- Jay-Z grew locs to show daughter Blue Ivy her natural hair is beautiful
- Jay-Z removed locs to honor his father, who wore an Afro
- Beyoncé and family carefully detangled the locs over time
Beyoncé is finally giving fans the backstory behind JAŸ-Z’s now infamous hair transformation that he debuted at the Roots Picnic. As expected, the story is much deeper than a switch-up and ties into their famed 14-year-old daughter.
In a new documentary – perfectly timed for Father’s Day – Beyoncé narrated the emotional journey behind JAŸ-Z combing out the locs he had worn for more than eight years. Fans had questions after Jay debuted his full Afro at the 2026 Roots Picnic in Philadelphia on May 30. Bey answered them in the most Beyoncé way possible: on her own time, with visuals that had the Bey Hive swirling, and using her products, reminding everyone clutching their coins that she stays in her bag.
“Everyone 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 he was planning on combing out his locs for the Philly show with The Roots,” she shared.
“He wanted to do this in honor of his father. 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.” Visuals from the documentary showed Jay Z’s father and his hometown team, the Sixers.
The explanation ends speculation about 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 all the way convinced that he would be able to comb out his locs, considering he has such thick, long wicks and his hair had been locking for over eight years,” she said.
“I thought it was always beautiful that the real reason Jay grew out his hair was to show Blue that her hair was like this.”
Beyoncé revealed that Blue Ivy was only five years old when she began struggling with 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, and she wasn’t feeling very confident about her hair at that time. When she told her father that, it inspired Jay to grow out his hair. We really wanted her to love and embrace every inch of her gorgeous curls.”
The Loc Removal Was A Family Affair
Beyoncé admitted she had mixed feelings about seeing Jay’s locs go.
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And while fans celebrated the final Afro reveal, Beyoncé admitted she had mixed emotions about seeing the locs go.
“I was pretty obsessed with Jay’s locs. Honestly, I didn’t really want him to cut them.”
She continued, “It’s a lot of memories. Locs can be like antennas connecting us to frequencies and energies. Hair grows, people grow, so the transformation can be emotional.”
The actual process required patience and care. Beyoncé shared that they started at the bottom of each loc and worked their way up toward the roots, which proved to be the most difficult part of the detangling process. They used a combination of detangling spray, deep conditioner, and moisturizing lotion to create enough slip to carefully work through the hair.
Some nights, they left product in overnight and let it do some of the heavy lifting.
“It wasn’t just one person who removed his locs,” Beyoncé said. “It was a family affair.”
She also gave a shoutout to the Houston loctician who helped begin the process and thanked everyone who played a role in the transformation.
“Shout out to the H-town loctician 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 answered the internet’s biggest questions 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 over everything.
Behind one of the most talked-about hair transformations on the internet was a father honoring his dad while helping his daughter embrace the beauty of her natural hair.