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Top 10 Influential Hip Hop and R&B Artist Haircuts of the Past Two Decades

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Hip Hop, Artists, Men's Hair, Hairstyles, Music

Hip Hop and R&B has transformed in major ways over the last few decades and is still going strong after all these years in the mainstream.  Over the last 20 years, we’ve seen stars rise and fall, and legends maintain impressive careers as younger artists continue to pop up, sometimes seemingly out of nowhere.

Besides our love of the music that these artists have given to us, many of us are inspired by them in other ways as well.  One way in which hip hop artists inspire us is their hairstyles.  It seems that the more successful an artist is at come, the more they feel at liberty to try out an extremely unique, attention-getting hairstyle that makes them stand out from the crowd.

What Fresh Look are You Looking to Get Down With?

If you’re mission to sport a unique new look, look no further than these awesome hip hop artist hairstyles that have wowed us in the last two decades.

#10: Jay-Z

Jay-Z has always been one of the less flamboyant hip hop artists when it comes to his personal appearance, keeping things generally clean and tidy.  But, just a few years ago, fans of the artist were taken aback when he grew out his hair, only for a brief but memorable period of time.  Jay-Z’s decision to grow out his hair and keep it looking natural was a breath of fresh air, as he let his natural texture shine in a way that made it acceptable.

#9:  Snoop Dogg

While you may not love Snoop’s hairstyle, you can’t argue that it’s extremely distinctive, and part of his iconic look.  His plaited braids were particularly memorable, as this is usually a hairstyle seen on women.  Needless to say, when Snoop does it, it means that we can do it too.  The pigtail look definitely suits a man with such a big, flamboyant personality, and we’re sure that some brave men took a style cue from the hip hop legend.

#8: Kanye West

Kanye West has never been considered a shy person, so it’s not surprising that many of his hairstyles have gotten a lot of attention for being as creative as his lyrics.  Perhaps one of his most-remembered looks was when he shaved a series of arrows into his hair, pointing at anyone who was talking to him.  Kanye has done many intricate styles over the years, but this one made us question if it had a deeper meaning, and certainly got people talking.

#7: Machine Gun Kelly

Machine Gun Kelly has enjoyed his share of unique hairstyles, but our favorite is when he simply let it grow out into a bleached tousle of texture.  With its almost emo-inspired appearance, he defined a whole new style of his own, which many men have since tried to emulate with varying levels of success.  The key with this look is lots and lots of pomade, which lets the hair stick out in all different directions while staying securely in place all day long.

#6: Chris Brown

Chris Brown is familiar with controversy, and his bold personality has certainly gotten him into trouble in the past.  But, today we aren’t talking about his controversies, but rather his knack for coming up with very appealing hairstyles.  Our favorite Chris Brown look is the cropped, natural cut with bleach-blonde hair, which became a look that many of us still associate with the rapper.  The blonde flattered him wonderfully, while the natural style softened his appearance.

#5: Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar is known for his excellent sense of style, so it’s not surprising that when he styled his hair in twists, countless men called to make appointments with their barbers.  This is not an easy look to pull off simply because it takes a lot of effort to maintain, but the results are well worth it, as it’s simultaneously unique and extremely good-looking.  Those slicked-back twists instantly gave him a softer, more mature appearance while furthering his status as a style guru.

#4: Eminem

Eminem has never struck us as a guy who cares too much about his appearance, and famously rocked his cropped, bleached blonde look for most of his career.  Therefore, when he dyed his hair brown and gave his hair more of a shape, the hip hop world took notice.  This change in cut and color actually ended up flattering him very well, and made him look like more of a serious artist in a way that likely contributed to the resurgence in his career.

#3: Fetty Wap

When Fetty Wap first unveiled his bleached dreads, the hip hop community was stunned by this new change in image for the star.  Reportedly, the look cost him $4,000, and it’s hard to deny that those dreads look absolutely amazing.  They also gave him a more toned-down, mature appearance that changed the public’s perception of the icon, and sent many men to their barbers to create a similar look.

#2: ASAP Rocky

ASAP Rocky’s box braids have become a staple of the star’s image, and launched a huge trend in men’s hairstyles.  In fact, it’s one of the most popular hairstyles now because of his impact.  The look is a classic one that was usually associated with younger girls, but he made it cool for grown men to rock the look, thus proving his impact on popular culture.

#1: Busta Rhymes

It has been a while since Busta Rhymes was a staple of hip hop radio, but he’s at the top of our list because his impact on today’s artists’ hairstyles can’t be denied.  Busta was simply one of the very first to associate flamboyant, intricate hairstyles with the hip hop scene, and many of his iconic looks are still emulated today, with each artist putting their own unique spin on it.  Busta’s braids are about as legendary as the artist himself and showed younger artists that they could experiment with their hairstyles to create a look of their very own.

True Straight Up Hairstyles that Changed the Game

Throughout the last two decades, hip hop and R&B artists have shown off all kinds of incredible hairstyles that have influenced the masses at large.  From stunningly intricate braids to natural crops, these hairstyles are now extremely trendy thanks to these artists’ influence.  And, the good news is that most of them are easy to emulate with the help of a trusted barber and the right haircare products.