India.Arie - I Am Not My Hair (Official Music Video) ft. Akon
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- Опубліковано 15 чер 2009
- REMASTERED IN HD!
Official Music Video for I Am Not My Hair performed by India.Arie.
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#IndiaArie #IAmNotMyHair #Remastered
I am not my hair, I am not this skin, I am the soul that lives within!
One of the realist lines I've ever heard.
Look up Rumi. That's where she got that from
Your Hair is a pure reflection of YOU no need to be ashamed god blessed you to different from everyone on this EARTH !
Sometimes you have to look in the mirror and remind yourself that you are a beautiful king or queen. It's not about looks its about what inside you.
I feel like weepy Wilma but there lyrics made me cry.
you are an animation chracter
Black hair is water proof and soft and does not obey gravity . Super hair.
thanks people make fun of my cainrowss bc apparently i look to ruff its to gangsta looking im just gonna ignore them i dont care what people think
Relaxed hair and weaves can look good as well. No one is their hair. They are the soul that lives within
+Kes “Gunslinging Gamergirl” Gabriev Bascially it dries fast. And it does if you do not relax your hair.
+Ethan soul I think is funny how other race can do corn rows and that looked as "cool", but when we do it, we are from the "ghetto". I hate European beauty standard rules that is weighing us down.
+Tyrah Knight awesome statement right there Tyrah.
India Arie was so ahead of her time with this song. This was years before the natural hair movement. She was already promoting people to embrace their natural hair and beauty. She is so beautiful and underrated! She deserves more recognition and we need more artists like her.
i rocked my hair natural before this video. of course I was made fun of by the straightening comb and relaxer crew.
#NaturalMe2. She is sooo way ahead as she writes from her soul and sings with that beautiful voice of hers. My fav song Strength, Courage & Wisdom. Once you hear India there is no going backwards.
I completely agree with you.
I agree with you
1:46 😅😅😅😅
Still here in 2024.
👐🏾♥️
this isn't a bop
this isn't a banger
it's a full on *_ANTHEM_*
"Breast cancer and chemotherapy, took away her crown and glory. She promised God if she were to survive, she would enjoy every day of her life." That puts the entire message of this song into prospective.
Amen I felt that that's what you call being highly blessed and highly favored I speak from experience after going through two shootings and getting shot at and seeing two deaths right before my own eyes and still be able to be a survivor 🙏🏾
🙏🏾
Anyone here in 2024??Kenya
Took 20 years for this song to hit your rotation is crazy
Love this song!!
Botswana baby ❤❤❤ love Kenya 🎉🎉
I saw her in LA a could of weeks after my brother died suddenly on Christmas Day. He was 29. It was so incredibly painful. I was at her show and she came off of the stage, gently moved people out of her way and approached me and gave me the longest warmest hug. It was so beautiful
Wow beautiful
@@boobyhill6921 no,.. I had a thought came to my head the day before it happened that something was gonna happen but I didn’t know what. He fell asleep and never woke up on Christmas night. His heart was enlarged and he had an aortic explosion. Our father died from the same thing when he was 32.
I’m so sorry. I can only imagine how hard it must have been for that to happen especially on christmas day. sending my love❤️
🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
Sending Condolences, and may God give you solace 🌅🙏🏽
its sad that 6 years later this is still the world we live in
Bunmi omisore now 8
200 years later
That's cause we're at war fam and have to pass this knowledge on to the young ones.
its way worse tho
10 years later
i feel like shes so underrated
SHE is
This is indeed true.....its a damn shame.....so talented. But they don't need talent these days, just mindless robots to do their bid.
Jasmin Andrews and fake booties, accents, etc.
I know, I love her!! She's got so much soul.
Demi Bola-Ojo No. She's loved by those who woke up. You need to realize that we are growing fast :)
This song literally gave me confidence about myself and my natural hair. I got teary eyed listening to it again!
❤
No feelin like it, the ending verse always gets me 😂❤
Same
❤❤❤
This song was released 14 years before California became the first state the pass the Crown Act, making it illegal for California employers to discriminate or send women employees home based on their natural hair texture and cultural styles.
@Rav Ellman This recording was released in 2006. 2020 - 2006 = 14. I_Am_Not_My_Hair
The crown act??? The USA scares the hell out of me
@@nomad9598 It scares me sometimes too... sometimes on a daily basis.
