When South Side rapper, producer and visual director Matt Muse dropped his third EP, Love & Nappyness, in 2019 a follow-up to his first EP, Nappy Talk (2018), he was in the midst of his natural hair care journey. Both projects centered on his pride in his natural hair, and the projects represented him finding self-love through his hair growth plus embracing his authentic self outside of European beauty standards.
“I can be dope and also be my most natural self, and y’all should take it seriously regardless of how my hair looks,” Muse told The TRiiBE in a phone interview on Dec. 1.
In the fall of 2019, on the heels of the release of Love & Nappyness, Muse said he started thinking of ways to give back to the Chicago community. Instead of a holiday toy drive, he decided on a natural hair care drive, naming the community service initiative after his EP. The third annual “Love & Nappyness Hair Care Drive” is back again this year.
In its first year, the hair care drive collected 500 products; 1,500 items were collected last year.
The Love & Nappyness Hair Care Drive collects sealed and unused natural hair care, skincare, and personal hygiene products. The items will be donated to Ignite Promise, a Chicago-based organization providing housing for youth experiencing houselessness, and to the West Side-based Saint Leonard’s Ministries, a transition home for formerly incarcerated people.
There are six drop-off sites city-wide that will collect donations until Dec. 17, including The Silver Room, Semicolon Bookstore & Gallery, Build Coffee and more.