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Hip Hop’s Nappy Roots Enters the World of Breweries, Two New Beers Set for Release In May

Nappy Roots is releasing a non-musical version of “The Humdinger” and “Watermelon, Chiquen & Gritz” thanks to their new craft beer business.

The southern hip hop group is set to launch four new beers as part of Atlantucky, their beer business that’s expanding thanks to a partnership with Monday Night Brewing Company.

“As we toured, we began visiting breweries all over the country about four years ago and we just caught the bug from that,” says Fish Scales, whose real name is Melvin Adams, Jr., of the Grammy winners’ foray into craft beer.

“[We] started making our own beer. “We made about 10 or 11 on our own at our own brewery, Atlantucky,” William Hughes, also known as Skinny DeVille, says of the company celebrating the group’s Atlanta and Kentucky roots.

The group approached MNB in 2017 and began developing their beverages, including “Watermelon, Chiquen & Gritz” and “The Humdinger,” which Skinny DeVille said was 10 months in the making.

The above beers, named after their first and third albums respectively, will be available this month.

“It’s unusual for a hip-hop group to pursue opportunities in the craft beer business, but it’s our passion and a great way for our followers to more deeply connect with the Nappy Roots brand,” Fish Scales says. “We’ve been developing taste profiles at our own micro brew and are pumped to share two of our favorites with the public.”

Peter Kiley, head brewer at Monday Night Brewing, helped the group develop “The Humdinger” following a partnership with his brewery that resulted in another beer called Front Porch Pale Ale.

“It’s beer with a tie,” Kiley says of “The Humdinger.” “It’s beer that is connected to a time and place and to a person or people.”

And fans will be able to explore the development of the new business along with the band. Nappy Roots is in the beginning stages of launching a reality show that will follow them as they visit craft breweries in the cities they perform in.

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