The New Crop : Long or Short, Natural or Not, the ‘90s Cut Keeps Heads Looking Sharp

IN THE ‘70s, the coiffure for young blacks was the natural, or Afro, a luxuriant cloud of medium-to-longish hair that was left in its virgin state. The ‘80s brought a return to short crops for some, processed curls and waves for others. But the prime cut of the ‘90s--the early ‘90s, anyway--may contain elements of both: long hair (natural or chemically relaxed) on top contrasted with short sides embellished with symbols and designs.

“But what does it mean?” puzzles one very proper mother as she contemplates her record-producer son’s au courant cut. His natural waves have been left about an inch long on top, but the sides fade into an ultra-short crop and have a series of faint-but-discernible stripes, cut down to the scalp, that meet in a V at the nape.

“It doesn’t mean anything, Mom,” the producer laughs. “It’s hip. That’s all.”

Actually, he is half right: The new designer cuts evolved along with hip-hop , the music-dance-fashion culture that encompasses rap. Early rappers sported the unusual designs to distinguish themselves from the slick, movie-matinee looks of more-mainstream singers. The cuts also associated the performers with street-savvy kids who were rebelling against what they viewed as increasingly homogenized music. Now, with rap’s widespread recognition as a valid (and hugely profitable) musical genre, versions of the haircut are everywhere.

Arsenio Hall sports a conservative rendition. If his viewers looked closely in December, they could see a faint line about a half-inch above the base of his scalp that ended in a gentle V at the nape. Perhaps it’s Hall’s version of a secret handshake, his way of signaling to young blacks that being a mainstream success doesn’t mean he can’t be a hip brother.

Heavyweight champion Mike Tyson has another version. His hair is left natural, the sides are cut close, the top is a bit longer--and his part is sharply slanted. Tyson’s interpretation is almost businesslike in its subtlety, but by altering the path of the part he’s sent a message to the cognoscenti: I know what’s happening; I don’t need to flaunt it.

Men interested in trying the new look should be aware that maintenance is everything. Emmanuel Jones, owner of The Cosmic Store in Inglewood, is widely acknowledged as the L.A. genesis of the cutting-edge cut. His shop is always filled with young clients who are entrusting their heads--and their images--to Jones’ staff.

Simple cuts (such as horizontal lines, basic graphics) cost $8 to $12. Intricate designs (one client travels from Orange County to have Mickey Mouse’s face shaved on the back of his head) could go as high as $125. To keep the design fresh and neat, most clients visit once a week.

And while the new cut is seen frequently on students, entertainers and athletes, it can be worn by almost anyone, regardless of gender or occupation, says John Atchison, whose upscale salons in West Hollywood and New York cater to the heads of celebrities such as Bill and Camille Cosby, Robin Givens, Cicely Tyson and Jesse Jackson. For Pam Warner, mother of Malcolm Jamal Warner (a.k.a. Theo Huxtable), Atchison says he balances the design on either side of her neck, then blends it into the nape. The result is neat and chic--and hip.

It works even with longer hair, Atchison says. “The top portion could be relaxed and left long--say, shoulder-length--while the ‘undercut,’ which is short, contains the design.” That way, even an associate attorney could wear mainstream hair during the day and, after hours, pull her hair into a ponytail to reveal her designer lines.

But what, as the record producer’s mother continues to wonder, do the new cuts mean?

Jones’ staff is convinced that they may hearken back to a collective cultural consciousness that their clients may be aware of at a very subliminal level. “A lot of these graphic designs really look like hieroglyphics,” says one stylist who sees a renaissance of cultural expression among young African-Americans.

Atchison, however, doesn’t believe that the political message of the new cut parallels the nationalism expressed by the Afro. “There are no political overtones,” he says. “It’s just a fun thing.”

And besides, says Jones, the cuts satisfy a basic need for attention: The designs “raise the esteem of young black kids. It makes them feel good to be noticed in a society that insists on ignoring them.”

Hair: Toni Greene / Zenobia; grooming: Sher Kohr / Zenobia; model: Eldorado Wallace