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From  StyleBlazer

Anthony Dickey is the celebrated hair stylist, author and creative genius behind hair rules, the book, salon and product line. A veteran in the hair care industry, Dickey discovered early on his calling for styling hair and he knew he needed to be in New York to live out this creative dream of his.

For the first 10 years of Dickey’s tenure in New York he worked as a freelance hair stylist, but it was during this time that he mastered the art of working with and understanding different hair textures. He is author of Hair Rules: The Ultimate Hair-Care Guide for Women With Kinky, Curly, or Wavy Hair, in which he dispels the myths about beauty that are deeply rooted in historical and social experiences.

Check out the video segment on StyleBlazer

More on Madame Noire!

• Single Black Male: The 5 Steps to Approaching A Woman
• Where Are They Now? 11 Singers and Rappers Who Didn’t Blow Up Like We Thought They Would…
• Signs He Will NEVER Be Into You
• OO-OOP! Did You Know These Celeb Women Are Deltas?
• You Don’t Have To Be Wonder Woman: The Importance of Vulnerability In Relationships
• Bison Brothers: 10 Notable Men Who Attended Howard University
• Love On Your Terms: Are Your Expectations Too High?

If you’ve ever seen StyleBlazer’s How I Made It series, you already know that the series offers a great lens on the Black movers and shakers in the fashion/beauty industry. Check out the latest exclusive profile of Kierna Mayo, a writer and the current editorial director of Ebony.com.

Alek Wek probably has one of the more recognizable faces in the fashion industry. Largely because she doesn’t look like anyone else on the runways.

Find out how the Sudanese super model was first discovered on the streets of London and how she defines beauty at StyleBlazer.com.

More on Madame Noire!

• Boy, Bye!: 6 Stupid Reasons to Turn a Man Down
• Hair Raising: Iconic Women Who Changed the Standard for Black Hair
• Does Dating White Trump Your Black Card?
• 7 Things That Should Never Happen In The Bedroom
• Dangerously In Love: Warning Signs To Protect Your Heart From Harming You
• Are You A Coward When It Comes To Breaking Up?
• Can You Marry Someone You Don’t Love?

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Known for her vivacious personality, exquisite taste and charm, Bevy Smith exudes confidence and epitomizes the modern business woman: fearless, free and focused on success.

Proud of her Harlem roots, Bevy discovered at a young age she was destined for a life in fashion. She describes candidly the moment when she realized style was in her DNA, “…when girls in my neighborhood started asking me would I take them shopping.” It’s only right that “the first girl in Harlem to wear a cat suit” would grow to become a high-powered fashion executive at Rolling Stone, fashion editor-at-large for VIBE, TV personality and now Social Media Maven. She is also the creator of “Dinner with Bevy,” a brilliantly crafted dinner party series in which Bevy brings together influential people from across entertainment, fashion and media.

Adored and loved by all, Bevy Smith, a style icon in her own right tells us How She Made It.

Watch the third episode of How I Made It on our sister Styleblazer

Don’t let the petite frame and eloquent demeanor fool you. Style and Fashion Expert, Sydne Bolden Long, challenges the unexpected with her unique style perspective. Classic American girls learned how to seamlessly blend high fashion apparel with affordable items, studying Sydne’s monthly Instant Style column in In Style, where the specialized still life stylist contributed to more than 600 outfits in over 100 issues.

A graduate of Howard University, Sydne counts Janet Jackson as a client, has appeared on the mastheads of Vogue, W, Allure and Honey magazines and has worked closely with brands such as BCBG Max Azria, Target and Top Shop. Our sister site Style Blazer gets the inside scoop on how she got her start, getting black women into prominent fashion magazines, getting people celebrity style for less, and more.

In the newest episode of How I Made It, the humble fashion critic candidly describes how she reached the top.

Mikki Taylor is a black fashion icon — who has often shined behind the scenes. A style trailblazer who made her mark initially as an editor for Essence Magazine, Taylor has branched out into books, and is soon to release a stellar style tome called Commander in Chic. In a delicious play on words that describes a woman in charge of style while in the national spotlight, Commander in Chic will focus on the amazing aura of sophistication surrounding First Lady Michelle Obama — mixed with Mikki’s delightful expertise and personal brand of beauty leadership.

How did Mikki make it to the top spot in fashion, and then parlay that into publishing? Our sister site Style Blazer has the inside scoop from Ms. Taylor herself in an exciting exclusive video: “How I Made It.” In “How I Made It,” Mikki gives her personal account on how she forged an amazing career in beauty with impeccable style. Head on over to Style Blazer now, and learn from Mikki Taylor herself: “How I Made It.” May Mikki’s incredible journey inspire your own career development and expression of personal style.

Rasheed Young in front of Pastry collection

By Mary Worrell

It’s not too much of a stretch to say that most people want to be number one in something. They want to lead a successful company or team, own their own business, and be a leader. But behind all great leaders and cultural influencers are behind-the-scenes advisors and friends. No one’s an island.

Rasheed Young is happy to play second fiddle to his bosses and friends Rev Run and Russell Simmons. “Man B” as he likes to call himself. The almost-40-year-old New York native will proudly rattle off comparisons of himself to TV butlers like “Benson” or Geoffrey from “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”

“I’m president of Run Athletics, but I like to leave that title alone because I’m such a renaissance man. I like to call myself a consigliere,” Young said. “I’m the man behind the bosses.”

It’s this willingness to serve and work where needed without a clear reward in sight that brought Young from the streets of Hollis Queens in New York City, looking for the next big rap act, to an office alongside some of the biggest names in hip-hop history.

While Young hadn’t yet found his passion, he went to Jamaica College to try and find it. He started out majoring in accounting, but was a terrible mathematics student. “My biggest game was talking my way through things,” he said. “All my friends were musicians at that moment and all I could do was wait for the next tour or party.”

His college career came to a halt Dec. 12, 1992. “That was when I woke up. My mother was murdered,” Young said.

Without a father and having just lost his mother, Young was in a daze of grief. “I was looking at the coffin and saying ‘I need to finish college for my mother,’” he said. “I have to grow up.”

For nearly five years Young tried to overcome his grief and finish college with a degree in-hand. “I was no long interested in finding rap’s new act. I just wanted to graduate. Period,” he said.

He switched from the math struggles of his accounting major to marketing and worked a number of office jobs, including a brief stint as a junior accountant for Time Warner. “Here was this black kid not knowing what he’s doing,” he recalled. “I talked my way into so many jobs and places and charmed my way into situations. The bosses loved me. They wanted me around.”

But Young quickly realized the mundane nature of corporate culture wasn’t for him. With one last paycheck on the way, he packed his bags and picked up a ticket to the Dominican Republic where he stayed for a month before heading to Miami for six more months. He didn’t tell anyone where he was going or why, but he just felt the need to leave the city.

A friend eventually convinced Young to drive back to New York with him. Soon after returning to New York, a friend asked Young to join a clothing company venture that would utilize the musicians and rappers in Young’s network to wear and market the business. The company, Cash is King, launched in 1998.

The business did well, but Young knew it needed a big name behind it to be anything more than a small-time venture.

“Artists at the time were figuring out they were good ambassadors for brands and I knew I needed the power of somebody big behind CIK,” he said. “That group, for me, was Run-D.M.C.”

A bit of serendipity would bring Young and Rev Run together and start their long-time, mentor-friend business partnership. Young read a magazine article featuring rappers and their houses and realized the house where Rev Run and his wife lived was right around the corner. Young wrote a long letter to Rev Run begging Run-D.M.C. to back the clothing line.