Nappy Roots Rapper Kidnapped And Shot Outside His Atlanta Brewery

Fish Scales, a member of the Grammy-nominated group Nappy Roots band, is recovering after he was kidnapped and shot on Wednesday outside of a craft brewery in Atlanta. The incident happened after the artist closed Atlantucky, the brewery he co-owns with his Nappy Roots bandmate.

“Last night our brother, Scales was a victim of an attempted robbery . . . in Atlanta after closing our brewery, Atlantucky,” the group wrote on Instagram. “We are blessed to say that he is stable and in good spirits after suffering a leg injury. Luckily, none of our dedicated patrons of Atlantucky were at the scene or harmed during the robbery. We are so thankful our brother is safe and on the road to recovery.”

In a statement released Wednesday, the Atlanta Police Department said officers responded to a report of a robbery around 11 p.m. and met with a 42-year-old man who said he was a patron of a business there. The 42-year-old patron told officers that he was robbed along with the business owner.

Police said Scales, who is only identified as a business owner in the press release, was walking to a parking deck with the patron when two men approached the pair and robbed them at gunpoint.

While the customer was able to escape on foot, officers said Scales was forced to drive to his residence in Hapeville, Georgia.

The artist then tried to flee, but he was shot by one of the suspects, who later fled the scene.

“The victim went to a nearby house for help and the resident called police,” investigators said in the statement. “The victim was taken to the hospital in stable condition and the investigation is continuing.”

Scales, who is legally known as Melvin Adams, opened Atlantucky in February with his bandmate, Skinny DeVille. Speaking to 11 Alive at the time, Scales said “beer became a part of our journey as Nappy Roots.”

“We want to stay right here in the community and continue to serve the people in the community,” Scales told the outlet. “Minorities, not even Black people, own less than 1 percent of all craft breweries in the country, so that is a mission for us to change that.”

According to Fox 5, DeVille spoke to reporters Thursday, saying the violence hit close to home.

“Scales is my best friend and my brother and my business partner,” Skinny said. “I just said yesterday, if something happened to him, I’d be devastated.”