This past weekend, LoveBrownSugar.com contributor Kisha caught up with female rapper & America’s Best Dance Crew judge Lil’ Mama backstage at the Global Fusion Festival in Philadelphia.
She was rocking a brand new fro-hawk ‘do (which was quite cute) and we
got into asking her about her new style. You may recall that Lil’ Mama
recently posted a Twitpic of herself rocking out with a natural ‘fro
(see below), which garnered tons of attention when she put it up in May.
She chatted with us about the commentary she received after boldly posting the photo and she had quite alot to say about it.
“I posted the picture of my hair and people were like ‘Omg you look
like a shocked slave!’ I didn’t get one comment from a white person
about my hair. All of them came from the sisters that had these bullsh**
helmut weaves looking like a fake a** Nicki Minaj. They don’t know who
they are. And the people they’re looking to for guidance don’t know who
they are either, which sucks.”
Aside from going all-natural with her hair, she’s also decided recently
to spring for natural nails. She no longer uses acrylic nails. A recent
mishap actually led to an allergic reaction and what Lil’ Mama believes
was a message from God about being natural, in the form of a blister
shaped like Africa. See pic below:
But umm, that blonde fro looks like a weave in the picture at the top. It's mimicking natural hair – but a weave nevertheless.
Her hair is her business, but that doesn't mean that you can't point out that she regularly puts down black women who aren't painting themselves to look white. Nicki M. tries to look like a barbie doll, it's like she never got over the fact that when she was growing up, the dolls didn't look like her. So instead of affirming her beauty herself as a black woman, she caved and carved herself up to look more like a plastic doll of a white woman.
I agree! Thanks for keeping it real!
that fro is sitting nice! I agree that it is dopeness 🙂
foreal* (about the blister)
LOL formal though, I was ummmm…-_____-
Um sorry I had to laugh ppl shouldn't take everything they see or hear to heart. I like her fro that's a lot of hair for such a tiny person. She shouldn't be to concerned with the comments of ignorant ppl end of the day you win some and lose some not everyone will agree with every decision we make but that shouldn't deter us from being who God created us to be.
i like that she decided to go natural….something different.
I think its good that she is choosing to wear her hair in its natural state. I think the weave comment was just a little extra seeing as she herself was a huge weave wearer and just last season on ABDC she was rocking them, but she is entitled to her opinion.
Well said Lil' Mama! I see a lot of comments about her being wrong for saying that about our relaxed and weaved sisters, but what are you saying to the people disrepected her? It's okay for them to say "you look like a slave with natural hair", but we can't say what we feel about relaxed hair? Come on! I, personally, don't have a problem with people rocking weaves or relaxers; to each her own…But when you've heard so much negativity and you've had to just deal with it, there's comes a point that you need to stop "being nice" and check that person and I think that's what Lil' Mama did. And checking someone doesn't mean you walk around being angry or defensive for the rest of your life, it's just letting people know where you stand and how things are gonna be. And as far as the Africa blister: God speaks to people in more ways than one!
I like hearing her talk real about her opinion on things. It was nice to see.
I've been natural for several years and was pressed, relaxed and weaved like many others before that. I'm happy that Lil Mama has had a new awakening regarding her natural hair however, is it healthy for her to draw such a line in the sand regarding our relaxed "sisters". Our beauty is undeniable and to suggest that one of us is less than just because of the way we have decided to wear our hair is saddening. As woman of color, we can't create prejudices in respect to our hair styling choices or we will have just found another way to hurt each other. Really, is that how we want to be reflected in the eyes of our innocent children. Don't they have enough to concern themselves with as they grow up without adding this to their plates. I am not angry just disappointed………….
Why is a person wearing the hair that grows from their scalp unaltered news?! I understand that there was a point in the not-to-distant past when we, as women of color, believed that the only socially acceptable hair was straight or loosely curled. Now that we have re-discovered that our God-given hair is equally acceptable why is this news? I personally don't care for the fro she's rockin'. Not because its an afro. I don't care for the elongated shape. I prefer the aesthetics of rounder afros or the ones that are so big they start to hang. That's just me. Regardless, it's her hair and it just shouldn't be a big deal that she's wearing her natural texture.
I wish I could like your comment 100x, I tried. Well stated, do you, the negativity is old.
She is definitely rocking that frohawk! Love it. I don't think it was necessary to call out weave-weavers though. I have actually never worn one because I've always kept a short cut, but I think people should wear their hair anyway that makes them happy.
I'm sorry but there's no middle ground when you are under attack. There's only a choice to either fight back or be trampled and crushed.
And unfortunately many of this generation of women are long past the point of 'respect' especially in the twitterverse/internets.
That's what comes of the older generation leaving their kids' minds to the tender mercies of a rapacious & amoral music industry and their gaggle of foul mouthed, malevolent and vacuous hip hop clowns.
Ditto. The most negativity came from Black people. It's a shame that everyone is so into these stereotypical "beauty" icons that anything different is considered ugly.
