This interview is part of WNYC and Gothamist’s coverage of hip-hop’s 50th birthday. To mark this milestone, we’re highlighting women from the New York City area who helped shape the culture.
Hair stylist Dionne Alexander is one of a handful of women responsible for the iconic glam we saw in hip-hop in the 1990s, styling trendsetters like MC Lyte, Lil Kim and Lauryn Hill, just to name a few.
And those looks, as well as Alexander’s colorful printed wigs, still inspire the fashion we see in the music industry today. She grew up in Washington, D.C., where her mom owned three hair salons and naturally picked up the trade. In the early ’90s, her career would land her in New York City, doing hair for up and coming executives at record labels like Uptown and Def Jam.
Years later, Alexander would find herself styling Lil Kim for the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards, in an iconic look that’s still talked about today.
Alexander spoke with WNYC and Gothamist about her artistry and her influence on the culture, exploring her journey to becoming one of the pivotal figures in shaping the image of women in hip-hop.
The conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.
How did you get your big break?
In 1992, I [was a stylist on] a film called “Fly by Night,” a movie about three New York rappers who try to gain acceptance through their music. I had a friend that was a costume designer on that film. I met MC Lyte on that set, and during that time she was on top. Her look was changing to be a lot more feminine with her hair and makeup, so, I showed her my book of hairstyles and she asked me to go on tour with her.
So it kind of helped me out. And, I would say in New York at that time, a lot of young college kids were coming out and going in as interns and working behind the scenes in [record label] offices. So when I moved to New York, I was doing a lot of their hair; people that worked at Def Jam, Uptown, different record labels.
After working with MC Lyte, you began working with…
Read the full article here
Leave a Reply