Review: Nappy Roots -- The Humdinger

NAPPY ROOTS

THE HUMDINGER
2008, Nappy Roots Entertainment Group

Kentucky posse Nappy Roots managed to take five years between albums, which might as well be a legitimate lifetime in hip-hop. Their fans may as well have all died.

They're also long gone from Atlantic Records, feeling the pressure and artistic differences of major label life too much to deal with. "Awnaw" is so far behind them that it could just as easily have battled with "Christmas in Hollis" for chart position. And Cali native R. Prophet left the group for a solo career. So it's been a long, winding road to get to The Humdinger, the third album from Nappy Roots.

Sadly, the story of the long delay between albums has more intrigue and compelling nature than does the music itself. The group maintains a close connection to the Southern-friend end of hip-hop, but neither the lyrics nor the beats stand out. In fact, both are so downright hum-drum and uneventful that you'd be forgiven for not remembering what anything past perhaps the memorably terrible "Pole Position" or "Tinted Up" even sounds like. The opening two tracks, "Beads and Braids" and "On My Way to GA," are as good as it gets, and neither would be making a year-end best of compilation or anything like that.

It sounds like through all the struggles, the hunger is still there, but the passion and ability to execute simply might not be. It's too bad, because they come off as humble and honest as anyone has in '08. That's just not enough to make an album good. They also sound like an outfit that still first desires radio play, and there's nothing here that's good enough to get it.

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