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Solange performing at Coachella on April 19, 2014. Photo by Neon Tommy.

30 Most Famous People & Celebrities That Rocked the Afro

The renowned English playwright, William Shakespeare, in Romeo and Juliet, famously poses the question, ‘What’s in a name?’  Surfing through the net for iconic figures who have rocked the afro, I considered the question, ‘What’s in a hairstyle?’ Well, the afro is originally traceable to African civilizations, characterized by its often unique kinky texture, featuring a tight, sometimes curly, coiled, or voluminous look. It became particularly associated with the Civil Rights Movement as a symbol of Black power, identity, and pride in the U.S.A during the 1960s.

Over the years, it has become a mainstream fashion trend and a continued celebration of natural hair for many. We’ve seen famous people and celebrities rock stunning afro styles, whether as a political statement or even just out of style preference. Some have it as part of their brand, and it would probably be hard to recognize them in any other hairstyle. From the iconic, voluminous afro by Angela Davis, to the short, stunningly black curly afro worn by Lauryn Hill, here’s a list of 30 famous people and celebrities who have rocked the afro.

Read more on: 6o Famous People and Celebrities with Red Hair.

Famous music artists who rocked the afro

1. Nina Simone

Nina Simone (1965) by Kroon,Ron.

Her born name was Eunice Kathleen Waymon, but in the music scene she is known as Nina Simone. She was an American singer, credited as the High Priestess of Soul. Her style ranged from folk, blues, R&B, jazz, classical, and gospel. Also known for her prolific piano-playing skill, she had initially intended to become a concert pianist. Nina Simone’s signature, short but puffed up, jet-black afro, neatly combed and always stunning became part of her music look. The Civil Rights Movement recognizes her efforts through music in championing the course for equality. Her famous single, ‘Mississippi Goddam!’ is a political, and passionate statement against racism. She recorded over 40 albums between 1958 and 1974. Days before her death in 2003, she was awarded an honorary degree by the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.

More on 50 Best Black  Female Singers of all time.

2. Diana Ross

Diana Ross (1981) by Hans van Dijk.

Known for her iconic, voluminous afro look in the 1960s, alongside her musical genius, Diana Ross was the lead singer of The Supremes; the best charting female group of all time.  She was born in Detroit on March 26, 1944. She attained fame as a lead singer for the vocal group, before finally venturing into a solo music career in 1970. One of her most famous hit singles includes the song ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’. She has also been in the film industry as an actor, receiving a good deal of awards for her stellar works. Diana’s portrayal of Billie Holiday in Lady Sings the Blues (1972) earned her an Academy Award nomination, and a Golden Globe Award. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016. She was ranked the 30^th greatest Hot 100 artist of all time in 2021.

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Diana Ross.

3. Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Hill performing at the 2012 RBC Royal Bank Bluesfest in Ottawa. Photo by Brennan Schnell.

If she’s not rocking beautiful locks, then she’s wearing her short, puffy, black afro. You may have first known her as the frontwoman of The Fugees, an American hip-hop group that was quite popular in the 1990s. She is considered one of the greatest rappers of all time. Also credited as a pioneer for female rappers in the industry, she is regarded as one of the most influential artists of her generation.  Her 1998 solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is one of the best-selling albums of all time. Lauryn Hill has achieved immense success as a musician, winning eight Grammy Awards, and several Guinness World Records including ‘first woman rapper to earn a Diamond-certification by the Recording Industry Association of America’, and is an inductee of the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.

4. Macy Gray

Macy Gray at the Blue Mountains Music Festival, 2015. Photo by Bruce Baker.

Natalie McIntyre, professionally known as Macy Gray was born in Canton, Ohio on September 6, 1967. She is an American R&B and soul artist, known for her distinct husky voice. She’s an actress as well, starring in films such as Spider-Man, The Paperboy, Training Day, and Scary Movie 3. Macy has received five Grammy Award nominations, won one, and released 10 studio albums. She is best known for her international hit single ‘I try’, from her 1999 album, On How Life Is. The song won her Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 2001. Whenever she is performing, she’s often rocking a voluminous, combed-out, rough-edged afro, or a wig.

