Beyoncé Says JAY-Z First Grew His Hair Out to Give Blue Ivy Confidence
Jay-Z combed out his signature dreadlocks to honor his Philly fan father by sporting an afro at the Roots Picnic.
Jay-Z and Blue Ivy Carter attend the 2026 Met Gala celebrating "Costume Art" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 04, 2026 in New York City.
Photo by Theo Wargo/FilmMagic.
JAY-Z’s performance at the 2026 Roots Picnic in Philadelphia became one of the summer’s most talked-about moments so far–and it wasn’t just because of his fiery freestyle. The hip-hop legend’s new afro sparked widespread commentary and speculation, with observers wondering whether the 57-year-old’s new hairdo was even real. Beyoncé addressed the speculation in a video detailing Jay’s hair journey.
"There were times I massaged his hair with my hands for about an hour — sometimes two hours — for each wick until I can gradually separate his hair with my finger," she shared. "The key ingredient was patience and love."
She shared that Jay’s look was inspired years ago by their daughter, Blue Ivy, now 14.
"Our daughter was about 5 and she wasn't feeling very confident about her hair at the time," the "Sorry" singer shared in the video for her Cécred haircare line. "When she told her father that, it inspired Jay to grow out his hair."
Beyoncé shared that Blue "had no idea that her father’s hair had texture like hers."
"I thought it was always beautiful that the real reason Jay grew out his hair was to show Blue that her hair was like his hair," she continued. "We really wanted her to love and embrace every inch of her gorgeous curls."
In addition to his daughter, another part of Jay’s family motivated him to break out the afro in Philly.
"Jay told me a few months ago he was planning to comb out his locs for the Philly show with The Roots,” Bey shared. “He wanted to do this in honor of his father," Beyoncé explained in the video. "His name was Adnis Reeves and his favorite sports team was from Philly. His dad always rocked a 'fro, so he wanted to rock a 'fro in his honor."
She admitted that she didn’t want Jay to cut his now-trademark locs, which he’d been rocking for the better part of a decade. Bey says it took six days for her and Blue — plus a team of hairstylists and a loctician — to comb out her husband’s locs.
You can check out Beyoncé‘s video below.
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