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I consider it "cultural appropriation" when the original meaning is divorced from the practice -- particularly when it is done for profit. For example, the violence, drug and alcohol abuse, and misogyny we see in the most popular hip-hop music is cultural appropriation. Having nothing to do with hip-hop's origins and original intent because it has been co-opted and is no longer uniquely African American. A plainer example of the appropriation of Christianity into Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny. Christianity itself was appropriated from African cultures again for profit. Anything uniquely African American is appropriated by others for profit. Whether it is our cuisine, hair care products, or music. I know that does not answer your question @Mel Hopkins but it was just a thought that came to mind.

DIY Afro Kinky Wig Chizi Duru Inspired Afro Wig, by HerGivenHair company When I consider about hair extensions, weaves and wigs, I wonder about other Black African American women and their choices based on availability. I have been natural for at least 30 years and ever so often, like now, have braided in hair extensions so that I don’t have to spend time styling my natural hair. But it has been a challenge for me to find kinky or nappy hair extensions. So therefore, in the past, I have manipulated curly hair extensions in a way to make them appear to be nappy. Thankfully, I have just found another video that features the social media Influencer, Ms. Chizi Duru, in how she also altered a curly wig and made it into a nappy wig. Because I love her videos on this subject, I watched more and fell in love with just about everything else she has posted on her channel. She has become so famous that she has been featured on high powered magazines such as ELLE and African magazines as well, and she has made money being paid to promote other industry products. CHIZI DURU The market and prices for synthetic hair products are low and reasonable for straight hair weaves and wigs. And, thanks to Chris Rock’s movement a few years back, there are now many Beauty Supply Stores that carry Kinky Hair Extensions with decent prices. Now that I am getting older and wonder about the possibility of hair thinning, I am now wondering about Afro Kinky wigs too though. When my hair is styled naturally, I like a big, full style and that takes a lot of time to style, so now I have been looking for another option in wigs and found that there are some, but there are some pit falls in this search. Not only are some wigs NOT really kinky, but the few out there on the market are priced very high! Chizi’s Afro Kinky Wig cost about $400.00! And, there are other kinky wigs that run about $200.00 and maybe lower on sale. But also, even when it comes to the kinky Hair Extensions, the subject of providing true kinky hair extensions becomes a challenge! One product called, ‘Mongolian Afro Kinky Hair’ seems like a ‘play on terms’. Another product on the market called, ‘Vietnamese kinky hair weaves’ seems like another trick phrase. I have noticed that many products are very misleading when it comes to propaganda regarding the market for Kinky Hair Extensions and Afro Kinky Wigs. It seems obvious to me that most of the hair extensions and wigs are not ‘kinky’ or ‘afro’ type hair at all, but curly. Even on the African-typed websites I find that the true definition of true kinky hair includes the definition of ‘curly’ and this would not be true at all. Although hair can have a combination of hair types, however, as a Scientist who has done research on this topic, it just so happens that kinky hair and curly hair are two distinct kinds of hair types. True Curly Hair does NOT nap and no matter how it can be manipulated to mimic kinky hair, that would be the key difference. Like straight hair, curly hair can tangle or frizz, but it cannot nap! Curly/kinky combination hair will nap. So therefore, even the definitions of Afro Kinky Hair Types put out on the web by Black African Americans and such like are actually wrong in the complete breakdown of the hair type 4 definitions. At any rate, I am happy though to see that at least, there are products on the market that do mimic Afro Kinky Hair! Furthermore, I wonder if these products had been on the market long ago, even before Chris Rock’s movement, would Black women want to have these kinds of enhancements. Even straight human hair has been used to mimic kinky hair and perhaps that would be what ‘Mongolian’ and ‘Vietnamese’ hair means! LOL. Nevertheless, human hair is very highly priced. Nevertheless, when it comes to hair enhancements, this has been going on for thousands of years and therefore, there will continue to be a huge market for this demand for now. Whether Black woman want straight hair enhancements or kinky hair enhancements, this subject will continue as it did since ancient times. The ancient women have been clearly depicted with wigs and braided extensions in several ancient scenes in the earliest of civilizations. Did these women wear straight hair wigs or kinky styled wigs? Did they wear hair enhancements to appear as White or Asiatic women or, did they wear these wigs as enhancements due to aging and hair thinning? Were the Black kings, prophets and pharaohs disdained about their Black women for wearing wigs and extensions? When I look at the detailed depictions of Joseph, the son of Jacob/Israel, sitting amongst the daughters of Israel styled with hair extensions, it becomes obvious that it was not a negative aspect or else, they would not have been depicted as such! When I see all of the Hebrew and Egyptian women with hair extensions sitting around Moses in ancient carvings, I also know that he did not view them negatively. And then, when I see all of the depictions of women with wigs and crochet hair extensions sitting amongst the earliest of Egyptian pharaohs, it also becomes evident that this was acceptable to the point that it became a part of the royal attire for certain queens. ‘Wait-a-minute! Did she just say she saw Joseph and Moses depicted in ancient times!!?’ But yes, based on my research, it would also be true though, that at one point ancient Black women did become obsessed with Asiatic women having ‘good hair’. However, the good thing today would be that NATURAL HAIRSTYLES are making a come-back! As for me, I love to see Black women style their hair straight, curly or naturally kinky styles no matter what kind of hair they are born to possess, but for the many of us born with 4C hair, we know that we have taken a negative hit for whatever reason. And therefore, it helps to see more of these styles featured and to see videos that highlight this subject. Even though I have been natural for years now, I have even butchered my natural hair too and therefore, love to find natural Afro Kinky Hair enhancements and tips on how to better care for my hair. I remember a few years back, I blew out my natural hair before I went to the airport to meet one of my sons and it was so funny to see his reaction when he saw me. This reaction of my son and that of other Black men makes me believe that yes, Black men do appreciate seeing Black women with natural hair more than straight hair styles, and so I believe too, that this would also be one main reason why natural hair has been so downplayed and hair relaxers were pushed in the market for years. While I sat at the airport waiting for my son, I saw several Black male employees walk pass me and stare at me. I noticed one man, walked passed me and then he walked back to get another and they both walked by me staring. Finally, they both came up to me and asked me if that was my real hair! LOL. Finally, I saw my son who, at first, walked past me, staring. But he kept walking because he did not realize it was me until I called him. Then, he came up smiling and saying that he did not recognize me because I had not worn my hair out in a while. My natural hair reaches past my shoulders when I find the time to blow it out. But then again, I butchered it many times doing this type of style. So, one time, I manipulated curly hair extensions to mimic my nappy hair and wrapped the pieces around small combs and stuck the pieces in amongst my hair and POW! It was awesome! The Black women at my job, kept coming around me and trying to figure out if my hair was fake or natural, LOL. So, I shared. And therefore, this would be why I think the videos of Chizi and more, may be helpful to others. Like me, Chizi had a shock experience in getting to love her natural hair. She said in one of her videos that her Nigerian father, cut her processed hair off! LOL. She’s a Daddy’s girl. Her honesty, I find, in her hair journey may be helpful to others. She looks stunning though, whether she has kinky hairstyles or braided hair, or whether she wears makeup or not, or whether she was thin as in her college days or fuller in size. Chizi actually has a lot of natural hair herself and very healthy hair. Chizi definitely shows many levels of herself and has gained many followers since she began her channel a few years back in 2011 and then became a sensation around 2015 as a Social Media Influencer. CHIZI on ELLE Magazine

