How I Became A Nappy Head

Top: Jay-Z (low cut fade); Center: Lil Webbie (temp fade with fro); Bottom: Steve Harvey (temp fade with fro)

Monday, September 8, 2008

The topic that I am writing about is my mini afro, and how I came to this style of hair. Growing up, my older brother Ricky was the only person that cut my hair and the only person that I trusted to do the job. My main style since I was twelve years old was a low cut fade, with thin sideburns hanging a half inch below my earlobe. It’s just like the hairstyle rapper Jay-Z wears. My friends nicknamed me Jay-Z because I resembled him with my cut. The low cut fade was the only style that I had or ever thought about having for six years. In late 2006, when I was eighteen, my brother Rickey violated his parole and was put in jail. The first thing that I thought about was who was going to cut my hair while my brother is locked up? My brother was my barber, the only one I trusted on my head. But he was going to be in jail for I don’t know how long. He had to wait on a court date to see if he can make bail, and as most people know the judicial system is slow as hell. So I decided to wait it out and see what happens.

While my brother was locked up I didn’t let anybody cut my hair; that is how loyal I was to my barber. So overtime my hair started getting longer, thicker, and more nappy. When I was still at the stage where I had to use a brush and a comb to get my hair straight, I didn’t like it. I was praying for this court date to come and for Ricky to make bail. I didn’t even want to get a line up (tape), so my hair was looking rugged. When I got to the stage where I needed to use a pick for my hair is when I started to fall in love with it. I started playing with my fro: I would twist it up like dreadlocks, I would rub my hair like I was shampooing it, and I would pick it out frequently. Having hair on my head made me feel good for some reason only god knows. It was and still is like a source of pleasure for me. At times I will start picking out my hair, nappy or not, just for the pleasure. It is something about the thickness that I love about it. I do not know why I love my hair so much; I just know that from then on I became a nappy head.

My brother finally made bail about three months later. I went over to his house, and he looked ready to attack my long hair with his clippers. To his astonishment I told him that I am going to be rockin’ the fro now. I told him to just shape up the fro, give me a tape, and keep the sideburns. It took a few haircuts for me to figure out the way I really wanted to rock it. I decided to part with my beloved sideburns that I had been wearing for six years. My sideburns were the best thing I liked about my low cut fade, but I decided they didn’t go well with the fro. I decided the best haircut to go with my fro was the temp fade, which is what Steve Harvey (before he went bald) and Lil Webbie wear. Before the temp fade my hair was the same level on the sides and in the back as it was on top, and that did not look good to me. So any time I go to a barbershop I ask for a temp fade, a shape up of the fro, and for my sideburns to be cut off. And that is the style that I am rockin’ as of today, and will be rockin for quite a while.