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Natural hair and dreadlocks are huge business in South Africa.  The locks can be sold as hair extensions and can typically go for as much as $275, depending on the length.  As a matter of fact, the demand for the matted locks is so high that patrons often will not even question where the hair came from.

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Hairstylist John Wushe, who owns a Johannesburg salon told Times Live, “They are becoming very popular. On a busy day we get about 10 people [wanting] to extend their hair.”

The stolen hair can be weaved on to the head of a male or female, whereas before, synthetic hair had been used for eons. The typical weaving-in process can take up to two hours and can be woven on to the head using a crochet hook or needle and thread.  A stylist can charge up to about $170 to weave in the dreadlocks.

Although there appears to be numerous dreadlocks thefts, according to Johannesburg police, they have thus far received only one such report that came through last year.  Johannesburg police spokesman Captain John Maluleka told Times Live his department encourages residents to file police reports over such hair thefts, but he thinks their hesitation can be attributed to just sheer embarrassment.

In most of the cases, dreadlock thieves are zeroing in on the fairer sex, and according to Randburg hairstylist Lebo Masimong, he says, it is because women appear to be easier targets, “You are an easy target if you walk around the CBD (central business district) and your hair is loose. They don’t care about your money or fancy phone. They are only after your hair.”

A real hairy situation indeed!

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North Carolina native Phonte Coleman (pictured) could easily pull in three lines of revenue based off his natural talent alone. The gifted singer-songwriter and capable rapper is also quite the funnyman, a fact evidenced by his rants on Twitter and the humor he injects often in his songs and live sets. Finding fame as part of the Little Brother trio featuring producer 9^Th Wonder and Rapper Big Pooh, the group has since disbanded, leading way to Phonte’s current group, “The Foreign Exchange,” with Dutch producer Nicolay.

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Listen To Phonte Coleman Below “Charity Starts At Home”

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NewsOne: As a professional musician, can you speak on how music has changed your life and helped you grow as a person?

Phonte: Music was my connection to the rest of the world. I was always kind of an introverted kid, so music was always the way I could communicate with people. If I didn’t feel like talking, I would just play a song. No matter what emotion I was trying to get across, I had a song for it.

NewsOne: For someone so musically inclined, what was the main attraction and who did you check out as a young man?

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Phonte: It was my mother. Music actually brought us closer together. She would put on records when we had to clean the house, we would be singing around the house. My grandmother was big into the church, and I had to go with her. So I joined the choir and that’s what got me through it, the music. Music seriously got my family together. My mom and I may not have had the best relationship, but music was the bond we shared. If a Luther Vandross record came on, everything was cool (laughs).

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NewsOne: With June being Black Music Month and all the musical festivals happening nationwide, do you have any fond memories of attending a big summer concert?

Phonte: My fondest memory is my uncle taking me to the Fresh Fest in ’85; I couldn’t have been no more than six years old. It was Run-D.M.C., Fat Boys, Whodini…my uncle took his lady and her kids and me. I was just losing my mind. But afterwards, he got me a Fat Boys shirt and he was like, ‘I got you this but I had to hide it because I ain’t got the money to be buying shirts for all her bad ass kids’ and I learned several things that night. I learned how to rock a show and how to effectively date a woman with some bad ass kids (laughs).

NewsOne: What was the turning point for you in your life when you knew you wanted to do music for a living?

Phonte: Although the Fresh Fest was like a mind-blower and I was still trying to figure out how in the hell these brothers got all them damn people in the coliseum, I wasn’t thinking of myself rapping. It wasn’t until Big Daddy Kane’s “Long Live The Kane” album came out. My mom bought it for me as a Christmas present from K-Mart. If there ever was a moment I knew I wanted to do this for a living, it was then.

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NewsOne: Which musical artist inspires you the most overall?

Phonte: As strange as it may sound, Meshell Ndegeocello is my biggest inspiration and influence. She’s one of the few artists able to keep me engaged from album to album. Every album is different but the common thread is always her. So no matter if she’s doing something stripped down and acoustic like the “Bitter” record or something with a harder edge like “The World Has Made Me The Man Of My Dreams,” she remains true to herself. The hardest thing as an artist is to find your own voice and she represents herself as an artist that has found her voice.

