Nappy Roots - Po' Folks (w⧸ Anthony Hamilton)

What this video is

Released in 2002, 'Po' Folks' arrived during the Southern hip-hop movement's ascendance into mainstream American culture. The video's documentary visual language — shot in a real rural Kentucky community — offered an authentic counter-narrative to the glamorized rap video aesthetic dominant at the time. The song's Grammy nominations for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and Best Long Form Music Video signal its critical…

Why it matters

A landmark entry in the alternative Southern rap canon, 'Po' Folks' demonstrated that hip-hop music videos could employ documentary filmmaking grammar — verité camerawork, community integration, multi-stock film aesthetics — to powerful emotional effect. It helped legitimize a rurally rooted,…

The director

Rich Newey (born April 23, 1975, Coachella Valley, CA) is an award-winning director, writer, editor, and producer with 20+ years of industry experience. He earned a BFA from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. He began his career directing music…