@@mrkinla We can only hope and believe things get better if not for this generation but the future. Take care
@@mrkinla it took them that long to solve this issue?? that’s appalling
she just gives every young girls and women confidence
Jamika Keller We need more encouraging artists like her
we have Alicia Keys
Michael Jackson
Jamika Keller till she bleached the skin she was so proud of
Princess Amazon she is still dark.
Smh I swear youtube be attracting really special people. She isn't telling you to go all natural. She is saying whatever choice you do with your hair doesn't determine your character. And she feels someone shouldn't tell you what is a good or bad hair styles.
Right on!! I love this song. She is telling people that we are more than our physical/outward appearances. It is an uplifting song. With a good message. I love it.
You can even take it a step further and say that she's saying "physical appearance" overall does not determine your character!! Never judge a book by it's cover!!! 😉☺️
That is what I was saying.
Thank you for that.
Right on man
From a nurse working with patients who had chemo, a 24 year old black young woman from South Africa this song speaks volumes to me 🙏🏽🙌🏾 thank you India Arie
I remember i went natural in middle school. My hair was very short because I cut off my perm. I was extremely bullied for the way it looked. My bff told her mom and her mom showed me this song. Such a powerful message, I love India Arie !
The best thing I have ever done with my hair is to GO NATURAL. Thank Lord for making my hair kinky-curly. AMEN!!!!!!
"Hello There! I’m Angie and my dream is to be a singer, I have some covers of me singing on my channel can you please check it out? I know is a lot to ask but please help me, I’ll be grateful to you."
***** may GOD. bless your dream and make it happen
Hallelujah 🎉🎉🎉
Breast cancer and chemo therapy.. Took away her crown and glory.. She promised god if she were to survive she would enjoy every day of her life.. On national television.. Her diamond eyes are sparkling, bald headed like a full moon shining.. Singing out to the whole wide world like hey... I AM NOT MY HAIR.
Absolutely beautiful, really speaks to me and gets me misty eyed every time.. Reminds me of my strong mother.
My favorite verse. While everybody is trying to make you feel less than because your hair is relaxed or it is natural, there are people out there with no hair, due to disease. Makes you realize there are more important issues than hair and skin.
❤
❤️❤️❤️❤️
This verse is about Melissa Etheridge! (the inspiration for the song)
Felt this in my heart, TheMrs; thanking Source and Nature that you are well.
Shave it off like a South African beauty.😇🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦
🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦💃💃
@@aphelelepriscilla3474 She's done that before.
@@lisawhitfield2794 its part of the lyrics
South Africans in the house. Hoza
🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦
I remember when I decided to stop getting my haircut (only shaping up my hairline) and people made fun of me. They said “you look homeless” I’m so happy I knew who to turn to to stay confident 💯
yes!! you are a king, don’t let no body tell otherwise 🤴🏾
ンセビヨ no doubt, thank you 😁💯
Roberto Coin me too, it’s a great thing 💯
This song got me through some rough times during chemo after I lost my hair. I played it over and over and over.
"Breast Cancer and Chemotherapy
Took away her crown and glory
She promised God if she was to survive
She would enjoy everyday of her life ooh
On national television
Her diamond eyes are sparkling
Bald headed like a full moon shining
Singing out to the whole wide world like HEY..."
she's so deep and thoughtful
This comment really spoke to me. This is my favorite part of the song, and I'm so very happy others connected to it too. Thank you for sharing.
headoverheels88 same here I love her music
Hollie Coates-Seamster I tear-up every time I here those lyrics
This line in the song was wrote about Melissa Etheridge
I don't think this lady could write a meaningless song if she tried. She is truly amazing.
Stg
"You'll be shaving it off like a South African beauty"
We South African queens love our bald hair❤️❤️
I get what u saying but isn't "bald hair" an oxymoron..?
So many ppl missing the message. Its not your hair that matters its about your character and humanity.
Are we just going to ignore akons verse 🙌🏽😭lord
I'm not, I think I like his verse's more than India Arie's.
Channon M. Young that's how it is...
I know it by heart
Both are good and notable. Society likes to dictate what's formal and acceptable especially corporately Which is by the majority. But yeah, it is what it is until someone enforces that or if the collective starts to learn better by the majority.
💣💣💣
As a black woman this song means the world to me india arie you rock
She is an under appreciated artist.
Arielle Pine listen to Kelly Rowland Crown ❤️
@@okand6492 The video was bullshit. White women can't relate. Their hair is standard.
