Fans of Jay-Z are still in shock that he combed out his locs for a full afro, but they shouldn’t be. One thing you should know about the “Family Feud” rapper is that he is constantly evolving his career and image, which includes his hair. For Hov, a new hairstyle has always signaled a shift into a fresh creative era.
From the crisp fades of his Reasonable Doubt days to the sophisticated buzz cuts of the Blueprint era, his look has consistently mirrored his growth. His recent freeform locs symbolized his status as hip-hop’s billionaire GOAT. Now that he has debuted his full fro, we’re taking a look back on his hair growth journey to see how his crown has transformed alongside his legendary career.
Hov started growing out his hair around 2016 and by 2018 he had a mini afro. At the time, this was a dramatic switch up, because fans had only ever seen him with his low money cut. But after a four-year music hiatus and the 2017 release of his “4:44” album, his hair growth signaled the start of a completely new era.
During 2018, Jay and Bey also released their joint project, “Everything Is Love” and the “APESHIT” music video along with it. In the music video, you can see Jay-Z leaning into the business-savvy side of his personality, matching his cropped fro with a formal, well-tailored suit.
By 2019, Jay-Z was fully in business mode. He even earned billionaire status as the first-ever rapper to hit that milestone. Around this time, his freeform locs were already beginning to form.
He not only looked great, but whether intentional or not, he made a statement that Black people belong in professional and corporate spaces with our hair in its most natural state. After a worldwide lockdown, that statement was pushed even further in 2021 as his hair continued to grow toward the sky.
Over the following years, as Jay-Z continued to cement himself in the business world with NFL partnerships, tech investments and many other sectors, his hair only became a more iconic part of his identity while he was building his portfolio.
However, in a 2023 with Gayle King, Jay-Z admitted he was getting ready to let the locs go, but his family, especially Blue Ivy, was not on board with that decision.
“I’m like, ‘I’m cutting my hair, guys.’ I’m preparing them for it and then Blue is just going crazy, ‘Noooo dad. You can’t cut your hair, it’s part of who you are,’” he said.
We have to say thank you, Blue Ivy. Because of her, Jay-Z’s hair journey evolved from iconic freeform locs into impressive long wicks growing past his shoulders.
Now, as he makes his return to music by headlining the Roots Picnic with a dramatic afro transformation, Jay-Z is back in the mainstream and shaking things up again.
While fans are unsure of exactly what this fresh era will bring, they are crossing their fingers for new music—especially after his Roots Picnic performance and an upcoming two-day residency at Yankee Stadium in New York City on the horizon. But as of yet, Hov himself has not confirmed a single thing, other than the fact that he has incredible hair.
