The Plug 2 Hair Style

The Plug 2.  ~ My hair tribute to Trugoy the Dove 

Usually, when I don't (want to) take the time to do my own edge ups, I make my way over to my see barber Damon. I can always count on him to get me in the chair with little or no notice at all. Another thing I can count on is Damon having the nicest hip hop blends playing softly in the background from his Iphone. Under the noisy buzzing of clippers, random TV stations & customer mutterings about the game; the melodic sounds of Rakim, The Roots, Tribe Called Quest or Jay-Z, fight to be heard from the tiny tiny Iphone speakers. 

See Damon is a DJ and well chopping heads is his day time Clark Kent persona. At night he chops beats and crate digs til the early morning. This day he's about to give me a crisp line up and shave the side of my head. I sit and wait to be draped with the ragged blue cape. The buzzers click on... and we begin our talks about love, life, trips to Brooklyn and bouncing from Buffalo. In between those rants, we brainstorm through styling ideas of swirls, stars and possible letters to be carved into my freshly shaved side. "My fiance wants me to cut it all off and get a dark Cesar.."I offer up before looking into the mirror and realizing I am obviously not ready to take it there. So as we pondered more, Damon picked up his Iphone and switched his playlist to De La Soul, and that's when it happened. 

Damon a huge De La Soul fan (like myself), stood knodding his head to the deep bellows of "Plug Tunin" of De La Soul's first album, the classic, "3FT High & Rising". "Yo! Remember this Deed?" Damon said with enthusiam. "This album was my JOINT back in the day". He reflected for a moment, smiled, then proceeded to cut my hair. We skimmed through the album talking 'bout video's and so on. Then it hit us... 

     

     "Yo Deed 'member how Trugoy was rocking the crazy out of control, peasy half-fro, in Potholes in my lawn?" 

     "Yeah that was dope. Wait remember how Maseo had the ill peace sign carved into his faded slope?"

     "Yeah that was ill."

     "Yo if you brought that back Deed, that would be hot." 

     "Yeah it would."

And there you have it, The Plug 2 was born. 

I wanted to take it all the way there and rock the peace sign like Maseo had in the video, but I really didn't want to carve all up into the dark areas of my TWA. So instead, I decided to stick to the late 80's/early 90's theme and revisit the blond patch of my youth. Yes, the infamous Kwame blond patch.

Like many kids I adored Kwame as a teen. I remember combing through clothes racks at The GAP looking for a polka dot button down. (I still have it, lol).  I also rocked a big bright blond patch in the front of my hair and another in the back on the opposite side (think checkered board, lol). It was dope though and became my trademark style throughout High School.

That's me. Senior Year 1991

So I have to give Kwame an honorable mention in the creation of this hairstyle, even though Damon officially dubbed it "The Plug 2". So yeah, you can call it a revisit, call it a tribute, call it a mid-life crisis, lol.. Call it what you want, but it came out rather... Fresh!

Indeed the 2012 version

Now the downside to all of this... (damn, there's always a downside isn't it...)

I absolutely love my new doo! But rocking this in a non progressive, rather style mimicing area like my endearing hometown of Ruff Buff (sad but true).. let's just say in a mere month of having this hairstyle.. Three of the other parents at my children's summer program, suddenly got the urge to put a blond patch in the front of their hair & shave off their sides too! That's so not fresh. So yeah, when I rolled up to pick up my kids and saw the mother with the 27 step weave version of my hair style, and the bigger lady with the rainbow dyed shaved side version of my hairstyle, I decided it was time to let them have it and move on. I had fun with it while it lasted.

What's cool though is I'm noticing more and more women even in this area, are taking steps & beginning journey's to natural healthier hair. That's a definite plus! And since being here this summer,  I've been stopped constantly by newly naturals or women currently transitioning whom complimented me on my hair asked for and shared tips/advice. I've also noticed a lot of women with gorgeous locs & natural tresses, who are definitely progressive and fashion forward. It's a small community here, but a community none the less. I'm happy to see and be a part of this movement. 

So as far as the Plug 2 hairstyle, well I put it to rest last week as I faded out the color with a darker caramel brown. I decided to stick to the 90's theme by going in the direction of a Janet Jackson "Poetic Justice" inspired look. So now I'm rocking a chunky sized Senegalese Twist ( I do not have the patience to do box braids). I kept the side shaved, because that's here to stay regardless of who bites it. And I'm having fun with my hair, which to me is the entire point of the Journey. 

What were some 90's hairstyles that Inspired YOU? Leave a comment below and Let me Know.

Next: Senegalese Twist...