@@kaylad4486
Garbage 🚮🚮 like white girl get kicked out of school don't get jobs because of their hair
How many of my beautiful chocolate sisters cried to this song? Never forget your worth. ^^
I did when it first was released and a year and a half later I went natural because of this song.
Hey I am not black, but I am just in love with your beauty, your skin your bodies your hair, all these esthetics omg I am so mezmerized. We live such a short time here on planet, just enjoy your time
@@mandyg9119 yeah everyone can listen to this duh but this song is about Black Empowerment.
please don't take this as hate, i'm not trying to spread any more negative vibes esp these days ... but this comment kind of comes off as fetishization of black people. i'm not black either, i'm half asian, and we're heavily fetishized as a race, so i definitely don't approve of fetishizing any group of people. there is a difference between appreciating or admiration and fetishization. and yes i agree we should enjoy as much time as we can while we are here on this planet :)
@@ethereallioness Oh my god, shut up. So freaking sensitive about everything nowadays that you think someone appreciating others' culture is fetishising... Stop making things weird.
@@crybabysmagicaladventures5435 yeah. People can Interpret how ever they want but don't forget the main message of what the song is really about.
@@LLawliet-pz1rm exactly..
"Good hair means curls and wave"
"Bad hair means you look like a slave"
That's probably the most powerful line in this song. It's sad how black people are the main ones that put down each other's hair. There's no such thing as a specific hair type/group being "good hair" or "bad hair".
People praise natural haired girls with curls, coils, waves, and etc, but the moment someone has 4c hair, or as idiots like to say: "nappy", suddenly there's a problem? Lmao, people love natural hair until it's 4c kinks and not curls.
*ALL BLACK HAIR IS GOOD HAIR.*
Wearing weaves doesn't mean that you hate yourself. Your hair doesn't define who you are. You have natural hair? Cool. You wear weaves? Cool. You have relaxed hair? Cool. It doesn't matter. It's just hair.
Pretty said how we are teaching black children at a young age to hate their hair.
Nicely said.
+Complex Itori love that! just leave people alone. Let them live their lives and u live yours.
+Complex Itori Amen, amen, A TO THE DAMN MEN!!!
There's a description for everything under the sun. Tall, short, skinny, fat, black, white, nappy, curly, or straight. They're descriptions jut as India is stating in this song... there's nothing wrong with either of them. The real problem is internalizing that description and attaching negative emotions to it. The problem is creating our own insecurities and causing ourselves to feel ashamed. No one outside of us can do that. That is our own personal problem.
im black white and Chinese and I'm alwayes teased by blacks about my hair is like an Asians when its long and when its short its like a jerry curl its sad that many blacks do this and don't realismze how racist they are their own
I sing this to myself every time my barber F my head up...
Omg Im dead lmao
C Sanders I just died 😂😂😂😂😂
C Sanders 😂😂😂😂😂
C Sanders out here inspiring people to love they natural lining 😂
C Sanders lol XD
This song is powerful. I get chills when i listen to it 🙌🏽☺️
At 32 years old June 2018 I found out I had stage 3B Hodgkin's lymphoma cancer. I fought hard and it was horrific but I went in remission March 2019. I played this song when I lost my hair and saw this song in a different light after going thru what I went thru. I'm listening to it again today looking back with pride and gratitude. I cry now when it says" breast cancer and chemotherapy took away her crown and glory". Hair is wonderful but once you see what really matters in life you will realize you are not just your vanity. Its about living and celebrating life
Amen, and I pray you are healthy and have a blessed New Year.🌅🙏🏽🥰
I also cry at the same part of the song, i lost my aunt to breast cancer and that part takes a whole new meaning for me as well, she lost her fight but im happy you won yours.
I'm a black boy and I've been teased for so long about my hair. People made fun of me and called me a broke down slave because I have 4c hair. Others called me gay for having long hair. And others laughed at me when I told them I haven't been to the barber shop in over 3 years. They ask my mom and I what's wrong with me. Some people even assume we're poor and can't afford a haircut and that's why my hair is long. Nonsense! I keep my hair long because that's how I prefer it. Not interested in a dark or a light caesar, not interested in waves, and not interested in being bald. I like my hair the way it is, even though sometimes it's difficult because I'm a black boy with long hair growing up in the South Bronx. 😐😶😶
+BLUEBOORABBITT You have no idea how much I needed to hear that. Thank you so much!😃
+Josh George I always tell people, black men need just as much encouragement as black women too. :)
+Name Thank you. 💯😊
+Neikata Crawford Thank you. You have no idea how much I needed to hear that right about now.
