Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz (Explicit)

At a time when digitized beats and crudely consumerist attitudes rule the airwaves, the distinctively organic aesthetic of Kentucky-bred hip-hop sextet Nappy Roots' debut release is refreshing. Rotating MCs flip profound rhymes about growing up in the South and their struggles to be heard, giving a semiautobiographical feel to songs like "Peanuts." "Aw Naw," the first single and arguably the album's catchiest tune, surrounds a d**e slice of country life with unique rhythms that fuse banjos and harmonicas with contemporary, bass-filled beats. In a similar vein, "Life's a Risk" boasts some slick introspective lyrics from group member Skinny DeVille, who rhymes about staying away from the pitfalls of street life. In the end, Nappy Roots come out sounding like a harder-edged upgrade of Arrested Development's Southern-tinged roots rap. Let's just hope they don't suffer a similar fall off the face of the earth.