Kenneth Ryan Anthony (born November 29, 1977) better known by his stage name R. Prophet, is an American

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...

. He was formerly in the

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

-based

sextet A sextet (or hexad) is a formation containing exactly six members. The former term is commonly associated with vocal ensembles (e.g. The King's Singers, Affabre Concinui) or musical instrument groups, but can be applied to any situation where six ...

alternative southern

rap Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates " rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backin ...

group

Nappy Roots Nappy Roots is an American alternative Southern rap group. The group met in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in 1995 while attending Western Kentucky University. They have worked with Rob Run Corleone of Empire Distribution. On the South Rituals mixt ...

. He attended

Western Kentucky University Western Kentucky University (WKU) is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States. It was founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a few decades earlier. It operates regional campuses in Glas ...

with the present Nappy Roots members.

Early career

R. Prophet was born Kenneth Ryan Anthony to Everett and Janice Anthony at Kaiser Hospital in

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

. His older sibling had died Nov. 15, 1972, of

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), sometimes known as cot death or crib death, is the sudden unexplained death of a child of less than one year of age. Diagnosis requires that the death remain unexplained even after a thorough autopsy and ...

. He relocated to

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

in 1985. Anthony later pursued acting and theatre by attending

duPont Manual High School duPont Manual High School is a Magnet school, public magnet high school located in the Old Louisville neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It serves students in grades ninth grade, 9–twelfth grade, 12. It is a part of the Jeffe ...

's Youth Performing Arts School, one of only two programs in Kentucky allowing high school students to major in performing arts. Anthony excelled quickly starring in several plays,

commercials A television advertisement (also called a commercial, spot, break, advert, or ad) is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization. It conveys a message promoting, and aiming to market, a product, service or idea. ...

, and

short films A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

. After graduating from high school, Anthony went on to attend

where he would later start his music career.

Music career

1997–99: Career beginnings

In 1997, while attending

, R. Prophet joined Skinny DeVille, B. Stille, Ron Clutch, Big V and

Fish Scales A fish scale is a small rigid plate that grows out of the skin of a fish. The skin of most jawed fishes is covered with these protective scale (zoology), scales, which can also provide effective Underwater camouflage, camouflage through the us ...

to complete

, an American alternative Southern rap group. Nappy Roots began recording at ET's Music, a record store/studio. They released a full-length debut titled "Country Fried Cess" in 1998. This independent effort caught the attention of several major labels, and the group later signed to

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

in 1999.

2000–2004: Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz

The group's first album released on Atlantic was 2002's "

Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz ''Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz'' is the commercial debut studio album by American hip hop sextet Nappy Roots from Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern Unite ...

". The album includes the singles "

Headz Up "Headz Up" is the third single by the American alternative Southern rap sextet Kentucky rap group Nappy Roots, from their 2002 debut album ''Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz ''Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz'' is the commercial debut studio album by ...

", "

Awnaw "Awnaw" is the first single by the Kentucky rap group Nappy Roots, produced by James "Groove" Chambers. It was released in 2001, taken from Nappy Roots's first album ''Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz'' (2002). It peaked at number 51 in the U.S. and ...

" and

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

nominated " Po' Folks" featuring Anthony Hamilton. The song's signature concept, verse, and chorus was written by R. Prophet. Discussing the meaning of "Po' Folks," R. Prophet told MTV.com that the lyrics did not only speak of being poor as an economic issue. "It's a state of mind. It's not so bad being poor when you've got your family and

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

in your life and you have different values that, when it comes down to it, matter. A lot of other things really don't matter when God is knocking at your door." Po' Folks later went on to be awarded a BMI publishing award in 2002. In 2003, R. Prophet and the group garnered several award nominations, including American Music Award nominations for Favorite New Artist and Favorite Band, Duo or Group in the Hip-Hop/R&B category. Nappy Roots was also nominated for

awards for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for " Po' Folks" and

Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video The Grammy Award for Best Music Film is an annual accolade for performers, directors, and producers of quality videos or musical programs. It is presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony established in 1958 when it was called the Gramophone Aw ...

for their DVD "The World According to Nappy." Also in 2003, R. Prophet was among a group of celebrities and professional athletes who participated in

USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

Project Salute 2003, a tour that made stops throughout the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

including

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. "This was an experience of a lifetime, being in an actual war zone, it's something I will never forget", remembers R. Prophet, of the USO tour. Nappy Roots was among the top groups requested to be a part of USO tour. Soon after, their third album

Wooden Leather ''Wooden Leather'' is the second studio album by American hip hop sextet Nappy Roots from Kentucky. It was released on August 26, 2003 via Atlantic Records. Recording sessions took place at Tree Sound and The Zone in Atlanta, at Emerald Sound Stu ...

followed in the latter part of 2003, which featured the hit song "Round the Globe" and featured production from

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

David Banner Lavell William Crump (born April 11, 1974), known professionally as David Banner, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Born in Brookhaven, Mississippi, Banner's family moved to Jackson, Mississippi, where he was raised. Banner gra ...

, and

Lil Jon Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971), better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, DJ, and record producer. Regarded as a progenitor of the club-oriented hip-hop subgenre crunk, his production and voice presence were inst ...

. In 2004, R. Prophet worked with his group on the three songs for the soundtrack of the film '' The Ladykillers'' by

Joel Coen Joel Daniel Coen (born November 29, 1954) is an American filmmaker. Working alongside his brother Ethan, the duo have directed, written, edited and produced many feature films, the most acclaimed of which include '' Blood Simple'' (1984), '' ...

and

Ethan Coen Ethan Jesse Coen (born September 21, 1957) is an American filmmaker. Working alongside his brother Joel, the duo have directed, written, edited and produced many feature films, the most acclaimed of which include '' Blood Simple'' (1984), '' ...