Stay strong brother, your hair is beautiul
Love how the song says specifically "I am not my hair" and the comments is full of people telling you what you should do with your hair...
Exactly! Hypocrites, much!
I always thought this song was really about not judging people by appearances. Think she is using hair as a kind of metaphor.
Like she says she is not her hair,or her skin. She is the soul within.
Deep...........
Usagi Felton lmassoff
andrew joyner
Yes and no. . It's really about hair, because hair is a BIG DEAL when you are a women.
blabbermouth, no it's about black people who get bullied because of their hair, hence the line, "Good hair means curls and waves, bad hair means you look like a slave."
천재만재 알간지 언니.. 좋은노래 찾아줘서 고마워요
This song is actually quite deep
'the cops trying to harass cus ive got waves' WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT THIS LINE THIS IS SO IMPORATANT GO AKON
We stand with you King!!! We see you!! You all are important that's why it was VERY IMPORTANT for the Brother to get on this remix!!!
Yessssss!!! Very much needed for Akon to get on this remix!!! Our men our important!!! We see them!!!
"I am not your expectations" 👌👏✊
Even as a white girl this hit me really hard as a 14 y/o kid simply from a perspective of female beauty standards. Im so glad black girls my age had this song and i wish there were more like. Black womens hair should be celebrated and yet have no reflection on their value as people. I have actual goosebumps right now, its been too long since i heard this song.
This song always got me deep too! Light-skinned hispanic with curly hair who doesn't look like her family, hello! Multiple facets resonated with me~
i'm biracial (asian and white) and i f-in love this song. i never felt like i fit in growing up with white people or poc and had major body image issues and feeling like being asian meant being ugly and dealt with a lot of stereotyping just based on my appearance. i love this line especially "i am not your expectations". but anyway this song is just so beautiful and high vibe (as is all of india's music). she's such a f-in queen.
Y’all white gales don’t know nothing about this song
@@derickscott9123 Don’t be like that, let the people vibe. Let’s be happy that they gained positivity from it.
@@ToLovelyJesus exactly. Mr Scott didn't have to go there at all.
알간지 언니 보고,, 여기까지 와버렸어,, 사랑해,, 간지언니,,
I used to wear weaves 24/7 one day I decided to go natural and as soon as I walked in my class room, people laughed at me, called my hair "nappy" when half of them had the SAME TEXURE. This song made me feel so much better. I love India for this. The first time this song came out I would hear it but not "listen" until now. :)
Girl perm is poison anyway I'm going to ditch it one day 😒
+SarahJustSarah Fuck em. Honestly people need to understand that self love is the most important thing to have. I love everything about myself, everything is exactly where it should be. I have awesome personal qualities too. Don't need no second opinion about myself.
lol they hate themselves but they'll probably learn as they grow. "Nappy" hair is beautiful. SO many black people try to forget that they are black. It's their delusion.
@@Anonymousthough I am natural, cut perm out March 2019 got 3 inches of 4c texture hair love it. With the shit we have as President, we as blacks need to be natural like our ancestors.
Lillan Thompson Yeah, you right!!! As of now 2019 I’m natural, simply because my hair is a natural good texture anyway!! Listening to others I never knew what I had all along 🤷🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️!
It’s crazy how back then she was shamed for this back then now we have the natural hair movement and more black women embracing their natural hair.
Sooo right it's a trend now.
Right!
Stay as u r, black,beautiful, loved,and blessed !!!!!
She was shamed for this song?
@@tomatobanks5036 I think she meant that India was shamed for her hair during her childhood, which is what the lyrics explain.
Underrated and ahead of its time
14 years later and i am still jamming to this track ❤️. India is always ahead of time with her music!!!
2023 still Rockin this Masterpiece ❤❤
I miss her!!! We need more of her!!
India is not trying to imply dont like WHO you are by saying you are not your hair or skin. She just means that these things are features about you that should be of little importance when someone is trying to figure out WHO you are. Shes saying that its the soul Or the inside that really counts not just our outsides. In this society we tend to judge soley on looks but shes saying that there is more to us than meets the eye. Dont judge me based my hair or my skin color but on who I am inside.
well said
nikkita lovely
Beautiful! thanks for clarifying....
