TEAM RNS PRESENTS

ARTIST: Nappy Roots

TITLE: Wooden Leather

LABEL: Atlantic Records

RIPPER: Team RNS

1hr 09min total-100.4mb

RELEASE DATE: 2003-08-26
RIP DATE: 2003-08-21

02 Good God Almighty              4:23
03 Nappy Roots Day                4:05
04 Roun' The Globe                4:03
05 Lac Dogs And Hogs              4:21
06 Sick And Tired                 4:21

08 Leave This Morning (ft.        4:16

09 Work In Progress               4:36
10 Push On (ft. Anthony Hamilton) 3:58

15 What Cha Gonna Do? (The Anthem)4:08
16 Light And Dark                 4:23

18 Roun' The Globe (Collipark     4:06

Having a day named in their honor,
being the number one selling hip-hop
group of 2002, a bundle of award
nominations, and the continual words of
praise from fans and industry insiders
- none of it has tainted Nappy Roots'
view on life and music.

"We're still ballin' on a budget,"
Nappy's Skinny Deville says about the
six-man collective, which also includes
Ron Clutch, Scales, R. Prophet, B.
Stille, and Big V. "We're not
materialistic. We're still working and
have to earn that check."

"We're still hungry like we don't have
anything," adds Stille. "We're keeping
an eye on every penny."

Nappy's relentless work ethic and
ever-evolving musical adeptness are
displayed on "WOODEN LEATHER," the
follow-up to their groundbreaking, RIAA
platinum-plus Atlantic Records debut,
"WATERMELON, CHICKEN & GRITZ."

"You can take it a couple of different
ways," explains Deville of the title.
"Wood and leather symbolize two staples
in American society that people really
take for granted. You can put on a
leather coat to protect you from the
weather. Pull out a leather belt for
discipline. It's also part of American
capitalism as far as success: leather
interior in your car, a leather couch

"'Wooden," he continues, "if you break
it down, it comes from a seed to be a
plant to be a tree. Wood is symbolic in
America as a structure that made us who we
are. Wood and leather put together is
the classic combination. If you take
care of them, the two of them will
last forever. If you take care of this
'WOODEN LEATHER' CD, you'll continue to
hear classic music, songs you can put on
five, ten, a hundred years from now and
say 'that was good music.'"

The first music from "WOODEN LEATHER" to
escape from the studio were two classic
cookups served up to feed the streets
as well as the clubs - "Lac Dogs &
Hogs" and "Twang" respectively.

"Lac Dogs & Hogs" not only pays homage to
some of the Kentucky rhyming wildcats'
favorite vehicles, but also unveils a
sampling of how the group is dealing
with their newfound fame and status.

Meanwhile, "Twang" serves as a boast
anthem for the big body mommies. The
usually musing rap clique shows yet
another dimension of their flow and
content arsenal, spitting their lyrics
about voluptuous honeys over a track
that incorporates a unique string pluck
and space sound effects.

"Nappy Roots are more than just southern
boys," says Big V of his group's
beloved down home personas. "This time
we want to express that a little more
in our music. We're still the voice of
the po' folks, we're still country folks,
but we've seen more now. We can't just
rap about that po' corner. We've seen
the world. That's making us more diverse

"It's broader, but more focused,"
chimes in Scales. "We're giving you
more than what we had on
'WATERMELON...,' but we're fine-tuning

"As MCs we've also stepped our game
up," R. Prophet declares. "Lyrically
we're better, and we have so many new
styles we're coming with, you're not
going to know what to expect."

"WOODEN LEATHER"'s official first
single is "Roun' the Globe," where the
fellas chant "the whole world is country."

"Definitely," Ron Clutch begins to
explain about the song. "We've been to
so many different places around the
country and other parts of the world.
Even though you may experience
different cultures, there's something
that always ties everyone together.
Whether it be the love for music or the
struggles we go through in our everyday

Anthony Hamilton, one of the prime guest
stars on "WATERMELON," returns with more
awe-inspiring soulful crooning via "Sick

"I'm sick and tired of being sick and
tired," he sings. Meanwhile, Nappy comes
with more ruminative rhymes, encouraging
listeners not to settle and to try and

More fodder for pondering life comes in
the bass heavy "Leave This Morning." R&B
trailblazer Raphael Saadiq, who also
produced two tracks on the album,
helps the guys exhort people to strive
for success, singing "I got work to do,
I got a job to do."

Produced by dirty south representative
David Banner, "Nappy Holiday" not only
relives the group being honored by
Kentucky Governor Paul E. Patton with
"Nappy Roots Day" on September 16,
2002, it also reminds us all about the
importance of being happy with our

"Nappy Roots Day" was one of the
plethora of honors bestowed upon the
group after the 2001 release of
"WATERMELON, CHICKEN & GRITZ," which
spawned the smash singles, "Awnaw" and

In early 2003, they garnered a pair of
Grammy Award nominations: for Best
Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Po' Folks,"
and for Best Long Form Music Video for
their DVD, "THE WORLD ACCORDING TO
NAPPY." Those honors came on the heels
of their American Music Award nominations
for Favorite New Artist and Favorite
Band, Duo or Group - both in the

In 2002, Nappy took their groundbreaking
brew on the road for a series of
high-profile tours. Last fall, they
were one of the featured acts, along
with N*E*R*D and 311, on the Sprite Liquid
Mix Tour. The outings were headlined by
Jay-Z and blazed trails by mixing
hip-hop and rock. In the spring of
'02, Nappy Roots were part of the WB
Television Network's "WB On Tour" with
funnyman Jamie Kennedy.

The group also gave back to their fans
and the community, completing a
television PSA in support of the PAX
organization's "SPEAK UP" campaign
against weapon-related school violence.

In June 2003, Nappy Roots were invited
by the U.S. Government to perform for
the American troops in the Persian Gulf
as part of the USO's Project Salute
2003, the first large-scale
entertainment tour to the region since
Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"It was just an honor to even have
gotten that call," Skinny said. "Of
course we had to go over there and
perform. This was a once in a lifetime

And while the fellas, who always stay
humble, are thankful for everything
they've already accomplished, they are
also confident that "WOODEN LEATHER"
will solidify them amongst hip-hop's
A-List line throwers.

"Just about the whole world is country,"
Big V reiterates. "98 percent of the
people in the world are like us - the
have-nots that desire more. To be able
to rap that story and connect with so
many people is a blessing."

Here is the Explicit Retail for all of
my foul mouth kiddies. Enjoy!