#bellyupaspen

[colfaxspeedqueen]

What an incredible time at @bellyupaspen for NYE! Thank you for having us! Such an amazing venue, and an awesome line up. Thank you to Janes Addiction and Emily for having us open. - #bellyup #bellyupaspen #colfaxspeedqueen #janesaddiction (at Belly Up, Aspen) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bd6wIt5Ad0n/?igshid=1hydenzjz5o5f

[lucidnebulous-blog]

Nappy Roots: The Aspen Interview

Fresh off the release of their latest Another 40 Akerz, Nappy Roots returned to Belly Up this Monday for a party and legendary hip-hop. 

The group was formed in the 90s and has released six albums since their classic Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz, which was the best-selling hip-hop album of 2002. Despite several ups and downs, challenges within the music industry, and a couple group members leaving the group, Nappy Roots is as strong as ever. Their last two releases, The 40 Akerz Project and Another 40 Akerz, find Nappy Roots with a modernized sound that still has the southern swagger and swing of these Kentucky legends.

Before their show on Monday night, I had the opportunity to sit down with B. Stille and Ron Clutch to discuss Colorado, new music, and advice for artists of all types.

B. Stille

Welcome to Aspen! This week, you’ll be performing across Colorado. Are you excited?

It’s Colorado day one and we can’t wait for the show tonight!

What’s your favorite thing about Colorado?

It’s probably the one state in the country where we have toured the most in. We’ve been in every city from all the small towns to all the major cities. Any city or college town in the state. You know we have our favorites and we have regulars who continually come out to see us.

After these past two 40 Akerz projects, what’s the plan for new music?

Yeah man, well right now we’re working on a new project. You’re probably the first person we’ve told. We’re working in Nashville with some producers who’ve we’ve worked with in the past. Five Star Productions. And they’ve done a lot of music on the country scene and hip-hop as well. There’s an opportunity for us to mix the two genres together and come out with something really dope. The things we’ve been coming up with, the songs—I’m impressed. I can’t wait for people to hear it.

What’s your favorite kind of beat to work with?

I like soulful sounds in a beat. That gives us the opportunity to show off our best work. Anything with like soulful organs or live instruments. Live strings. That’s our wheelhouse, that’s Nappy Roots. That’s where we got our start and that’s what we’re known for. But we are versatile artists. We’ll rap on anything. Fast beat, slow beat, crunk beat, love song, doesn’t matter.

And are you more of a freestyle artist or do prefer writing raps?

I’m a pen guy. I’m a guy who likes to sit and contemplate and give somebody an extra treat. I do it for those people who really listen, with their headphones on, trying to find something else in the verse. That something people can discover later down the line. Be like “oh, that’s what that means,” and whatnot. I think some songs call for a freestyle to catch the vibe, to catch the hop, and get the right cadence. But for classic songs, it takes a little more thought. We’re Nappy Roots and we like to make classic music that lasts a long time.

How do you feel about the current state of hip-hop?

I’m enjoying it. There’s an opportunity for people, now that we have the internet, to listen to what they want and not be so programmed to listen to what the radio or MTV tells you to listen to. You have the opportunity to listen to your own station, Pandora, Spotify, Sirius. So when someone asks me “where’s so-and-so been?” I’m like you’re not on the wave of how to get music nowadays. I don’t just listen to everything that is on the radio. The state of music right now, I don’t mind it, I like it. I think it’s kind of like how disco was about the beat and the dance and all of that. Then hip-hop changed that and went into the lyrical content and message. It’s a wave and it’ll come back I believe.

Any advice for artists?

Surround yourself with positivity and creativity. Surround yourself with people who are likeminded and push you out of your comfort zone. Not yes men. Learn about the music business, read some books. Listen. Do some due diligence. All of your favorite artists have a story. Read about how they got on. I have a new artist out here in fact. Lorenzo St. Charles. We brought him all the way from Louisville, Kentucky. I work as a Vice President for Tripple Three Music back home and so we felt this would be a great opportunity to bring him out with the Nappy Roots crowd. All the advice that I’d give can be seen through what we’re doing now. Get a crowd, steal a crowd. Get in front of the crowd and take them. Make them follow you. That’s what we’re trying to do with Lorenzo and the Nappy Roots crowd. I’m playing both sides of the fence. The same advice I’d give to anyone is the advice that we’re implementing at our record label. Learn from other people’s mistakes and the main thing is that it’s going to take a sacrifice. When I say that it means you have to give up something to show that you want it more than the next person. Remove your safety net and say “this is all I got.” The sacrifice will make you work harder. It separates those who do this as a hobby and those who do this professionally.

Ron Clutch

Welcome to Aspen! How’re you liking it?

It feels good man. This is like our yearly winter vacation. Come out to this part of the world. Unfortunately, there ain’t too much snow this year but we still manage to have a good time.

What’s your favorite song to perform?

Actually, I just released a new single called “Tomorrow Never Knows.” That’s my favorite from a couple of weeks ago.

Are you going to release a solo album?

That’s my plan, that’s my go. These days though, folks is dropping singles. Letting them stream. So we’ll see. 

Do you think streaming is helpful or hurtful?

It’s a double-edged sword because it gives artists, who don’t have access to the radio, a chance to be heard. Anybody can put music online. The downside is people downloading free music. I mean it’s not free, you get paid for it, but the royalties are so small.

How do you continue to be creative?

Just soak up life every day. The older I get, I’ve found myself getting more involved in politics and world events. That’s like a whole other world. The election with Donald Trump, everything going on in the Middle East. You don’t want to get too serious but it does give you more material.

Can you talk a little about Nappy Roots Day?

In 2002, the Governor of Kentucky, Paul E. Patton, on his last term as Governor, he wanted to do something big, something great. He recognized what we had done, the album we had put out, the success that we had, He made September 16th Nappy Roots Day and made us Kentucky Colonels. It’s the highest honor you can get in Kentucky.

How was the start of Nappy Roots in college?

We went from freestyling at the back of house parties to working with producers like General Lee. He had a small studio at his apartment. Cats were going over there, separately. Eventually, we put all of our recordings out together on a cassette, a mixtape. The mixtape started circling around our college campus. Then we put our music together to open the first black-owned record store in Bowling Green. That’s when we dropped our first underground album Country Fried Cess.

Any advice to artists?

Stay true to yourself. Stay thirsty for life. Stay humble, stay hungry. At the same time, be your biggest fan.  

[robdarocha]

This collage pretty much sums up this trip #aspen locals were awesome. We stared at this hideous painting for hours. There was a sabering & had s’mores. We #laughed our asses off. @realnickswardson #comedy #bellyupaspen #bellyup #goodtimes (at The St. Regis Aspen)

[robdarocha]

#sabering #stregisaspen #goodtimes #funny #aspen #bellyupaspen #saberingchampagne

[robdarocha]

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One more sold out show at the #bellyupaspen thanks to Nicholas Swardson #greenroom #stagetime #goodtimes #werk (at Belly Up, Aspen)

[robdarocha]

I’m too old for this shit! #edm #jauz #wtfisthis #wtf #holyshit #holyshitballs #comedy #bellyupaspen

[robdarocha]

Holy shit! #dj #djjauz #bellyupaspen #aspen #crazy #wtf #nuts #nickswardson #edm

[robdarocha]

In the #greenroom sucking on some oxygen because #aspen is kicking my ass. #bellyupaspen #oxygen #mountain