What is culture and cultural traditions that are unique to Africans (ascendant) in America? I hear some folks complain about cultural appropriation. But I’m not sure what we consider cultural isn’t actually assimilation. Without researching, I can think of a few things that are uniquely African American 1) buck dancing 2) gospel singing with 4 part harmony (the quartets) 3) drumming (djembe drums) 3) jazz music composition 4) scat / Rap / hip hop 5) trimming hair on the first friday of the new moon...observing & worshipping nature in general 6) seasoning foods with herbs and animal fats, 7) what else?

Those people are the pimps.

Scary but true, IMO too! We do seem to influence the culture but cannot control the narrative. But @Delano then, does that mean, on the other hand, that it is not us, Black folk that are the cultural whores? Shouldn't this mean that other kinds of people who prey on us to define what they think our culture should be or how we should act as Black folk, the true cultural whores? @Mel Hopkins Awesome question! As I read you lists and got to 'Rap and Hip Hop', I had to pause, go back and re-read your first sentence because I had lost site of the fact that this is about AFrican Americans and not our African origins. What is 'Buck dancing'? In the past, I've done research on the true definition of 'culture' and still become confused. So now even, I may not completely understand. I am still in the learning process. However, I think that part of the definition of anyone's culture should also include their [1] genetic origins and [2] the beginning government that covers them as a people as well. Therefore, I feel that part of what defines African American culture should include our beginning African origins with direct respect to the Slave Ship Trade Era and the Colonial 'Christian' Movement. African Americans come from the Afican continent and were chosen out amongst other Africans based on certain identifiable genetic traits and they were forced to submit under the European Colonial 'Christian' system for hundreds of years prior to the Separation of Church [Christianity] & State on July 4, 1776. So the beginning African American culture initially developed from these origins and everything today, I believe, is based off of this when it comes to our presence even today. Our culture has been shaped by these beginnings. For example, our ancestors were given a certain type of food to eat and today, we may call it 'Soul Food' but this cultural aspect was based out of slavery, being forced to either eat what was given to us or die. So now, many of us keep the tradition and incorporated it in other ways too. But because there are African AMericans today that have no connection to these understandings, may not have this aspect or eat this kind of food and don't define themselves in this way, but nevertheless, this still would be part of our original culture. Some non-AFrican Americans who marry into our culture may or may not choose to nurture their kids and involve the other spouse to share in these cultural origins or traditions and then this may cause confusion too today. For example, non-African Americans like like Kim Kardashiah's children, may not ever connect to this history, unless she chooses to teach them or the father decides to teach it to his children when they are young enough to claim this sort of history. But then others may decide that it was a bad cultural aspect and choose not to teach certain cultural history. In this aspect, the definition of culture and cultural tradition becomes confusing to me.

Black people are cultural whores. They influence the culture but don't generally control the narrative.

Call and response in song and worship. A bit more improvisational.

@Chevdove Although, I’m out of the mainstream media and politics; - I will always do my best to shine the light! 😊