At times an affronted detail, hairdos among men in hip-hop have a track record of accentuating their presence. Within hip-hop’s history, acts like Kurtis Blow, Big Daddy Kane, Snoop Dogg, and more have established signature looks, with their hairdos serving as the main attraction. Multi-talent Bow Wow also fits this mold as one faculty about his way of rocking a wide range of hairstyles from cornrows to blowouts and braid-outs, ever since the infancy of his career. Now, the rapper, actor, and entrepreneur is taking on the duty of becoming a mogul in the hair care industry with his recent collaboration with Kiss Colors and Care.
At the top of Black history month, Bow Wow launched his new hair maintenance products with hair beauty brand Kiss Colors and Care, including a velvet-styled durag, wave brushes, and a twist styling tool. In an Instagram post about the collaboration, Bow Wow explains how the durag served as a fashion symbol in the early 2000s and was also a better alternative to bandanas for protecting his classic braids.
“My love for durags came at a very early age,” said Bow Wow. “Early 2000s, we just started to incorporate them with the fashion. Even in the summertime, we would rock our durags. I wanted something that was comfortable and something that can keep my hair tied down better than a bandana.”
The aspiring mogul credits Allen Iverson’s fishbone braids as the inspiration for his decision as an adolescent to attain braiding his hair. He shared that his decision to cut his hair and sport waves ultimately was due to his desire to present himself maturely, showcasing his freedom.
“The first hairstyle I really remember doing, which I believe made me who I was, I got to give props to Allen Iverson with the fishbone braids,” he said.
Like Allen Iverson inspired many young Black men to sport fishbone braids, the early 2000s was met with a boom of young Black male adolescents who grew out their tresses and rocked braids. At the time, Bow Wow at the time known as Lil Bow Wow, was a primetime hip-hop act alongside the rise of refined waves and fade cuts. The durag resurfaced as a popular accessory to secure and maintain such styles. This burgeoning came right in time for hip-hop’s bling-bling era; baggy pants and jerseys were deemed official fashion statements and ultimately created a standard for hip-hop fashion.
