(December 9, 2020) Menoosha’s “Free” states what should be obvious, but in 2020 still is not. A Black woman ought to have the freedom to wear her hair however she chooses. That ‘right’ of cultural self-expression – or simply just wearing a style that a woman likes – has only recently been conferred to Black women (and men) through a legislation in several states that is known as the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, or CROWN Act. On the one hand it’s a positive that institutions recognize the cultural and stylistic significance of hair styles ranging from Afros to dreadlocks. On the other hand, the necessity of Black men and women needing legislative dispensation to engage in the types of expression that other groups receive at birth is deeply problematic.
That is why a song like Menoosha’s ”Free,” an energetic anthem where she embraces a woman’s freedom to rock any hairstyle from cornrows to wigs to shaved low to hair adorned with a variety of dyes, will resonate in a world where people are increasingly unwilling to accept the prevailing view of what is a ‘business appropriate’ hairstyle. The song fuses percussive Afrobeat, electronica and funk in a manner that is celebratory and invites folks to the dance floor to their freedom from whatever bound them.
The topic of hair love has been a recurring theme for the Cameroon native. Her latest album, Airs About Hair, addresses topic directly and two songs, “Touching My Hair” and “Hair Cypher,” have already been featured on First Listen. She says that “Free embodies how I feel about wearing my hair. No matter what I choose to do with it and where I am, it takes nothing away from my power, my identity and my freedom.” Check out “Free” here.
By Howard Dukes
Menoosha – “Free”