wean myself of that.

Skinny: I'd say weed. As I've gotten older I've learned to appreciate it a lot more than in college. I used to smoke everything. Now I'm more refined, older, appreciative. Every day I'm smokin' like Snoop Dog. But I don't do other stuff than weed, I just smoke, drink a lot of water and [eat] fruit.

What's in your festival survival kit?

Skinny: I hope someone else brings weed so I don't have to, but other than that, a lot of water, a bunch of promo CDs and some peeks of our new CD 'The Pursuit of Nappyness,' a bunch of college students' phone numbers and a lot of liquor, knowing Scales. And knowing Big V, we'll have a bunch of strippers and swingers.

What's the craziest thing you've seen or experienced while on tour?

Skinny: Oh, I got away with it so I can't really talk about it. But, one of my biggest experiences was flying into Baghdad, not thinking that rap would've gotten me all the way over to where people are fighting and dying. Flying in to see those soldiers, seeing them in that airport with no running water, and still wanting to see Nappy Roots and other celebrities just to take their mind off the war for an hour. That was an eye-opening experience.

Big V: Probably the Voodoo Fest. Seeing that many people coming together for music and getting the key to the city from New Orleans, and being recognized for doing something extremely different. And to be Grammy nominated.

What was your favorite gig you've done?

Big V: Spring break Florida. We talking wet shirts, wet everything. I love that time of year, and spring break. Florida has a special place in my heart. They always have great food, independent pubs. And Colorado to ski in January; no matter what mountain. You perform for different kind of folk, but the same thing, they're involved in music. And I can't ski worth a damn.

What's your musical guilty pleasure?

Scales: Owl City. A song I bought a couple of weeks ago, 'Fireflies.' It was my ring tone for a while.

Skinny: I like mood music. Massage parlor music. Gets me horny and puts me asleep all in one. And Miley Cyrus, 'Party in the USA.' It's a dinger.

Almost everyone in the group is working on a solo project. How is this affecting the group?

Skinny: We all stopped what we were doing to do the Nappy album, so that's our priority. Taking care of Nappy Roots. Now that the album is finished we're getting back to working on 40 Akerz, the Skinny and Scales project, and Big V's solo album. We're not just artists, we're label execs. The solo and duo albums give us a chance to make different sounds. It's not as much fame as it was on Atlantic records, but fame is one thing, money is another. We're very happy where we're at. We've got 'Pursuit of Nappyness' coming out this summer and a project with Greg Street called 'Nappy University' is dropping on April 20, the highest day of the year.

Amber Walker is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.