The scene was set. Skinny Deville had invited the According 2 Hip-Hop team and the High Gravity Hip-Hop team to their beer brewery started by Nappy Roots members Skinny Deville and Scales. A beer sharing gathering at Jen Price’s Atlanta Beer Boutique near the East Atlanta district one week earlier is where this invite was extended. I was introduced to Skinny by a large joyous man named Tiny who knew his Hip-Hop and beer back and forth. Tiny knew about According 2 Hip-Hop and thought that the connection between myself and Skinny needed to be made (thank you Tiny). Myself and Skinny exchanged information as I sipped on Nappy Roots “Kentucky Mud” brewed beer.
Fast forward a week later, it’s a beautiful sunny Saturday as we approach the amazing brewing setup that Skinny and Scales had developed by hand. As we were walked around to tour the facility Skinny gave the crew a history of their journey to becoming brewers of beer. There were three beers on tap that were in rotation; Boot Lager, Bonsal, and Kentucky Mud. All three were delicious but if I had to rank them I’m going Kentucky Mud at number three, Boot Lager at number two, and Bonsal at number one. For the 60 degree sunny day we were having the Bonsal was the best fit for me, closely followed by the boot lager. I had a few cups of those as the evening moved along. Skinny and Scales made sure that there wasn’t an empty cup in the facility, hospitality at its finest.
With the vibe of music in the background, drinks flowing, and great company this had become a full out kick back that included an on camera interview. As we were setting up the equipment for the interview Skinny spoke to us about touring and their journey into brewing beer. Speaking about how he and Scales learned the craft of brewing craft beers and the love that came from it. One thing that Skinny said that stuck with me was “I can leave my sons my brewing company, I can’t leave my son my rap notebook”. This is bigger than music and beer this is about legacy. To hear southern Hip-Hop pioneers speak about a legacy on top of their music legacy made for an incredible conversation.
Shoutout to Skinny and Scales on their groundbreaking venture, shoutout to Lenox from High Gravity Hip-Hop for the interview, shoutout to Ron Young for the camera work, and shoutout to Jen Price at Atlanta Beer Boutique for providing us all the venue to connect. We look forward to bringing you more info as the Nappy Roots brewing venture continues it’s amazing growth.
Checkout the full interview below.