Sierra Mone An absolutely perfect breakdown!!
I’m a gay black man, and last year I started getting box braids. I was really nervous to debut them because of how other black men and my community would see me...but every time I hear this song, I remember that line about expressing creativity, I remember why I got them in the first place. I am so proud to be black and a man, moreover, just to be able to say...this is me, embracing a part of my blackness. No shame in that. This song makes me feel brave whenever I hear it. ❤️
👏🏾❤️
👍👍♥♥♥
Andrew Rocha So lovely ❤️👏🏾✨
keep doing you! ❤️
Amazing message. I’m a teacher, and I play this song for my black history unit :)
You playing it again this time?
I remember doing this song for elementary school but I didn’t realize the good message behind it
God bless and Jesus loves you all
Awwwww I love you thank you teacher I am not my hair
What a cool teacher. This is a great resource. More teachers should take your lead.
This generation needs a song called I am nit my booty
Lol
That is a ironic last name you got there friend...
You just floored me with That one lmfao
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Right
Say it again Sista.
Lol
One thing I adore about India arie and Lauryn hill is the fact that they always seem to incorporate ideas of self love in Black women into their music❤✊🏾✨ #queens
Real Queen's 🙏
This is such a powerful song! My daughter is mixed and it was so important to me that I left my daughters hair natural. I wanted her to love her hair as is. It is so long, beautiful, thick, and curly. I get a lot of heat from black women because as a white woman they feel I don’t do her hair good because I won’t relax her hair. I actually had a neighbor come to my house and give me a relaxer kit for my daughters hair. It went right in the trash.
My daughters are mixed and my wife leaves there hair naturally curly. I'm glad at least some people with mixed kids are leaving them natural
❤❤
Thank for encouraging your daughter to love herself from her beautiful head to her toes! I honour you! ❤
This Lady Was Way Ahead of Her Time RESPECT!!!🇿🇦..Yes Indie I Feel Ya Girl✊🏾
you know what I'm not.black.but I'm very ginger.....and through years of.teasing I dyed it black....did everythig I could to.hide it....but as I grew up i get it out let it grow wild and made it my crowning glory...this song helped massively xx
Kirsty Lou I think women with red/ginger hair or so beautiful. I always stare when I see them. It's so unique.
that’s beautiful. glad you’re confident now
..it's not the same!!!.... Let blacks enjoy the message
Of course it isn't the same and it's obvious that this is a historic and profound issue for people of colour, which white folk have had the privilege not to endure. That said, she's not trying to minimise the black experience and intrinsic link with hair - she's just also identifying with it on a different level. Appreciating the message in the song on a person level doesn't necessarily mean she's out to appropriate the struggle.
@@katecole2827 ...There's no privilege in having stringy hair ..that smells like dog when it gets wet.!!!
As a white girl with curly red hair, I have felt most safe around black people because they know more than me what it's like for people to never shut up, to judge your inside, and be constantly touching it. Love you, India.
I'm a woman. During college I had a buzz cut. Low maintenance and I loved it
My mom said I would be judged. I didn't care. I met the best ppl because I didn't care. Be you and magic will happen
That's thruth but please don't cut ties with your mother so easily.
알맹쓰 소리쥘러!!!!!♥
Sing that truth!! I AM THE SOUL THAT LIVES WITHIN!!!
Donna Shinall yesss!
❤️❤️❤️❤️🙏🏿
Love this song, so crucial for youth (and others) to recognize the beauty, culture, and normality of black hairstyles. Their is nothing wrong with twists, curls, and locks. Keep your beauty!
Not the point. She is saying it doesn't matter what your hair or appearance looks like
+Aleya Pittmon yeah, but the cynical side of also feels like she is almost rejecting what her hair causes her to experience when in actual fact, it's what makes us, as a people, even stronger. I love the song, honestly I do, but I would say I am my hair!☺️✊🏾👍🏾🙌🏾🎧
So true!
Love the South Africa shout out!
