Nappy Roots Wooden Leather

Interview, Sept, 2003 by Malcolm Venable

The Kentucky sextet's second album is at the nexus of urban music: where hip-hop meets the blues, where culture intersects with politics, and where hyperbole and camp converge with reality and depth. Inspired raps and thoughtful imagery are brought to the fore by expert production and a hot guest list (Raphael Saadiq, Kanye West).

While the group continues to effectively invert country, cornbread, and catfish stereotypes, the sap is as sweet and sticky as the runoff from a big ol' slice of watermelon.