Bow Wow Talks Durag Culture & His Relationship With Hair

Bow Wow, né Shad Moss, has been known for his hair game since he first hit the scene as a pre-teen rapper. From braids to fades and his infamous affinity for durags, his hair has become part of hip-hop history. 

[SEE ALSO: Headpieces Were Their Own Fashion Moment At The 2022 Met Gala]

While it’s been referenced in a song or two, it’s also gotten him noticed by beauty brands that were intrigued by his “creativity and personal style.”

That led him to cash in on the beauty buzz via a lucrative collaboration with KISS Colors & Care. And it makes sense. The rapper has already parlayed his music career into a 360-degree multifaceted entertainment grind.  We’ve seen him pull up with executive producer credits for shows like WEtv’s “Growing Up Hip Hop,” as well as appear in dozens of acting roles, including 2021’s “Fast & Furious 9.” He’s even hosting a new BET dating series, “After Happily Ever After,” set to drop this fall. 

Now, he’s serving up his own haircare collection. This past February, we got a box delivered with goodies, including wave and fade boar brushes (which my boyfriend has since claimed) and durags in all sorts of prints, colors and textures.

The collaboration, he tells us, was a perfect fit with his grind as “a creator and being creative, an artist,” he explains. “Just me thinking, what hasn’t been done? What do we need to do? What’s out here in the marketplace now that we can actually make better?”

From there, they came up with some tried-and-trues, along with some brand new offerings, including a plastic version of the classic twist sponge.

“The Twist King Brush, without a doubt, is my favorite,” he says of the innovation. “It has never been made. Most of the [twist] brushes are a spongey foam type of material. We have very high-end rubber material that’s very durable. It doesn’t take in grease. It doesn’t pull out the hair and it’s easy to clean. Sometimes, you don’t have to clean it at all.”

Of course, the durags are also pretty extra, including crushed velvet options, which tie in with their resurgence as a fashion accessory. “We took luxury, quality, all of those things and we mixed them in,” Moss explains. 

Once considered bedtime or “hood” accessories, men are now wearing durags on red carpets (think Met Gala) and matching them to their ‘fits. Entire festivals are even dedicated to them. 

“It’s dope to see how men have stepped up and want to try something different,” he says of the shift. “I’ve been seeing so many guys just celebrating it and living free and just investing in their look. And I think that’s very important, as a man. You want to instill confidence in yourself. You want to feel good, look good. And there’s nothing wrong with that.”

He even expects to see more women rock them. “It’s definitely unisex. Women brush their hair, they have edges, they want ponytails. There are so many things that you can do with our products. This doesn’t say anywhere that it’s just for men. This is for everybody. Everybody is a part of the durag culture — there’s no limitation on who buys or wears a durag,” he says. “That’s what I want to sell. That’s what I want to push to the culture.”

Moss say his hair journey, along with other celebrity pioneers, influenced the collection and “push the culture” of hair. “My relationship with hair has been a big part of my journey throughout my career,” he explains. “My hair has played a major role — from certain iconic hairstyles that I’ve worn on album covers or performances or music videos and watching my fans imitate the exact hair designs that I’m wearing. 

“And, I credit that to guys like Allen Iverson, who really impacted the culture in such a way that I’ve never seen growing up as a kid and wanting to be just like him. I’m taking what he did and implementing it into my own style and swag and drip. Hair has been a very, very important piece of my life and it will forever be.”