I listen this song when I was 6 years old in in October 2005 & now I’m 24 years old
I love her she's so pretty & she can rock a shaved head
Who else had to come listen to this after they big chopped 😩😩😩😂😂 lawwdddd
Yesss girl
lmao this comment was funny
This is Every black girls anthem.I got a relaxers do cut after 3 years of being natural and I felt so free.Because it was what I wanted to do.Everybody was like why you cut your hair,why did you get that creamy crack ...I always say "it's just hair"
lol girl
Dalyla's Life ✊✊
this song meant so much to me growing up as a black kid, it gave me the confidence to love my hair as it is. Black is beautiful
India is a voice of beauty in every sense of the word. She also again and again lyric after lyric has blessed me with new eyes to view the world as a woman of strength, pride in my womanhood and peace with myself. Thank you in every way India Arie.
my 7 year old grandchild and I are rocking to THIS and it's always a teaching moment
ReRe Black. It's so important that you keep doing that and keep teaching them to love themselves
The last time I heard this song I was younger and suffered from severe low self esteem. Hated my dark skin and hated my hair. I didn't think I would get all emotional but that little girl's pain came rushing back. So glad I've grown out and away from such thinking.
This is a beautiful young black women, I love this song and love that she comfortable in her own hair and skin!
Sis was SOOOOO ahead of her time!!!! And to think, this was years before the natural hair movement became popular. India has always just been herself and allowed others to adjust and it is so inspiring 💗
This song is specifically for us black folks.
Its Just Brit duhhhhhh
Idk about that. This was one of my very favorite songs when it first came out. I was in early highschool and I used to watch vh1 in the morning when they did their top twenty music videos. I had no idea that it was referring to the different hair types that black people have and the social stigmas related to them. I just thought it was a great message. Your physical appearance doesn't define who you are! Rock what you got with confidence. 😊 PS. Mad props to natural ladies.
Lauren Bonura I’m glad you like the message. But this was written for young black women who are struggling in a society where whiteness is the standard. There are very few song for this audience.
Blank white people try to claim everything
Sure but really I think anyone can interpret any message from this song with whatever it is they are struggling with or they just enjoy her beautiful voice like me
Keep calm Black hair is the only hair that grows toward the sun. You are God's flowers
God’s beautiful sunflowers
Putting this as a quote on my IG ❤
holy fuck that is Genius! I love it!
Even in 2022, humans are still judged by their looks forgetting that there is more in the person than all that is seen on the outside. Thank you India Arie for this, I am indeed not my hair, I am a phenomenal human being.
This is one of inspiration songs. When I'm feeling low, I crank this song up. I refuse to let anyone define how I look or wear my natural hair! Thank you for this song!
India can pull off any style... I have a big ass afro and I hate it straight... it looks better defying gravity...
Glory Williams you’re literally beautiful but ok
Akon and India murdered this! This song makes me cry because I was born with beautiful hair texture plus I am medium skin toned, yet living in the south (Louisiana), people are so petty and they are more concerned with skin color and hair texture rather than the heart of the person. It's sad how society is and how so many beautiful Black women are spending billions of dollars on weaves not because they want to but simply because someone told them that their hair wasn't pretty enough or straight enough. I got free the day I decided to stop relaxing my hair and I started embracing my natural hair. I never did a big chop. I let my hair transition. 12 years in. Several hair trims and cuts and lots of headwraps.
Black is beautiful and we shouldn't be building empires for other cultures when we can build our empires with natural products and motivate our beautiful Black community.
Come on y'all! Let's stop allowing society to dishonor us. You are beautiful the way our Heavenly Father made you! Forget people's opinion. Rock your fro, dreads, braids, cornrows, kinky, curly, and wavy hair....
+Tamara N. Green (Lady Tamara) this is great advice...thank you for this...
Amen !
+13ritalove Amen
+Tamara N. Green (Lady Tamara) Very well put sister you are preaching I love your words I became natural 4 years ago with wigs and I'm still learning I never felt better plus I'm enjoying my beautiful natural crown I feel more good about my self I done with all the mistakes and I'm not going back. Keep speaking those beautiful words.
Hearing this song for the first time in 2006 started me on my natural hair journey. And I still love this song in 2023. "I am not my hair, I am not my skin, I am the soul that lives WITHIN"
I love this songs
알간지님 덕분에 알게된 띵곡 ㅠㅠ
Does the way I wear my hair make me a better person?
That's the point
This song really helped me through my natural hair journey. I ended up cutting all my hair off and it took a lot of courage and self love for me to even walk out side. After five years, my hair is now at mid- back length; I go back to when I first started my hair journey and I realize this song was and still is a staple for my confidence, personality and hair care regimen(using natural hair care products and enjoying my natural hair texture).
