My Intersection of Hair, Arts, and Expression
So... what's with the hair?
Ahhh that is the question, isn't it? My decision to grow my hair out came in September of 2019, after YEARS of saying that I would never let it grow past the wave length that I had kept it at since I was a toddler. I grew it out for a couple of months once when I was 15 or 16, but that was a very short lived phase.
I can give you the artistic story, the Black experience story, or the genetic truth here... I say we should start with the truth. Truth is, I've had a very bad hairline since birth (all Wallace's have great hair with no edges, it's in the bloodline). As age works its wonders, that hairline will only get worse. I got chopped once during the summer of '19, and when I walked into my apartment and looked in the mirror, I saw it... my hairline was on some it's a runner/it's a track star type stuff. I had been getting the rattail part (like the one Jalen Rose has) on my left side since I was 12, and it usually helped to hide the truth, but the truth had finally set itself free. So I told myself I was never cutting my hair again.
How does that play into your artistry?
So glad I decided to ask myself this question... I grew up on India.Arie's music, and my dad wore out her iconic song, "I Am Not My Hair". Although the message in the song is truth and light for many people, I embrace my hair just as much as any other part of me with substance.
My hair represents my constant, energetic quest for growth. With growth comes versatility, which is why I change styles often. You'll see coils, two strands, puffs, cornrows, or wash 'n' go's depending on the week. My music does the exact same thing. When Southland played a hit in 2020 with #dontletmedownmem, we started the show with a Marvin Gaye cover, and then a hip-hop track, then a Neo-soul/jazz song, then a gospel song, and then a rock song. The solo record that I'm releasing soon has that feel of genre-blind, experimental versatility from song to song, as well.
Now, let's dive into my growth journey with some visual aides, and some stories and explanations of the creative expressions of the time.
The final haircut, circa September 2019
So this is where it begins... I walked into the barbershop and told them not to take anything off the top. I was a very devoted waver (as far as consistency goes, anyway. I wasn't one of those people that wore a durag everywhere and brushed my hair 24/7) and had a style that fit, so I stuck with it.
Once I started growing it out, I kind of began feeling a little freer. I knew that hairstyles brought perceptions, and I knew that it would be my mission to wear my hair however I wanted, even in the face of stereotyping, and even despite people that felt my hair was just "girly".
What I didn't anticipate was how much genetics had already played a hand in my hair journey. It took a whole lot of patience and lots of studying to start seeing real growth.
Richmond Folk Festival, circa October 2020
So as you can see, my hair was a carpet for the first month. Literally did not change, and after shrinkage took it's little 50% tax, it almost looked like I wasn't even growing it out. Kind of looked like I just stopped brushing it.
However, the difference was noticed on wash days. For the first year or so of growth, wash day curls are the best curls you can get. Every day after that just looks like a matted web of naps and despair. I was proud of my growth, though. Very proud.
We're going to skip a lot of months, and you're just gonna go along with it and pretend my hair actually grew during the first half-year, solid? Preciate it.
By the summer of 2020, my head had become a very tangled, but beautiful garden of strong stranded Black hair. It was something to take real pride in. I was learning more about curl patterns, textures, porosity, and care routines.
Growing up, my mother always wore her hair in natural, curly styles. My twin sister did the same, except for the occasional press for certain occasions. So being in a kinky-curly household became part of my identity. Embracing my hair was like embracing my heritage, in some ways. My music became even more about love and legacy, and the pursuit of many forms of happiness. There was a bolder tone in my voice, and it felt veeeeery Black, too.
As my mother's condition worsened throughout the summer, I clung to my hair even more. It felt like a way for us to always be connected. To this day, I can hear her saying, "moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!" anytime I wear my hair down. Hair became a passion of mine as a way of honoring her, too. So it not only fulfilled my artistic expression, but it also was my way of reminding my mother that I love her forever.
Winter 2020/2021... as you can see, the growth got real, and so did my bill at the beauty supply store
By the time the winter season rolled around, I had finally gotten the hang of things. I knew which oils my hair liked, knew which products to use for moisture retention and hold for styling, and I knew how to refresh my hair in the fight against shrinkage.
Just like I was watching my hair blossom into a free-flowing river from my scalp, the ideas and creativity were coursing through my veins. I had just released The Letter, and I was starting to write music for Southland again. I was constantly studying the intersection of hip-hop and hairstyles, and developing my own ways to bring that partnership to jazz and poetry. I didn't want to do the whole afro-sheen and goatee look since that's basic and no one really wants to spend their 20's looking like a can of Murray's. So I began building my own essence with it. I had released a song called "tndr" a month or so before that was all about Black women embracing themselves, their hair, their insecurities, and their inner beauty. The energy was becoming very shea butter and essential oil-like, you know what I'm saying?
So how does it all embody the Black experience?
Let me start by saying that Black isn't a monolith, and therefore cannot exist as a singular experience. Now that I've gotten my buzzwords out the way, I'll say that hair is very significant in Black culture, as well as the perception of Black culture.
Our hair symbolizes strength, endurance, perseverance, love, and all things natural. Mother Earth literally trickles from the follicles of our scalps. She can be protective like braids, she can be nurturing like a deep conditioner, or free-spirited like loose curls or a ponytail.
What I also have continued to experience is the harsh reality of being a Black man with long hair that is prominent in street culture. Notice how I specified the street part. Black and street aren't synonymous. They share facets, and you can definitely say that Black culture heavily influences street culture. When I've entered court rooms and non-Black spaces wearing braids and showing my tattoo, I've been subjected to being stripped of the positives that come with my hair journey. I become, simply, another Black man with braids. Ludacris without the fame and notoriety (and money) to avoid the fate that comes with implicit biases. I won't go into too many details, but I do have a decent amount of stories. These days, my "protective" styles are really my protest styles. I wear them to assimilate the spaces I occupy into the wonder that is Black hair, and will never settle for it going the other way around.
a photo dump of processes, finished products, and flicks from the past year
Closing Thoughts?
If you made it to the end, Peace and Love. If not, oh well... maybe you'll finish one of these some day. Who knows?
Long story short, I've loved this journey thus far. As you can see, so much of who I am becoming is represented by my hair. It's the crown for a child of the King, worn proudly on the temple that is the body made in His image. In a more human way, it's the root of my appearance. Whether I'm suited and booted, or dressed for a date with a recliner and a NBA double header, my hair stands as a statement of pride and joy in myself.
I haven't decided on a topic for the next blog, but I do know I have a LOT of projects dropping this summer. So if you don't see me in the "Blog" section of the site, you'll most definitely hear me under the "Sounds" tab. See y'all there!
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