- Jay-Z grew locs to show daughter Blue Ivy that her natural hair is beautiful
- Jay-Z removed locks to honor his father, who sported an afro
- Beyoncé and family had to carefully loosen the locks over time
Beyonce finally giving fans the back story JAŸ-Z’s now infamous hair transformation, which he debuted at the Roots Picnic in 2026. As expected, the story goes much deeper than a makeover and ties into their famous 14-year-old daughter.
In a new documentary – perfectly timed for Father’s Day – Beyoncé recounted the emotional journey behind JAŸ-Z straightening the tresses he’d been wearing for more than eight years. Fans had questions after Jay debuted a full afro Roots Picnic in Philadelphia on May 30. Bey answered them in the most Beyoncé way possible: on her own time, with photos that got the Bey Hive swirling, and by using her products that reminded anyone clutching their coins that she stays in her bag.
“Everybody wants to know the details of Jay’s hair transformation,” Beyoncé said at the start of the documentary.
Jay-Z’s Afro was a tribute to his father
According to Bey, Jay had been planning the change for months.
“Jay told me a few months ago that he was planning to find his premises for the Philly show with The Roots,” she shared.
“He wanted to do this in honor of his dad. His name was Adnis Reeves and his favorite sports team was from Philly. His dad used to rock a fro, so he wanted to rock a fro in his honor.” The footage from the documentary featured Jay Z’s father and his hometown team, the Sixers.
The explanation ends speculation as to why JAŸ-Z suddenly appeared with an afro after years of wearing locs. But the documentary’s most touching revelation came when Beyoncé explained why he started growing them in the first place.
Blue Ivy inspired Jay-Z’s Loc Journey
“Now, I wasn’t quite convinced that he would be able to comb his locks out, given that he has such thick, long wicks and his hair had been locked for over eight years,” she said.
“I always thought it was beautiful that the real reason Jay grew her hair out was to show Blue that her hair was like that.”
Beyoncé revealed that Blue Ivy was only five years old when she began to struggle with self-confidence around her hair. (And fans of the Carters know that public scrutiny at the time was at an all-time high. Everyone seemed to have something to say about Bey and Jay’s daughter’s hair.)
“Our daughter was about five years old and she didn’t feel very confident about her hair at the time. When she told her dad, it inspired Jay to grow her hair out. We really wanted her to love and embrace every inch of her beautiful curls.”
Related stories
Loc removal was a family affair
And as fans celebrated the final Afro reveal, Beyoncé admitted she had mixed feelings about seeing the tresses go.
“I was pretty obsessed with Jay’s locations. Honestly, I didn’t really want him to cut them.”
She continued: “It’s a lot of memories. Locs can be like antennas that connect us to frequencies and energies. Hair grows, people grow, so the transformation can be emotional.”
The process itself required patience and care. Beyoncé shared that they started at the base of each lock and worked their way up toward the roots, which proved to be the most difficult part of the braiding process. They used a combination of detangling spray, deep conditioner and moisturizing lotion to create enough release to carefully work through the hair.
Some nights they left the product in overnight and let it do some of the heavy lifting.
“It wasn’t just one person removing their locks,” Beyoncé said. “It was a family affair.”
She also gave a shoutout to the Houston logician who helped start the process and thanked everyone who played a role in the transformation.
“Shout out to the H-town local engineer who helped start the process with us and to every hand that contributed to this process,” she said.
By the end of the documentary, the Cowboy Carter star had answered the internet’s biggest question about Jay-Z’s hair. But she also shared a backstory that reflects everything we love about the Carters and their hip-hop dynasty: Family Above All.
Behind one of the most talked about hair transformations on the internet was a father who honored his father while helping his daughter embrace the beauty of her natural hair.
