They have names like the Infamous Lisa B, Weavin’ Steven, Little Willie, Big Bad D, and Color Me Vic. No, they’re not rappers. They’re hair dressers. Excuse me, hair entertainers. And they’re just some of the creative experts that keep Hair Wars, an African American hair show known for its outrageous designs, afloat.

It all started in the ’80s at Detroit nightclubs, where David “Hump the Grinder” Humphries, a promoter and DJ, would stage hair shows as entertainment in the middle of parties. He knew nothing about hair or hair styling, but he knew he was onto something when he saw how well-received the hair shows were.

From the nightclub gimmick arose Hair Wars, a monster touring hair show that has piqued the curiosity of the mainstream media and made stars of its stylists. And there is nothing else like it.

“A lot of people don’t really know what they’re getting into when they come to Hair Wars,” Humphries told Stereohyped. “They don’t know its entertainment — they think it’s a trade show. But these are hair entertainers, and they actually put on stage productions and they put a lot into these five or 10 minutes of stage time. You don’t have to be into hair to get into it. People just come and see what these folks will do.”

And what won’t they do? Let’s see. Humphries said the most outrageous ‘do he’s every seen go down the runway was by Little Willie (the creator of the zipper ‘do), who had his model unzip her huge hair design to reveal a live, four foot python.

“It freaked everyone out a bit,” Humphries recalled.

And then there’s the hairicopter, a motorized ‘copter made out of, you guessed it, hair. But like a designer at a Paris couture show, the stylists might highlight the crazy, totally unwearable looks, but they also know how to do classic hair.

“Each show has about 250 models,” he said. “More than half of those are actual hairdos that you can wear everyday. People try to show their versatility — that they can do 9-5 clients and the crazy stuff, too.”

The crazy stuff is what attracts the media, Humphries said. Three Hair Wars stylists appeared on an episode of America’s Next Top Model two seasons ago. The clearly mystified model wannabes hadn’t the slightest clue how to work the colorful, motorized hair creations, but the cameo appearance on the popular show proved that Hair Wars had literally hit prime time.

But why is Hair Wars, with its outrageous hair fashions and flamboyant stylists, so popular among African American audiences? It doesn’t take a genius to realize that we are a community extremely obsessed with, not only our own tresses, but weaves, and wigs, and straighteners, and color.

And while a segment of the population is very much about natural hair, there’s an entirely different segment that really has no interest in anything of the sort. Plus, according to Humphries, Hair Wars is about more than just the hair.

“It’s a new form of entertainment,” he said. “It’s safe and fun and exciting.”