It’s eyebrow-raising enough when one Afrobeats star debuts a clean new low-cut fade. It becomes worrisome when two do it within days of each other.
That’s exactly the story of the Nigerian and Afrobeat community when Asake and Fireboy DML both ditched signature cuts for much tidier looks on the dying days of September.
Asake had already teased fans with a hair evolution: first chopping off his iconic locs back in March 2024 for a shorter, fuller trim and then surprising everyone 17 months later with an electric blue pixie cut that sparked more think-pieces than a political scandal.
But now, as revealed in his recent Instagram post, the Lonely at the Top crooner has gone full classroom mode, rocking what fans have affectionately dubbed a “back-to-school” haircut.
As if cued by Asake, Fireboy decided to join the club barely three days later, debuting a red-tinted low-cut that sent fans into a collective gasp. Gone were the lush dreadlocks-slash-bantu knots that had defined his look (and maybe even his heartbreak songs) since 2019.
Of course, the internet had theories, but one in particular feels deeply African: could this be the handiwork of their mothers? After all, few forces on Earth are as persuasive as an African mum’s quiet crusade against “rough” hairstyles.
If you’ve ever heard the phrase, “My son, won’t you cut that hair and look responsible?”, then you already know who might be behind this clean-cut conspiracy.