Wednesday, December 16th 2021
There’s always a slight ominous uncomfortability that comes with driving a car that isn’t yours. I rented a 2017 Nissan Versa off of Turo so I wouldn’t be spending all my money on Ubers while I’m here in Atlanta, but the four door feels small. Still, I’m grateful to be able to decide where I want to go and be out of the midwest cold. Here it’s raining and as I make my way out of Buckhead towards the downtown barbershop, and I mentally run through my notes and triple check that I have my Olympus Point and Shoot with me.
When I finally arrive I switch off the egnition interrupting a woman on the radio who is urging Georgia residents to vote on January 5th for the Run Off election. Joe Biden won the presidential election Monday of last week but there’s still work to be done in the state of Atlanta. Just from being here these past couple days I can tell everyone is working to make sure people, especially our people, don’t lose momentum and vote for who will take the Senate seat.
I hop out of the car and rush to get on the second floor of the all white complex. I prioritize making sure my camera doesn’t get wet and give the same amount of attention to my hair. When I walk in I instantly notice four distinct faces framed on the wall above all four chairs : Nipsey Hustle, Muhammad Ali, Malcom X, and Michael Jordan. They were just framed drawings but they added the necessary tones of black excellence to the room. To my immediate left I greet the barber who embodies just those charactertics.
Dre. He’s building his business brick by brick all while promoting and advocating for like minded black entrepreneurs. I walk in and he greets me with a friendly hello but he doesn’t slow down on what he’s doing. He’s cutting hair, answering calls, greeting people, and running the shop all at the same time. He doesn’t seem stressed at all, he looks at home. I wait for him to finish up the client he’s on then we dive into the interview after his second takes the chair.
han: You can start by introducing yourself.
“Yea fa shoe, what’s going ya’ll its Chopped by Dre aka THE CHOP GOD. I’m the owner of the Centric Barber Lounge and a celebrity barber.”
han : How long have you been cutting hair?
“Professionally for the last five years. But I started cutting hair when I was ten, so I’ve had the clippers in my hand for almost 19 years. It started off as a hobby. Then I really started to take it seriously when I saw I could provide for my family by mastering my craft.”
There’s about six other people in the shop, some working at their own chair, others are clients waiting for their turn. They all continue on with what they’re doing but still give their attention on Dre and I as we interview. The sound of the barber’s voice, Lil Keed, and the hum of Dre’s clippers fill the room.
han: What have you notice about cutting hair in ATL?
han : Tell me about the importance of a good cut.
“It’s one of the things I live by. When you look good, you feel good, and you live great. A haircut aligns with any kind of important event. From a good event to a bad one. When you get a promotion, first thing you do is: go get a haircut. When it’s your birthday, you go get a haircut. If there’s a funeral you make sure you look presentable, you go get a haircut. When you’re in between jobs and looking for an interview, you go get a haircut.”
The man in his chair nods in agreement.
“It changes the way you feel that day, and I can see it in the eyes of my client after they get out of the chair. I’m trying to instill that feeling of: ‘ I’m ready to conquer the world ‘ in them.”
“When you look good, you feel good, and you live great.”
The Chop God.
han : What responsibility do you, the barber, have as the person giving them that feeling?
The entrepreneur tilts his head to the side as if to think about it some, but he still keeps his eyes on his client. “Head up” he asks of the person in the chair before continuing.
“I have a major responsibility. It’s up to me to be level headed enough to leave any issues or lingering emotions that I have at the door so they won’t transfer to my client. I want to give them the best service possible. I think haircuts are therapeutic. That part comes from me building a relationship and rapport with who’s hair I’m cutting. I check in to what they have going on in their life and show empathy. When they’re in the chair it’s all about them.”
Dre is a great interview, he gives stories to support every answer and I can tell he’s the kind of person who likes to talk.
“The client knows best it’s all about the client,” he concludes.
han: How do you feel Rap and Hip Hop influence the cuts and the culture?
“Hip hop influences all the cuts for real. People aren’t using barber charts as much anymore, everything is recreated off of what is seen in the lime light. The culture, whether your Italian, French, hispanic, all nationalities to be honest go for the black ensemble. They want a black barber to cut they’re hair, they like the black swag. That’s just what it is, truth be told. Everyone loves the fades, the high tappers, the mohawk.
