The Truth About Jay-Z’s Afro Finally Revealed!

While folks online continue to have discourse around Jay-Z’s new hairdo, his own wife has decided to enter the chat and silence all the chatter once and for all. And let’s just say, the story behind the look is more heartwarming than we thought!

If you’ll remember, the “Reasonable Doubt” rapper set the internet ablaze in May when he popped out for a performance at this year’s Roots Picnic in Philadelphia. But it wasn’t his rap songs or stylish outfit that had folks talking. It was the fact that he combed out his signature locs to sport a huge curly afro!

Naturally, given the shock to everyone’s system, many took to social media to speculate  how he achieved the style and whether it was really his hair. Even after the hairstylist who helped Jay achieve the look spoke out and attempted to break down the style, many people were still skeptical.

This is where Beyoncé and her haircare brand, Cécred, come in. On Sunday, the two posted a video explaining Jay’s takedown process and the impetus that led to him going this route with his hair after all this time.

Related: Inside Jay-Z’s Iconic Hair Evolution and the Start of a New Era

Initially thanking the Houston loctitians for helping, Bey explained that it took six days to completely remove the locs and an additional day to detangle Jay’s hair. (The “Renaissance” singer is seen blow-drying and even trimming her husband’s hair in the clip.)

What’s more is that Bey explained that Jay decided to take down his hair in part to honor his late father for the Roots picnic performance, noting that he used to rock an afro when he was alive and had a favorite sports team based in Philly. Bey also explained that Jay had been growing his locs for eight years and had only done so to show their daughter Blue Ivy that “his hair was like her hair.”

“Our daughter was about five, and she wasn’t feeling very confident in her hair at that time,” Bey explained. “When she told her father that, it inspired Jay to grow out his hair. We really wanted her to embrace every inch of her gorgeous curls. It also inspired Blue to the voice of the award-winning book, “Hair Love,” as well as songs like ‘Formation,’ ‘Baby Hair and Afros,’ and ‘Brown Skin Girl.’

Speaking to Jay’s hair growth, Bey remarked: “Who woulda thought all this hair come come out the ‘low-cut Caesar with the deep waves?’”

Bey went on to share how she was initially hesitant for him to change his hair, explaining that she’d loved his locs and what they represented. However, she eventually got on board and helped him achieve the look.

Check out the full explainer video below.