NYC NOW - August 7, 2023: Evening Roundup

Episode Date: August 7, 2023

Hip Hop turns 50 this summer and WNYC is zoning in on women and the impact they’ve had on the genre. Aside from the music, there’s also the style. Celebrity hair stylist Dionne Alexander is behind some of the most iconic looks in hip-hop. She tells us the story behind Lil Kim’s infamous 1999 MTV Video Music Awards look and other iconic styles.

Good evening and welcome to NYC now. I'm Junae Pierre for WNYC. Hip hop turns 50 this summer, and we're zoning in on women and the impact they've had on the genre. Aside from the music, there's also the style. Hairstylist Dionne Alexander is one of a handful of women responsible for the iconic glam we saw in hip-hop back in the 90s. She styled MC Light, Lil Kim, Missy Elliott, just to name a few, and those looks as well as Alexander's colorful printed wigs still inspired the fashion we see in the music industry today. We talked with Alexander about her artistry and her influence on the culture,

exploring her journey from the beginnings to becoming one of the pivotal figures in shaping the image of women in hip-hop. Alexander grew up in Washington, D.C., where her mom owned three hair salons. And I was always in the salon as a child. I was around a lot of great hairdressers, a lot of great artists, and I began to pick up the trade. However, the most inspiring thing was the lifestyle. It was very glamorous. In 1992, Alexander got her big break on the set of a hip-hop film called Fly By Night. It's a movie about three New York rappers who try to gain acceptance through their music. While on set, Alexander was tasked with styling one of the characters, hip-hop pioneer, MC Light.

She was on top. She was really number one because it was she and maybe Queen Latifah. They were the only two at the time that were, you know, really popular. During that time, female rappers had an edgy look, hard-curled hair with highly defined curls that retained its shape and baggy clothes. More street style, less glam. But here comes Dionne Alexander with her layered hairstyles, sleek cuts, and soft curls, often with a bouncy and flowing appearance, a style new to hip-hop. She credits that to what she saw in her hometown. DC had a reputation for hairstyles at that time, hairstyling.

A lot of great haired stylers was here in this area. And when you go to New York, New York was known for fashion. So the hair there wasn't as styled. We came with a lot more style. MC Light loved the style so much that she invited Alexander on tour. As the hip-hop phenom teamed up with Alexander, MCLight's look was transitioning and becoming a lot more feminine.

And people noticed that. We'll pick up our conversation with celebrity hairstylist Dionne Alexander after the break. So after working your magic with MC Light, you'd begin working with yet another pioneer in the music industry. I'm talking about Mary J. Blige. Talk a bit about those styles and her look during the 90s. That was fun because Mary represents everything that every young black girl was at that time or wanted to be. So, you know, she was able to rock different hairstyles, wasn't afraid to rock, you know, very urban, very street. But Mary was that one that, you know, all the girls would go to the salons and want to recreate Mary's hairstyles, you know.

So we hadn't got to Kim yet into really high fashion yet. So it was like the urban look. She's the queen of urban hairstyles. I'm most excited to talk about your time with Little Kim. How did you two hook up? We first worked together on a Mary Day Blige video, a little Kim video. I can love you. I told you once, I told you twice.

QB, go to booty, like a groupie for more ice. I'm a truck heist. Get the bonus like the Rouge day. And love with you. So that was our first time. And then after that, some years may have gone by. And I don't know. One day I was at home and I just really kind of said, you know what?

I really want Little Kim. And within 30 days, I was on the phone with Little Kim. And she was like, oh, my God, I've always wanted you to do my hair. And so it just clicked just like that. And on top of that, you know, working with Inzinga Gumbs and Misa Hilton, they all were working on Kim as well. And Zingo was her makeup artist and Misa Hilton Bram was a stylist. So it was an easy slide-in because we were already working on Mary together. Yeah.

