Capping off the National Black Arts Festival (NBAF) in Atlanta, Nappy Roots performed at Earthlink Live this past Saturday. Presented by From Afros to Shelltoes, the concert signified the NBAF’s desire to appeal to the Hip Hop generation–an effort that’s been a long time coming.
“Our cultural future is highly contingent on our ability to train, educate and prmote the works of the Hip Hop generation whose innate creativity reflects the fortitude and vitality of the African Diaspora,” say Edward Garnes, founder of From Afros to Shelltoes. “Nappy Roots marries the down home nature of family renunion fish fries with a Hip Hop atheistic grounded in the life and struggle of everyday people.“
Nappy Roots, who recently ended their deal with Atlantic and is currently entering into an independent venture is set to release their third album later this month. In 2002 they were the No. 1 selling Hip Hop group. Their performance ended a slew of events targeted to the Hip Hop community including a Literary Jam Session featuring Ras Baraka, Jessica Care Moore and Asha Bandele among others, a concert by Faith Evans and a Black Erotica poetry event sponsored by the Live Poets Society.