“We the culture.”
The Chop God
han : What's one of the craziest moments you've had while cutting hair?
“Man I would have to say the time I almost got shot at Lil Boosie House:”
han : Can you tell me a little more about the cut you're doing right now ?
han: How often do people come into the shop to network?
” I’m going to keep it recent. We just had the election. My man Ryan Brown worked on the Joe Biden campaign and he came in the day of the election and told me exactly how election was going to go down, on top of breaking down how they’ve been strategizing and marketing. And while he was explaining, there was a high grade realtor in the shop who was willing to donate to the campaign. They exchanged contact information and that connection alone got started right here in the barbershop. You can’t even put a price on those kind of connections and they happen here everyday. It’s like a Black Country Club. Shout out to Ryan, I ain’t ever gone stop using that.”
I admire how just like now, there’s a lot of forum talk at the shop. There could be side conversations going on but usually theirs one person talking the loudest or with the most conviction (Dre) and everyone chips in their input. There’s always perspective sharing and discussion.
“It’s like a Black Country Club”
Ryan T. Brown
As I ask the next question the woman finishing someones dreads wishes her first client good bye and thanks her for coming.
han: Since I've been here you've had to do a lot of multitasking, is there any motto about hustling that helps you guide your own life and business?
” Being a business owner you have to be a camalion in your community or you’re going to fall by the wayside. As you can see even during this interview I’ve been greeting customers, messing with the music, and making sure everyone’s good. You have to be able to roll with the punches and go with the flow. In my life, I have to make a decision probably every 30 seconds, between a phone call being made, or someone asking me something, and multiple clients walking in by the hour. Being around more successful people has helped me out a lot with that. You don’t want to be stagnant. It doesn’t even feel like work any more, it’s more of a lifestyle for me now to be honest.”
han : How was the pandemic affected your business and your clientele?
han : How are house calls and being in the shop different for you?
” I don’t try to make it much different, I bring the shop to you. The right lighting, my best clippers, my dry shampoo, wherever you are. I’ve cut on street corners, under a bridge and patios. What was really cool was cutting Cam on his penthouse balcony for NFL Honors.”
“It’s more of a lifestyle for me now to be honest.”
-The Chop God
han : How does "chopping" the hair of big name artist like Young Thug affect your business?
” It helps my business tremendously. I ain’t gone lie those are some of the best feelings because I’ve never really reached out to someone and said: ‘Hey, let me cut your hair.’ “
“So when they find me and reach out to me its like I must be doing something right. My name is ringing bells. And you will go through this life thinking damn did I cut the last dude good enough, or I wonder if he’s gonna come back. And that’s just being a entrupaneur always trying to make sure youre giving out the best quality of work.”
“We laugh and joke a lot with the celebrities a lot of those guys are very funny.” he says with a wide grin.
” Adrien Broner is funny as shit and used to cut hair himself. But when it comes to the actually cutting of their hair, I treat everyone the same. I take my time on the cut to give it the best possible look. I like for people to go on my page and ask: ‘Damn, who is that?’ and not because it’s a celebrity, but because of the type of haircut I gave them.”
han : What advice do you have for young black entrepreneurs who want to start cutting hair? :
“Don’t be afraid, go for it, and stay the course. I could’ve given up a long time ago, but I didn’t. You should put in work everyday, master your craft and take the time to study your work. If you’re a barber I’m going to give you one jewel that I use. I used to play football and we’d study film to get the one-up on the other team. Sometimes I take the pictures and videos I take of clients hair I’ve done and blow the image up at home on the computer. Then I take my time to see thing that I’ve missed and what part of the hair cut I could’ve done better. Then I can master it the next time.
Having great people skill is also imperative.”
han : What are haircuts Better in ?
“Haircuts are Better in quality and consistency. To me haircuts are my product and I’m going to piggy back off of American Gangster when they say ‘Whether they know me, or they know the chairmen of General Mills, that is my product. And I stand behind that product—I guarantee it.”
“This that Chopped, Chopped by Dre cut.”
Follow Dre on Instagram to see his freshest cuts and check out his StyleSeat link for booking: