"Po' Folks" is a 2002 song by the Kentucky-based hip 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 ...

, featuring fellow Southern act, singer Anthony Hamilton. Released on July 10 of that year by

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 ...

, it served as the second single from their second studio album '' Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz''. The song peaked at number 21 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and earned two

Grammy Award 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 ...

nominations— Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and

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 ...

Overview

The beat was produced by Trackboyz. The song's signature concept, verse, and chorus was written by R. Prophet, a prolific member of Nappy Roots. Discussing the meaning of "Po' Folks," 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 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 was released in 2002 and taken from Nappy Roots's debut album, '' Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz''. It peaked at number 21 in the U.S. and features vocals by Anthony Hamilton who sung the soulful hook. Anthony Hamilton's performance, as well as the success of the song, is credited for launching Anthony Hamilton's career in mainstream music .

Remix

The official remix is called, "Po' Folks (Collipark Remix)", and features the

Ying Yang Twins The Ying Yang Twins are an American hip hop duo consisting of Kaine (born Eric Jackson on December 16, 1978) and D-Roc (born Deongelo Holmes on February 23, 1979). Despite the name, the duo are not twins, brothers or related in any way. They d ...

. It was produced by Mr. Collipark.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Awards and nominations

2003

* 2003

nominations for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.

References

2002 singles Nappy Roots songs Songs about poverty Atlantic Records singles {{2000s-hiphop-single-stub