No matter what genre she sings, she’s selling Meshell. She’s not selling anything else. I’m trying to do the same thing in my music. I’m not selling anything but my own experience and hope people can get into it. I’m not selling just R&B or rap. Trust and believe, if I decide to do a ukulele album, it’s gonna be the funkiest damn ukulele album you done ever heard (laughs). That ukulele album gonna be banging! But seriously, Meshell’s artistic freedom is amazing. She keeps me engaged.

To get familiar with Phonte’s music, visit the Foreign Exchange website.

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Oddisee (pictured) may not yet be a household name, but considering the incredible growth of the Washington-bred rapper that reality is due to change. Beginning his career officially in 2005, the impressive boom-bap sounds of his earlier work have now expanded into a rich and lush sound that incorporates live instruments and soundscapes that transcend his hip-hop beginnings.

Currently splitting time between the nation’s capital, Brooklyn, and London, Oddisee’s expansive worldview and approachable musical quality is made evident on his official debut album, “People Hear What They See,” an early contender for Album Of The Year. On the album, Oddisee displays an uncanny ability to offer angles of discussion that are certainly not present on mainstream channels, yet it never feels overbearing.

NewsOne caught up with Oddisee in Washington during a break in his busy schedule, where he talked about how music is a centerpiece in his life and how a homegrown musician’s ability to make people move and think simultaneously is a goal he aims for in his own compositions.

NewsOne: As a professional musician, what are some of the challenges you face?

Oddisee: The biggest challenge, I’d say, would be answering you, because you don’t necessarily have a boss, you don’t get paid every two weeks, so if you don’t stay on top of yourself it can be self-destructive. That same freedom you enjoy can also be your demise. So it’s an ongoing struggle to know you can wake up when you want to wake up, but you still gotta get yourself up (laughs).

NewsOne: You’ve seen the world not only because of music, but because of your Sudanese father. How do your travels help your music?

Oddisee: I think my travels help by adding to the diversity of my music. I think I’m an eclectic artist as a result of going to lots of places around the world. I think each place I travel to and each person I encounter, they rub off on me. The more places I go, the more people I meet, the more diverse my sound becomes.

NewsOne: Your instrumental album Rock Creek Park was highly conceptual piece of work, much unlike your earlier boom-bap sample work. Why was it necessary for you to grow into this more lush production style?

Oddisee: I guess I attribute that to just a natural evolution. When I first started making music, I started without a sampler. I would just play keys and loop it on a 4-track recorder. Then I would play the same notes for four minutes because I didn’t have the equipment to loop. I got into sampling later, and when I got better, I began playing keys over my samples. From there, I just started to work with more live instrumentation. I’ve always had this connection of going beyond the loop, so to speak. Also, once I’ve done something, I don’t want to go backward; I only want to go forward.

NewsOne: Being a producer, you surely have many influences. But which musical artist inspired you the most?

Oddisee: My biggest inspiration and influence is Marvin Gaye, and I know that’s one a lot of artists say. For me, it wasn’t necessarily Marvin’s singing that was an inspiration but more so his idea that he understood how to make music successful and impactful without compromising the integrity of his work. Marvin had this unique ability to give you a song with a message without it sounding preachy. So if you wanted to party and dance to that song, you may not hear the seriousness of the message. Or if you did choose to focus on the lyrics, you could absorb the message.

He wrote in layers; the message didn’t interfere with the entertainment and vice versa. That’s the line I’ve always been trying to get to in my own music. How do you rise from your underground status to a point where people are hearing your message yet still are be entertaining? I think Marvin mastered that and I hope to head there too.

NewsOne: Over the years, your music has always maintained a certain standard, but with your album “People Hear What They See,” you’ve embraced a mature sound. Why is that?

Oddisee: I put out a lot of music over the years but “People Hear What They See” is my official solo album. Mine is a career built on cameos and collaborations, not to mention my production work. But I’ve never done a full length featuring myself. So I had a lot to say. I never consciously worked on the album as it was done over time. I would just record, and eventually I got enough songs where I could form an album. I worked on the record for over four years and it just captures various snapshots of my life during those times.

For listeners unfamiliar to Oddisee’s work, a great starting point would be the aforementioned “Rock Creek Park” project and his debut album currently available for purchase People Hear What They See by way of the Mello Music Group label.

Watch Oddisee’s “You Know Who You Are” here:

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Professor, author, political commentator, and television host Melissa Harris-Perry (pictured) has emerged as one of the leading young voices on political and cultural issues, especially those that affect the African-American community. Although Professor Harris-Perry has made her mark as a notable talk show guest and speaker, she now commands her own eponymously-named live MSNBC weekend program full of spirited banter and discussion.

