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Nappy Roots

If you were even somewhat tuned in to hip hop radio in the early 2000s, this mention of Nappy Roots’ “Awnaw” will no doubt set the song playing in your head. The Kentucky group’s first album, Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz, helped bring rootsy, red-dirt Southern rap back to prominence at a time when Goodie Mob was floundering and OutKast was looking to outer space for inspiration. Yet the group never managed to replicate the record’s success, releasing a couple so-so follow-ups before fading away. Atlanta production crew Organized Noize helped Nappy Roots regain their center on 2011’s Nappy Dot Org; last year’s The 40 Akerz Project was the liveliest they’ve sounded in years.

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