Updated
Updated · Page Six · Jun 22
Jay-Z Debuts Afro After 8 Years of Locs for 1st Solo Show Since 2019
Updated
Updated · Page Six · Jun 22

Jay-Z Debuts Afro After 8 Years of Locs for 1st Solo Show Since 2019

3 articles · Updated · Page Six · Jun 22

Summary

  • Jay-Z combed out nearly a decade of locs into an Afro for his May 30 headlining set at Philadelphia's 2026 Roots Picnic, marking his first solo performance since 2019.
  • Beyoncé said in a Father's Day Cécred video that the style change also honored Jay-Z's late father, Adnis Reeves, who wore an Afro.
  • The video shows a detangling process that took more than 5 days, with Blue Ivy, now 14, helping alongside hairstylist Nakia Collins in what Beyoncé called a family affair.
  • Beyoncé said Jay-Z originally grew the locs when Blue Ivy was about 5 to help her embrace her natural hair texture by showing that his hair was like hers.

Insights

Is Jay-Z's tribute to his father the ultimate marketing play for Beyoncé's beauty empire?
As Black hair becomes a billion-dollar industry, can corporate brands truly champion cultural authenticity?
How is Beyoncé's art being used to teach social policy and exclusion at Harvard University?