The author of the proactive “Barbershops, Bibles, and BET: Everyday Talk and Black Political Thought” and her latest title “Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America,” sat with NewsOne to discuss how music has influenced her work as a professor of political studies at Tulane University, the balance of being a hip-hop fan and feminist, and openly shared how an iconic R&B singer inspires her. She also lets NewsOne in on her current musical obsession with R&B’s top diva.

Check out the interview with writer D.L. Chandler and Melissa Harris-Perry below:

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According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Will Smith has remixed his Fresh Prince hit “Summertime”, which will be available for download as early as Monday, June 10. Smith claims the song-just as in the original-is “just a li’l something to break the monotony / of all that hardcore that has gotten to be / a little bit outta control.” The track that even backpedals on the original versions laid back but faster tempo. We’re used to remixes that speed up sampled tracks … Slowing them down definitely takes the idea of “a change of pace” in a different direction!

Some fans are likely wondering what led to this change of pace for the actor who in 2007 was named the most powerful actor in Hollywood by Newsweek.

Check out a snippet of the new version of “Summertime.”

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During the late ’60s as the Civil Rights Movement continued to reverberate in the consciousness of young Black Americans looking for reasons to press on, one soul singer’s bold and funky style gave license and credence to a teenaged boy in New York who would become one of the most vocal proponents of Civil Rights living today.  MSNBC television host and founder of the National Action Network Rev. Al Sharpton spoke with NewsOne and shared why he feels the “Godfather Of Soul” James Brown helped to shape him as a young man and remains an inspiration to him even to this day.

NewsOne: Could you tell us about one musical artist that’s inspired you and your life’s work?

Rev. Al Sharpton:  Well, there’s no one close to James Brown. James Brown was like a Father to me personally, because I was around from when I was a teenager. I even styled my hair like his. But James Brown’s music was dominant even before I got to know him. “Say It Loud, I’m Black And I’m Proud” came out in ’68 when I was 13 years old, and it literally changed me and my contemporaries from Negros to Blacks, even though we were already in the Civil Rights Movement. His hard-driving style and his beat, which he called the “one,” and the kind of pulsating in-your-face Black authenticity defined how a lot of us, then, styled ourselves.

James Brown represented that powerful Black manhood a lot of us patterned our lives after. Unlike other artists, you can hear the first three chords of his records and know it was a James Brown song. It was identifiable, it was distinct, and it was all him. So by me having known him well, so much so that I preached at his funeral, his unique style was just who he was. He knew too that he was unique and he influenced me to never just join the crowd and instead do what’s right and that would resonate with people.

NewsOne: James Brown’s funk sound helped serve as a precursor to the revolutionary sounds of hip-hop. Do you think the Godfather Of Soul has any current contemporaries?

Rev. Al: I think he was one of a kind, but I think there will be others who have a similar impact in their own unique fashion. I don’t think anyone should imitate anyone ahead of them, they should instead learn from them and make their own way. I think that’s the height of an artist, their creativity. So just as I think of who’s like a James Brown today, I can’t think of anyone like him before his time. He brought it to another level, so anyone who’s around today should bring it to another level too.

I used to say to him in his later years if he thought Michael Jackson was the new James Brown or Prince and even Usher, and he said to me the only advice I can give to them is don’t be the next James Brown, be the first Michael, be the first Prince, the first Usher because I was the first James Brown. He even put it on me. He said don’t try to be the next Dr. [Martin L.] King or the next Jesse Jackson, even though I admired them. He said learn from Dr. King, learn from Jesse Jackson. If you do you, you can’t miss because can’t nobody do you like yourself, and I never forgot that.

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Music is a universal language that binds us all, with many African-American artists serving as an inspiration to individuals in our society that have gone on to do great things. For Rev. Dr. Jamal H. Bryant (pictured) of the Empowerment Temple in Baltimore, music is an important fixture within his church and in his personal life. Rev. Bryant named the late and legendary crooner Marvin Gaye as his musical inspiration.

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When asked what musical artist of today has the potential to carry on Marvin’s vision, Rev. Bryant named Wyclef Jean,  Common, Talib Kweli, and even added Nas to his list. “Depending on what moment or mood Nas is in for today, he can go that way or go in the opposite direction,” said Dr. Bryant with a chuckle.

