ME’SHELL NDEGEOCELLO
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Now think about the African American women in music with natural hair. Nina Simone. Cassandra Wilson. Joan Armatrading. Sweet Honey in the Rock. Tracy Chapman. They all play musical hybrids, often with self-composed, political lyrics. They often have problems fitting neatly into music industry categories, and of course their commercial appeal doesn’t come close to Jackson’s or Houston’s, though their overall talent surpasses both.
Theory: black women who challenge white beauty standards are also more likely to challenge musical boundaries. This occurred to me at Me’Shell NdegeOcello’s recent show at the Park West. The audience was a great mix of people–black, white, straight, and gay–but what struck me most was the myriad of hairstyles, especially the clusters of bald, dreadlocked, and Afroed women. When NdegeOcello took the stage, her close-shaved head gleaming against a big backdrop showing a golliwog with a red slash through it, the hair connection was unmistakable.
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