And we'll talk about those two ladies a little bit later. But working with Lil Kim sort of allowed you to stretch and be a lot more creative. And if we glance back at those styles in the 90s, especially the colorful wigs and the designer logos, none of that have been. done before for any hip hop artists. Where were you drawing inspiration from during that time? And what was the thought process behind creating some of your most recognized pieces? I had traveled to Europe right after I got out of high school. And that to me opened me up as far as my creative side, seeing something different because we didn't have the internet. So when you go over there, they had their own style. They had their own way of fashion. And it kind of triggered something in me. So

when I came back home, I would order magazines from there all the time. I just would not stop ordering European magazines. And they were always so very avant-gant with hair. So when Kim came and she was a lot more ready for that fashion breakthrough, it was definitely a great match. So Dion, you are part of what I'm calling the original glam squad before it was even a thing, right? Yes. Of course, I'm referring to yourself, fashion stylist Misa Hilton and celebrity makeup artist in Zinga. How was it working with those two ladies? I mean, did you think that you all would have

such an influence on the elevation of glam in hip-hop? No, no, no, not at the time. We were just like we were having fun. It was all new because I feel like at that time in the 90s, music changed. So it was just a flood of young people coming in with these creative ideas. It wasn't about us.

It was about us creating a dynamic. look for this artist. I want to go back to 1999, the day of MTV's Video Music Awards, because the three of you worked together on an unforgettable look pulled off by Little Kim. I'm talking about the boob-bearing mermaid-inspired cat suit with the sequin pasty over the nip, and then you topped it off, of course, with the lavender wig. Talk me through that day and how all of you who came together to create what I'm calling one of the most memorable looks to this day in VMA history and in hip-hop. Yes, yes, yes.

Okay, so then that was also one of the most hectic days that I think we have ever worked because we did both Mary and Kim that day, all three of us. Oh, wow. Yeah. Misa came up with this idea. They came up with the pasty and the outfit. She had it designed and worked out,

and she said we want a lavender wig, Dion. I'm like, okay, perfect, no problem. So I went and found this lavender wig. That also was a synthetic wig. But like I said, wigs weren't popular like that back then. So finding the materials was a challenge and making them look good. I had to restore them. I had to redo them.

I couldn't just pull a wig out of a bag. I had to cut it and style it and, you know, give it the shape that it had. It was really a dope look. My mom was like, what is little Kim doing? I know. It was very, very. I think it shocked everybody. You can look at your, if you look at their faces on the stage, it's like, oh, okay.

Oh, my goodness. Well, Diana, we're going to follow. Yeah, I remember she was on stage with Mary J. Blige. And then Diana Ross came out and couldn't stop staring at Little Kim's look. And she even patted Lil Kim's boob and called them the new Supremes. Yes. Yes, yes. That is a memorable moment.

That is an iconic moment. Yeah. Can you share some insights into how hair trends in hip hop have changed since the start of your career? They have evolved. And I have to say that I feel like it was a pivotal point with the Lauren Hill video when she did a duop video. That was, I did that video and as far as my recollection was the first lace front. And to be clear, a lace front wig is a hairpiece tied by hand to a sheer lace base, which kind of goes over the scalp. It's designed to look like a natural hairline.

Because we weren't wearing lace fronts at the time. And I had to get that wig from Rosie Perez. She was an actress, and she took me downtown Manhattan to a Jewish wig maker that made wigs for old Hollywood. So that was my first introduction to a lace front wig. So he actually created the wig, and then I had to go and style it because, like I said, we weren't even using lace fronts. They were only used in Hollywood pretty much. Lauren Hill had locks during this time. She had locks.

Yes, I had to put those locks under that lady. Wow. Yes. When you look at artists in hip-hop now, are there any style? is that excite you? Yeah, Cardi B. Cardi B. Cardi B. What about it?

What about Cardi? Cardi just got it. She just got it. You know, I don't even know how to even say it anymore. I already got it. She has won me over. You better believe it. I love how she wears everything that she wears.

She does it well, every time. Dionne Alexander is a celebrity hairstylist and hair influencer. Thanks so much for your time today and your contribution to glam in hip hop. This was a lovely conversation. Thank you so much for having it. Thanks for listening to NYC now from WNYC. Catch us every weekday, three times a day. We'll be back tomorrow.