Videos of African American Males (Music & Natural Hairstyles), Part 2

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a three part series on African American male vocalists & musicians performing non-religious music. Part II features videos of African American males with fades (hi-top fades) and with box hair cuts.

Part 1 of this series features videos of African American males with afros (naturals).
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/06/videos-of-african-american-males-music.html for Part I of this series.

Part III features African American males with braids, cornrows, or dreadlocks. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/06/videos-of-african-american-males-music_1192.html for Part III of this series.

This post is presented for historical, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes to showcase the music and the performers' hairstyles. The copyrights remain with their owners.

These posts aren't meant to be a comprehensive overview of the hairstyles worn by the general category of African American male vocalists/musicians who perform non-religious music. Nor do these posts mean to imply that the hairstyles shown in the videos were the only hairstyles that were ever worn by those featured performers.

My thanks to the composers, vocalists, and musicians who performed this music. My thanks also to the producers of these videos and the video uploaders.

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PART II

THE PYCHO-SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS OF NATURAL HAIR STYLES

I believe that the hairstyles worn by African American men, like the hairstyles worn by African American women, reflect how much African Americans in general agree with or reject the position that White standards of beauty are the only acceptable standards of beauty. This is definitely not to say that individual African Americans (or other Black people) don't like themselves or other Black people if they don't wear their hair in natural styles.* However, I believe that a greater acceptance of natural hair styles among African Americans and other Black people signifies more than an expansion of the definition of which hair styles Black people and also non-Black people might consider to be attractive.

It's my opinion, that a greater acceptance among African Americans and other Black people of natural hair styles signifies our increased acceptance of and increased valuing of ourselves. It was no coincidence that "afro" hairstyles became popular in the United States in the 1970s during the rise of the Black consciousness and afro-centric Black nationalist movement. Since the 1970s, apart from the jheri curl look of the 1970s and 1980s which will be the subject of a future post on this blog, it has become the standard practice for most African American men to wear their hair un-straightened and relatively un-processed. And most African American men wear their hair in a close cut natural style such as that worn by President Barack Obama, or they have a bald head.

Up to the age of seven years, I believe that most African American females wear their hair naturally. However, between the ages of seven and eighteen years old, it seems to me that most African American girls wear their hair chemically straightened. However, since the 1990s, an increasing number of African American women, appear to have chosen to wear their hair in natural hairstyles, though that is still a small percentage of that population. As a person who was a young adult in the 1970s, it's interesting to see the return in popularity of the "big afros" with Black females & Black men. I believe that the afro and other natural hair styles are legitimate general indicators of African American group esteem. By "group esteem" I mean how much African Americans see their group as capable of intrinsic attractiveness with regard to hair without the application of strategies which attempt to mimic what White people consider to be standards of beautiful hair such straight hair or lightly curled hair, and light hair color.**

That said, I also believe that African American females (and perhaps, other Black females) may be more accepting of and have a higher value toward females having mutiple ways they can wear their hair within short periods of time (i.e. having different hair styles) then other populations of females. In that regards, "natural hairstyles" may be just one of an increasing number of hair style possibilities that Black women may choose. But in my opinion, "natural hair styles" as a possible "neutral" choice (having neither positive or negative implications), is in and of itself a positive change for Black people, given the overwhelming beliefs in the pre-1960s that the only standards of beauty were those standards that fit some White people.

*By natural hair styles I mean the "tightly curled" hair texture which is characteristic of most sub-Saharan African people and most people of sub-Saharan African descent) are worn without chemical or hot comb processing. Other terms for naturally Black hair are "frizzy", "nappy", and "kinky". However, because of their historical and racist usage, some Black people (including African Americans) may find these terms to be loaded with negative connotations. Because of that, I tend to avoid using those terms.

**With regards to African American women (and other Black women), as to what constitutes White standards of beauty in hair, I would also add "long hair" to the previously given descriptors of "straight hair" or "lightly curled hair", and "light color hair" such as blond hair.


FEATURED VIDEOS
[These videos are presented in chronological order.]

Disclaimer: I'm not an expert on Black hair styles. Consequently, I may be using the wrong names for the hairstyles/hair cuts that are featured in these videos. Corrections are welcome.

INFORMATION ABOUT HI-TOP FADES
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hi-top_fade

"A hi-top fade is a style of haircut where hair on the sides is cut off or kept very short and hair on the top of the head is very long (in contrast, a low fade is when hair on the top is kept shorter).

The hi-top has been a trend symbolizing the Golden Era of hip hop and urban contemporary music during the late 1980s and the early 1990s. The hi-top fade was common among young African Americans between 1986 to 1993 and to a lesser extent in the mid-1990s (1994-1996). The style fell completely out of fashion by 1997."

-snip-
I've been told that Black males in the USA are wearing their hair in fades (hi-top fades) again, at least in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Also, I've been told that another term for "fades" is "pumper" (from "pumping your hair up?)

FEATURED VIDEOS
[These videos are presented in chronological order.]

Video #1: Big Daddy Kane - Aint No Half Steppin (1988)



Uploaded by ass3678 on Jul 26, 2009

From the "Long Live The Kane" album.

-snip-
Some of the men in this video have their fades cut in a box. There also are men in this video with cornrows (hair braided close to their scalp) and other hairstyles.

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Video #2: Kid N Play - Rollin With Kid N Play



Uploaded by KangK on Mar 3, 2006

Old School classic, Kid N Play havin fun in this video, this classic video is a shoutout to ole boy Kore [1989]

-snip-
"Kid", the lighter skinned member of this duo, wears his hair in a hi-top [box] fade. "Play", the darker skinned member of this duo, wears his hair in a "high low".

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Video #3: Kwame - Only You



Uploaded by nedmann on Apr 3, 2010

Kwame and a New Beginning - Ownlee Eue Album : A Day in the Life A Pokadelick Adventure 1990

-snip-
Kwame wears his hair in a hi-top fade with a section of hair in the front dyed blond. Other male haircuts are found in this video.

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Video #4: Another Bad Creation - Iesha



Uploaded by AnotherBCreationVEVO on Oct 8, 2009

Music video by Another Bad Creation performing Iesha. (C) 1990 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.

-snip-
Various types of hi-top fades are shown in this video.

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