2005–present

In 2007, R. Prophet went on to pursue his solo career, traveling to

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

to record his first single, "Run Tell The DJ To Crank it" with former Cash Money producer

Mannie Fresh Byron Otto Thomas (born March 20, 1969), better known by his stage name Mannie Fresh, is an American record producer, DJ and rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana. He is best known for his production work for Cash Money Records releases, as well b ...

. R. Prophet performed on-stage with the likes of

Nelly Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, and actor. He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and embarked on his musical career in 1993 as a member of the Midwest hip hop g ...

Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, spoken as "ludicrous" in American English), is an American rapper and songwriter. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludacris moved to Atlanta, Georgia, at age ...

T.I. Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. (born September 25, 1980), known professionally as T.I. or Tip, is an American rapper and singer raised in Atlanta, Georgia. Harris is credited as a pioneer of the hip hop subgenre trap music, along with fellow Georgi ...

Young Buck David Darnell Brown (born March 15, 1981), better known by his stage name Young Buck, is an American rapper. He signed with Birdman's Cash Money Records in 1997, formed the hip hop collective UTP with Juvenile and Soulja Slim in 2000, and j ...

, and

Yung Joc Jasiel Amon Robinson (born September 20, 1980), better known by his stage name Yung Joc, is an American rapper known for his 2006 single " It's Goin' Down", which peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Prior to its release, he sign ...

. In 2008, R. Prophet was featured in

Hilary Duff Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress, singer, author and businesswoman. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Hilary Duff, various accolades, including a World Music Awards, World Mus ...

's single " Reach Out" from her album, " Best of Hilary Duff". However, he was not officially credited for this. On April 20, 2013, Prophet was beaten, tased and arrested by Kentucky State Police, who told TMZ he was highly intoxicated, walked directly into traffic and was a danger to himself and others. He said it was "definitely racial profiling" while the police said he resisted arrest and kicked out the back window of a police car. In his 2020 autobiography, he writes that the grand jury found "no true bill," so the charges against him were dismissed. On July 22, 2015, R. Prophet appeared as a potential "

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order (biology), order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Catfish are common name, named for their prominent barbel (anatomy), barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, though not ...

" victim on Season 4, Episode 13, of

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

's ''

Catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order (biology), order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Catfish are common name, named for their prominent barbel (anatomy), barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, though not ...

.'' In 2020, he published his autobiography, ''Grams To Grammys: How Ryan Prophet went from Selling Grams to being Nominated for the Grammys.''

Awards and honors

R. Prophet was appointed to the former Advisory Council of the

Muhammad Ali Center The Muhammad Ali Center is a non-profit museum and cultural center dedicated to boxer Muhammad Ali in Louisville, Kentucky. Ali, a native of Louisville, and his wife Lonnie Ali founded the museum in 2005. The six-story, museum is located in t ...

. Due to the contributions made by R. Prophet and Nappy Roots in the state of Kentucky and abroad, Governor

Paul E. Patton Paul Edward Patton (born May 26, 1937) is an American politician who served as the 59th governor of Kentucky from 1995 to 2003. Because of a 1992 amendment to the Kentucky Constitution, he was the first governor eligible to run for a second te ...

declared Sept. 16, 2002, as "Nappy Roots Day" and members of the group were inducted into the "

Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels also known as "Kentucky Colonels" or "HOKC" is a charitable, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization engaged in collective philanthropy for Kentuckians on the behalf of thousands of who have received a Kent ...

," the highest civic honor bestowed by the

Commonwealth of Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

Discography

Major albums (with Nappy Roots)

Mixtapes (With Nappy Roots)

References

Inline citations

General references

"Nappy Roots Aim To Nourish Kentucky-Style With Water-melon, Chicken & Gritz,"
MTV.com, (October 31, 2003). *
"Nappy Roots: Bio,"
MTV.com, (October 31, 2003).
"Nappy Roots Dig Deep"
RollingStone.com, (October 31, 2003).
"Nappy Roots Eat Humble Pie, Go Low-Budget For 'Po' Folks'"
MTV.com (October 31, 2003).

''

The Cincinnati Enquirer ''The Cincinnati Enquirer'' is a morning daily newspaper published by Gannett in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. First published in 1841, the ''Enquirer'' is the last remaining daily newspaper in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, altho ...

''. (November 19, 2003).
"Nappy Roots Out To Show They're Not Just Country Boys"
MTV.com, (October 31, 2003).
"Nappy Roots serve up another slice of goodness"
. The University of Wisconsin Badger Herald, (November 19, 2003).
"Muhammad Ali Board & Advisory"
(past)
"Kentucky Governor Declares Sept. 16th "Nappy Roots Day": Group Named Newest "Kentucky Colonels"
"THE WORLD ACCORDING TO NAPPY" DVD Out This Week" Business Wire. FindArticles.com. (September 16, 2002).

External links

R. Prophet's official site

R. Prophet on Facebook

R. Prophet on Twitter

R. Prophet on MySpace.com

Nappy Roots official site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:R. Prophet Living people Rappers from Oakland, California African-American male rappers 20th-century American male rappers Western Kentucky University alumni Musicians from Louisville, Kentucky Rappers from Kentucky DuPont Manual High School alumni 1973 births 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people

Early career

Music career

1997–99: Career beginnings

2000–2004: Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz

2005–present

Awards and honors

Discography

Major albums (with Nappy Roots)

Mixtapes (With Nappy Roots)

References

Inline citations

General references

Further reading

External links