Im so glad india made this song
This is so positive and uplifting for young black girls. I love this song. This artist doesn’t get the props she deserves…instead the world holds up Meg the stallion and Beyoncé. India Arie is a class act- beautiful inside and out. It just shines through.
I agree!
So by uplifting one black artist u have to bring down other black artist?? doesn’t make sense but wtv
Those who hate God's creation, is against God.
If they are against you because of how you are born, against nature, they are obviously against the Creator.
I think a lot people need to actually listen to the words. That includes weave bashers, naturals and people with relaxers. It's just HAIR. Why are there so many UA-cam accounts of black men and women bad talking the choices some women choose to make with their hair. I've personally been natural my whole life, but I want to wear weave, I'll do it. My hairstyle shouldn't make anyone think any more or less of me as a person! It's just hair!!!
When I was a little girl I went through a traumatic experience that resulted in all my hair being cut off. I was bullied at school for many years because my hair wasn’t long or relaxed, people telling me i looked like a boy with a fro etc. I remember when this song came out… it provided comfort back when no one really celebrated natural black hair. Hearing it again today I’m like wow man, we’ve really come a long way with this message, took us a while but we here :)
Our hair is complex...full on enigma. Wouldnt change it for the world.
Loc’d & loving it 🙌🏿
It feels like so long since music had a message like this :(
Benz Abanga true..
ikr
Such a powerful message.
+Anyah Kearney It really is
India Arie is so talented and I love her expression within her music and performance of it. She's got such a lovely and positive vibe, she's timeless...listening to this in 2023 and it's still as powerful as when it first came out.
I'm shaving all of my hair off in a couple of weeks and needed to listen to this
Beautiful
my hair is long and dark brown and it has changed over the years I so glad that god gave me hair
+Genuine//Imitations Same.
Gav Meiri
I went amazing! It was surprisingly easy. I thought I would get emotional or feel liberated but I didn't feel anything the guy just shaved it off and that was it. It's cool to see my hair going through all of these short stages that I've never seen it in before, so it's kind of a learning experience but I'm having fun with it. If anyone is contemplating shaving their head, I say do it! :)
+YanieAngolana Good luck! I hope you like it tell me how it went!
LYRICS
See, I can kinda recall a lil' ways back
Small, tryin' to ball, always been black
And my hair, I tried it all I even went flat
Had a lumpy curly top and all that crap, now
Just tryin' to be appreciated
Nappy headed brothers never had no ladies
And I hit the barber shop real quick
Had 'em give me lil' twist and it drove 'em crazy (crazy)
Then I couldn't get no job
'Cause corporate wouldn't hire no dreadlocks
Then I thought about my dogs from the block
Kinda understand why they chose to steal and rob
Was it the hair that got me this far
All these girls these cribs these cars?
I hate to say it but it seem so flawed
'Cause success didn't come till I cut it all off
Little girl with the press and curl
Age eight, I got a Jheri curl
Thirteen, and I got a relaxer
I was a source of so much laughter
At fifteen when it all broke off
Eighteen and went all natural
February, 2002
I went on and did what I had to do
Because it was time to change my life
To become the woman that I am inside
Ninety-seven dreadlocks all gone
I looked in the mirror for the first time and saw that
Hey (hey)
I am not my hair
I am not this skin
I am not your expectations, no (hey)
I am not my hair
I am not this skin
I am the soul that lives within
Good hair means curls and waves (no)
Bad hair means you look like a slave (no)
At the turn of the century
It's time for us to redefine who we be
You can shave it off like a South African beauty
Or get in on lock like Bob Marley
You can rock it straight like Oprah Winfrey
If it's not what's on your head, it's what's underneath, and say
Hey (hey)
I am not my hair
I am not this skin
I am not your expectations, no (hey)
I am not my hair
I am not this skin
I am the soul that lives within
Who cares if you don't like that?
With nothin' to lose, postin' with the wave cap
And the cops wanna harass 'cause I got waves
Ain't see nothin' like that in all my days
Man, you gotta change all these feelings
Steady judging one another by their appearance
Yes, India, I feel ya, girl
Now go ahead, talk to the rest of the world 'cause
Does the way I wear my hair make me a better person?
(Whoa, whoa, whoa)
Does the way I wear my hair make me a better friend? Oh
(Whoa, whoa, whoa)
Does the way I wear my hair determine my integrity?
