Ballin’ on a Budget? Atari with one stick that never works got you down? Fear not, Nappy Roots is here to ease your troubles. Sit down and enjoy the tasty treat they’ve prepared for you.

This Kentucky sextet is prepared to open eyes and bob heads with its debut on Atlantic Records, “Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz.”

At their worst, Nappy Roots sound almost exactly like itssouthern brethren Outkast or the other famous speed-rap group, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. But even then, it’s not really a bad thing.

In these days of rhymes fueled by Bentleys and Benjamins, the members of Nappy Roots are just, as they say, “Country Boyz.”

While most in the game are focused on flossing, they can’t get caught up in the typical; they just talk about what they know.

Apparently they know a lot about being broke.

With song titles such as “Ballin’ On A Budget,” “Po Folks,” “Slums,” and “Life’s A Bitch,” Nappy Roots definitely have been through some troubles, and their delivery definitely shows it.

But the group’s positivity shines through the whole album.

The members of the group deftly change cadence from verse to verse.

The proficiency with which they do so also helps them change topics with equal ease. The track “140” shows off the proficiency of the rhyme and the bounce of the production.

The hook “Ain’t nobody tell me how to live my life” proves Nappy Roots are gonna do it their way no matter what.

“Po Folks” is a countrified funk blessing that shows the group being thankful for coming through the hard times to the position they’re in now.

If you’re hungry for home-fried hip hop with soul and conviction, you need some Nappy Roots. “Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz” is a lip-smacking, finger-licking meal full of southern goodness sure to satisfy any craving.

-Jesse Stensby