I completely agree you can't fight ignorance with more ignorance. The way Nicki and the other women choose to wear their hair is their business and who are we to say they are any more or less informed than we are
she does look stupid with the whole barbie look
i was thinking the same thing
On my journey to self, I found that I needed to fall in love with me in total, which included my hair, after trying locs for about a year and a half, I decided to cut them out and let my beautiful , frizzy,curly hair do what it do. (somedays that's whatever it wants). 🙂
my bad lol
The low-quality celeb self-portrait isn't anything new. Whoever looks at this obviously contemporary woman holding a cell phone and calls her a "slave" isn't criticizing her photography skills.
Hurt People, Hurt People!
i was agreeing 🙂
Is that even her real hair in the 'fro hawk? I doesn't look like it. Soooo, she's talking about people wearing weaves while sporting fake hair? I don't care what people do with their own hair but, wouldn't this be the pot calling the kettle black?
I actually think that she looks prettier with her natural hair vs. wigs. Way to go Lil Mama!
i think she called out others b/c she appreciates her natural hair, even while rocking weaves…some black women will clown natural hair in a hot second…but are snatched bald and rocking atrocious weaves..i think she had every right to say that…i wear weaves sometimes..and if a chick with a messed up weave clowns my natural hair…best believe, i will go in on that weave
You are correct, however, I guess because I am older I am always quick to try and find a middle ground. I would like both young women to respect themselves and other women equally.
The blister was so extra, but I pretended she didn't mention it. LOL
I wonder would you be so non judgemental if the people calling her a 'shocked slave' had been white, hispanic or asian?
Racist abuse is racist abuse regardless of who dishes it out. And if the perpetrator is black, EVEN MORE reason to call them out. If they tweet sh*t like that to a celebrity what kind of evil are they dishing out to young naturals in their school or neighbourhood.
To my mind right now Lil mama is the ONLY black female celebrity figure taking her postion of role model to the masses of demoralised and confused black girls out there seriously.
Demoralised and confused because both the mainstream media and their own families and communities tell them that the only way they can be pretty or desirable is by being the opposite of the way god made them.
Demoralised and confused because they believe that every other race of girl wakes up with beautiful hair but black girls have to hide their ugliness with wigs, weaves or harsh chemicals.
Nicki Minaj has no problem with putting you and other natural haired black women down in her music.She frequently insults black women in her raps with the term 'Nappy headed hoes'.
Lil mama just called out her anti black racist ass…
you and i are saying the same thing tho
really? its on a camera phone…shes not posing or having a photoshoot…i'm just saying…just because youre a celeb does not mean you have to 'VOGUED UP' for a camera phone pic
lol not all fros are neat and tidy….i like to pick my hair out and then let it do wwhatever lol
Wow, that's terrible people had the nerve to make such ignorant commments on her Twitter page. I thought that was brave of her to post the pics of herself because it's reflection of how secure she is with herself and hair. For REAL though, if you have nothing nice to say….shut your pie-hole! The same goes for Lil' Mama too….defend your reasons for posting the picture and express your confidence but don't name-call and put down others as this makes you just as bad as the ones who were ignorant to you. Let's do better people.
Good lookin fro!! Work it lil mama!
Wooooow! I do not think she should of talked about women who choose to wear weaves, just like the person below said she use to wear them. She should not judge anyone for their choices it is theirs. You may not know the reason why some women are wearing weaves or wigs something serious could be the reason hint illness, etc. I know she is reppin' team natural I am too, but I do not say anything to my sisters or brothers of any race that are negative towards natural hair. I worry about myself because at the end of the day even if you talk about me loud as you can I am still go be me a natural curly kinky woman! Words hurt for a moment but what does not kills you makes you stronger- Kelly Clarkson. She needs to love her choice and ignore all the bsing hater. Honey the blister is not Africa it is a reaction. I stop getting "fake nails" because they damaged my natural nails now they grow to a certain length then break. She is so dramatic!
Megan Montgomery
well put
love her fro!
That frohawk was awesome! I was at the Global Fusion Festival on Saturday and saw her in person. As far as the "slave" comments that was horrible but unfortunately the good hair/bad hair mindset is still heavily engrained in some people. As long as your hair is well groomed I say wear it however you want; that's the beauty of being a women, a black woman in particular.
HAHAHA!!!! Me too…I was like UH OH (with the side eye)…
Lol I said "Huh"? When she mentioned that blister. Whatever floats her boat, ehh. lol
I like her hair, she's like any other person on this planet who has the right to wear whatever & rock her hair anyway she sees fit. Whoever made a dictatorship over women's hair & how the average or not so average should express themselves. I say you go girl & embrace the natural God given you.
I love her fro! I love seeing celebs embrace their natural hair. Those negative comments are stupid but they're coming from people who are probably ignorant about their own locks and might be jealous.
Remember: naysayers gonna naysayers.
Love her natural hair & self-discovery. It's a such a shame that the negative comments about her natural hair came from Black women/men. That shows a mindstate that many need to get out of (with the slave references). Good for her!
I agree with this statement. In the nat hair community we often forget that hair is just that and the way we choose to wear it is our individual choice. Not every woman who relaxes hates herself and is dependent on weave. But I also think she was just angry and lashed out because some people have no filters on their mouths and can be very hurtful with their comments.