Check out the interview with writer D.L. Chandler and Rev. Dr. Jamal H. Bryant below:

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And we mean literally feel her pain.

The Daily Mail reports that Hartman, 34, allegedly yelled “You and I just had sex last night” before tasing the father of her child, Alvin Hennis, with her key-chain stun gun as he lay butt naked in bed. Hartman chased his lover, Cordelia Rose, outside of the house.

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Neither Rose no Hennis were seriously injured as the strength of the stun gun was reportedly too weak to cause major damage.

Hartman was arrested and charged with battery. It is not known what kind of gun Hartman used. She did not have a permit for it, however. During Hartman’s hearing, Hennis took the blame for the entire situation.

“It was pretty much my fault,’ Mr Hennis told Broward Court Judge John Hurley at Hartman’s hearing.

“We were supposed to do something together that morning, and I forgot. I went to my house, and things happened.”

WATCH THE COURT HEARING WHERE HARTMAN HOLDS BACK LAUGHTER

Hennis pleaded with Judge Hurley to go easy on the mother of his child, saying that she is a great mom.

‘She is a beautiful mother, a hard worker and very responsible. I think she got emotional by what she saw,’ Mr Hennis told Judge Hurley.

‘I could imagine things could get very emotional,’ Judge Hurley answered.

‘Oh, things got very emotional,’ Mr Hennis said. ‘Very emotional.’

He apologized for his actions, adding that he forgot to lock the door to the master bedroom.

‘That probably was your first mistake,’ Judge Hurley said.

Tell us about it! Hartman was free on $2,500 bond and ordered to stay away from Rose.

Ledisi’s also kicking off the summer with a national tour. She and Eric Benet start their “Be Good to Yourself” tour on June 23 in Hampton, VA.

In a recent interview with Essence, Ledisi explained that writing is second nature, but this is the first time her fans will get to know her as a writer.

“I’ve been writing for years and I probably have about five books written, but this was a challenge because it was a different way of writing for me. The book is about all the things that inspire me. It’s just describing my life and how I got to where I am; the obstacles, challenges, triumphs, and all the people that lifted me to be Ledisi. It’s pieces and fragments of my life, but it’s also other things that inspire me like affirmations I’ve written, affirmations I’ve read and other people’s words from First Lady Michelle Obama, President Obama, Bishop TD Jakes and Octavia Butler,” says Ledisi.

Ledisi reveals that daily she reminds herself of her beauty because the industry constantly takes shots at her image.

Ledisi also admits that she’s looking forward to performing as part of this year’s “Essence Music Festival” star studded line-up.

“One year I went to see Prince perform. He was on roller skates and had Shelia E., George Clinton, and Larry Graham on stage. It was incredible! Another favorite moment was getting to meet and talk to Patti Labelle. I’ve been there a few times when I wasn’t performing, but this year I’m even more excited because I get to finally do a show on the main stage. I also can’t wait to see Aretha Franklin perform!”

Below are key dates for the “Be Good To Yourself” Tour with Eric Benet:

6/23 Hampton, VA – Hampton Jazz Festival
7/7 New Orleans, LA – Essence Festival
7/12 Chicago, IL – Country Club Hills

“It’s so ******* hard for British artists to be taken seriously as R&B artists,” explains Estelle.

Estelle now lives in the United States and says, “It’s frustrating. I get a lot of, ‘Yo Estelle, I can’t sing R&B and be out here and make money. This is crazy.’ And I’m looking at them like, ‘I know. That’s why I’m not there doing it.’”

Estelle’s style is a blend of rap, R&B, reggae and pop, and that makes her unique.

However, R&B music in Europe isn’t quite the same as in America. Europe’s R&B charts will feature pop acts, whose songs don’t appear on the U.S. R&B chart.

Estelle released her debut, “The 18th Day,” in Europe in 2004, but she made big mark on music in 2008 with her smash Grammy Award winning hit “American Boy,” featuring Kanye West and is from her U.S. debut, “Shine,” released on John Legend’s Home School Records.

Estelle just released her latest album, “All of Me,” featuring collaborations with Chris Brown, Trey Songz and Ne-Yo.

Estelle says though some people wanted her to rush out new material following the success of “American Boy,” she decided to take time to write and record quality songs.

“I always say there’s a difference between cooked food and McDonald’s,” explains Estelle. “Your mom’s homemade dinner — you enjoy this more than you enjoy the fast food that comes along and goes, and I strive to make homemade dinner every time I put out an album.”