(Whoa, whoa, whoa)
I am expressing my creativity
(Whoa, whoa, whoa)
Breast cancer and chemotherapy
Took away her crownin' glory
She promised God if she was to survive
She would enjoy every day of her life, oh
On national television
Her diamond eyes are sparkling
Bald-headed like a full moon shining
Singing out to the whole wide world like, hey
Hey (hey)
I am not my hair
I am not this skin
I am not your expectations, no (hey)
I am not my hair
I am not this skin
I am the soul that lives within
Hey (hey)
I am not my hair
I am not this skin
I am not your expectations, no (hey)
I am not my hair
I am not this skin
I am the soul that lives within
Thank You
Thank you 😍
Thank you
Thank you!
thank you
Music back then was SO wholesome
💖HER💖VOICE💖IS💖BEAUTIFUL💖MAGICAL💖SOOTHING💖& PERFECT
I'm proud to be a black girl and I love the texture of my hair I am GORGEOUS
I think her songs're absolutly symbol of liberty.
me too
I AGREE ...NOW SHOUT IT TO THE WORLD....GOOD COMMENT
"good hair means curls and waves, bad hair means you look like a slave. At the turn of the century, it's time for us to redefine who we be."
Listen.... I will NEVER forget those words.
Best part of the song!
I am not my hair. I am not this skin. I am not your expectations. I am the Soul that lives within❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
It's funny how the natural hair evangelist. Flood the comment but India just said it doesn't matter as long as you LOVE yourself and know who you are on the inside lmfaoooo but I'll wait. LOVE YOU INDIA
You're so right!!
Thank you! ❤❤💚💚 NJatTheDisco
Tori Robbins But if you're walking around with Brazilian or Indian Remy hair down to your ass crack do you really love yourself? A lot of black women who wear weaves are totally letting their natural go. They are suffocating their hair under all that fake shit and glue. A lot of women who wear weaves and wigs have no other choice but to keep wearing them because they have totally destroyed their own hair. Y'all can say what you want to, but that's not self love.
ZeeZee S. in whose eyes.....yours??? Self love is love of yourself. it has nothing to do with what an individual outside of yourself thinks. Your brand of self love is yours, hers is hers. Trying to force your way onto someone else just causes unnecessary tension.
Jessica Williams ... I'm not trying to force my way onto someone else. I'm just stating facts.
Us natural girls anthem 💅🏿
It's not a "natural girl anthem". It's a don't judge a book by its cover anthem. Idiot.
Melaninaire. bombshell tell her again, this is a black people hair anthem! We are the only people treated inhumane because of our hair!
The chorus is a poem of the old and renowned Iranian poet Jalal Rumi.
Not a "natural girls anthem"
Didn't u see India wearing different hairstyles in the vid?
This song is about loving & accepting everyone for who they r, not for how they choose to wear their hair.
JHEANELLÉ B 💀💀💀💀😂😂😂😂😂😂
This song is still relivant even today
13 years later, I understand the message better. Thank you India.
To the ignorant people out there who calls black women a disgrace if they don't wear their hair in it's natural form. WE ARE NOT OUR HAIR. We are so much more than that.!
Sorry heated from another page. lol im tired of hearing that, it's so insulting to me.
+ALyric19 .....Exactly....I'm pretty sure my intellect and my love for our culture is just as great as theirs.....I know me well enough that I don't let hair determine if I'm beautiful or not...I am defined by my character and the God that lives within me.....when people see me, they can't help but respect my energy above my appearance.
Sarai Juelz You better say it girl! Idk why some of our so called people base our worth on our choice of style. They say we neglect our culture but they are the same ones that think people in africa look, dress and eat the same.That annoys me to. They think they are so involved but they probably don't even look at what country there roots trace back to. All they know is africa, Africa is continent full of people who live different lives not a big country.
ALyric19
Right. but here's something funny...These same natural chics who care about their roots and diss us for wearing perms and sew-ins, etc wear fake lashes, contour their noses for photoshoots, draw on eyebrows, and carry Gucci bags....like, who's really confused? lol.
Sarai Juelz Lol right. I saw this woman on another video talking as if she is surpreior to everyone because she never had perm since she was born so she's better than anyone. But if she wanna be technical that moisturizer you use Alters your hair by making it softer. which is also a form of an chemical reaction. I'm natural and everything but some do the absolute most!
ALyric19 I'm natural too..underneath my perm....lol