It's always cute to see a new natural get this excited- blister from Africa and all. And most of the negative comments about my hair have come from other Black men and women. My White friends either don't care or don't notice or think its awesome/unique.
Why was the Nicki Minaj comment "weird"???! She said women wearing "helmut weaves" looking like a "fake Nicki Minaj"…hell Nicki looks freaking stupid with all those tacky, horrible pastel wigs!
I love Lil Mama's hair – both the afro and the frohawk. I agree with her when she refers to everyone needing to look in the mirror and face their own issues first. I feel her frustration at the comments she received from black women
I like it. She is doing her. People have too many opinions about others. Do you and quit worrying about everybody else. *JEEZ* That stuff rubs me the wrong way. Any whooo.
love love love her hair and the fact that she is brave enough to show the world. kudos to her and snap in z formation for that fro
in a way i agree with nicol that the photo is of poor quality for a celeb like we just recently saw alicia's hair pics and they were of good quality. I get what she is saying cuz it looks like the photos these silly school girls take in the bathroom and post on facebook. but all in all i think she did it just to show us her fro not to send off to an editorial magazine so i can appreciate the pic for what it is.
I think its great she went natural, but I dont think she has rights to call women who wear weaves out in a negative light nor say that they don't know themselves because of their hairstyle. I can acutely remember Lil Mama having plenty of "these bull**** helmet weaves looking like a fake a** Nicki Minaj" not that long ago, and now that she decided that this is her new lifestyle, anybody different is fraud? Have a seat Lil Mama.
I like the fro-hawk. Cute!
Kudos to lil mama for going against the hollywood 'gotta look white even if it means donning a 20lb ratchet looking weave' grain. She looks pretty in both photos. Hope she sticks with it because we go hard on one another for accepting our hair the way god made it.
I can't with the blister in the shape of Africa I LOL'd all in the library. Her do is really cute, always support a sister who has taken on the challenge of learning and appreciating their natural hair.
she took the photo with her phone in the mirror 🙂
Yeah the blister shaped like Africa was an awkward comment. Her natural hair is pretty. It does look like she combed it upwards so I think that is where the "shocked" comments are coming from. Angela Simmons posted the same photo but her hair was picked out not up so I'm sure she didn't get the same feedback. I also thought it was weird how she referenced Nikki Minaj to describe a certain type of look. I think it is cool that she gave the interview though and I liked her overall message.
I'm not ashamed of what I said. I actually said Ioved it. My hair looks practically the same as hers.
The hip hop world is all about image. I was just saying that since she is a celebrity people were not used to seeing her like this. It's a badly taken picture, not a bad hairstyle. She's not looking in the right direction. She's not smiling (not that she has to). Her head looks tilted down which makes the fro looked "shocked".
Feel free to disagree with me, but there's no need to "shame" me. My thoughts are my thoughts the same as your thoughts are your thoughts.
I am truly impressed by the size and shape of Lil' Mama's natural fro. Truly. I think that most of the persons who are natural and loved her hair probably just nodded at the picture and moved on. Those who might have been a bit more insecure about their natural hair probably would comment regarding what they felt was pretty or looked good. It's all about what you're surrounded by and what you're open to. That's my $0.02.
I am so with you on the blister. I cringed when she said that.
i love people who are comfortable enough in their skin to show themselves without spending hours and hours to do their hair, make up, clothes etc etc. to me she looks normal, and i love the fro. we need more celebrities who can give kids and teens a realistic view of what normal is.
I get that we are individuals and we all can do what we want with our hair. But WHY don't we embrace our NATURAL selves? I love the natural movement that is sweeping the nation, and thanks to young women like Lil'Mama, CurlyNikki, and others for teaching us to love our NATURAL HAIR and in using natual product on our hair and skin.Keep spreading the word Lil'Mama, you're Rockin that Mohawk!
that fro is dope! i was with her until she started talking about her blister being africa and all that. girl you had an allergic reaction. but if you feel its the motherland, then ok girl :-/
Recently did the big chop and looking forward to my hair being as long/big as hers. There's a lot of truth to what she said. There are a lot of Black people that are really uncomfortable with their hair in its natural state…but, I'd like to think that is slowly changing with the numbers of naturals that I'm starting to see.
It appears as if she is looking at something on her phone. Seriously, how do you get anything more from that photo?
I have to disaggree with Nicol. She doesn't looked 'shocked' she looks beautiful and her fro is perfectly trimmed and 'neat'. Shame on you!
Ummmm I'm sorry but celebrities are real people like us too. Never even knew she was natural but her fro is huuuge! I don't see shocked when I look at it. She isn't trying to be someone else but herself when she put up the photo. If only more women could just be real like that. that's just my 2 cents though.
I don't know who Lil Mama is, but since she is a celebrity, maybe people were shocked to see her like this. No makeup. No jewelry. The angle of the picture is kind of odd and it makes it look like her hair is standing at attention. My first thought was she looked "shocked" like in the cartoons. I actually love her fro, but maybe it should have been a little bit neater before she sent it out to the world. Maybe this would be a pic just to send to her family.