5. Sly Stone

Sly and the Family Stone in 1968. From left to right: Freddie Stone, Sly Stone, Rose Stone, Larry Graham, Cynthia Robinson, Jerry Martini, Greg Errico.

When listing some of the most iconic afros of the 1960s and 1970s, Sly Stone’s all-out afro should easily make the list. Sylvester Stewart (Sly Stone) was born in Denton, Texas on March 15, 1943. Lead singer of the Sly and the Family Stone music group, he is credited for the development of funk, fusing soul, rock, and gospel in the 60s. The group produced hits including ‘Everyday People’ (1968), ‘Dance to the Music’ (1968), and ‘If you want me to stay’ (1973). Unfortunately, Sly’s drug abuse ended the group in the mid-1970s, and his solo albums after that were unsuccessful. He was inducted as part of the group into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 and performed at the 2006 Grammy Awards in a Sly and the Family Stone tribute.

6. Erykah Badu

Erykah Badu (2006) by Yancho Sabev.

Whether combed out, pinned, or tied up in a beautiful head wrap, Erykah Badu is always sure to grace the stage in beautiful afro styles.  Born in Dallas on February 26, 1971, Badu is a singer-songwriter credited by music critics as the ‘Queen of  Neo-Soul.’ She is also a record producer and actress. Her first album, Baduizm (1997), made her rise to fame in the late 1990s, and it was certified triple Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Her other albums include Live (1997), Mama’s Gun (2000), Worldwide Underground (2003), and New Amerykah Part One (2008). Badu is known for her eccentric style, and her voice has been compared to Billie Holiday’s.

Top 10 Facts about Erykah Badu.

7. Solange Knowles

Solange performing at Coachella on April 19, 2014. Photo by Neon Tommy.

Sometimes she straightens her black mane, but when she doesn’t, it’s all full, curly, and stunning. Solange is a renowned performance artist, singer, and actress, whose interest in music began at an early age. She released her first studio album Solo Star (2002) at age 16. Her 2016 album, A Seat at the Table, was her first number-one album in the U.S. Its lead single ‘Cranes in the Sky’ won her a Grammy for Best R&B Performance. Although she has been often compared by the media to her sister Beyonce Knowles, she has intimated that they are musically different, with diverse aspirations. Solange received the Impact Award at the Billboard Women in Music event in 2017, and in 2022, she became the first African American to compose a score for the New York City Ballet.

8. Leela James

Leela James live in Stockholm Jazz Festival 2009. Photo by Patrik Hamberg.

The beloved R&B and soul singer often lets her bulky, curly afro fall freely, and it’s iconic, to say the least. Leela was born in Los Angeles on May 22, 1974. Although her debut album, A Change is Gonna Come was released in 2005, she was performing music before that.  She toured as an opening act for Macy Gray and Black Eyed Peas in 2004, and provided vocals to Pete Rock’s album ‘Soul Survivor II’. Her style features a fusion of funk, contemporary R&B, and gospel. Her highest-charting single, reaching number 1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B songs on April 15, 2017, was ‘Don’t Want you Back’.  Some of her influences include Etta James, Marvin Gaye, Toni Braxton, and James Brown.

9. Janelle Monae

Janelle Monáe on the keynote panel of the 2010 Pop Conference, EMPSFM, Seattle, Washington. Photo by Joe Mabel.

For Monae, her afro look stands out for its stylish, classy, often pinned-up hair to the center or front. Signed to Atlantic Records, she is one of the most creative music artists of all time, and a recipient of numerous awards including 8 Grammy Award nominations, ASCAP Vanguard Award, Rising Star Award (2015), and Trailblazer of the Year Award (2018) from Billboard Women in Music. She is also an actress, featuring in films such as Moonlight (2016), Hidden Figures (2016, in which she portrayed engineer Mary Jackson, and Glass Onion (2022). For Hidden Figures, she was nominated for the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards for Best Supporting Actress.

10. Lenny Kravitz

Lenny Kravitz at the 2013 San Diego Comic Con International in San Diego, California. Photo by Gage Skidmore.

Kravitz is an American rock artist and actor, and a recipient of numerous awards for his musical achievements. His is a short and hard- not -to -notice afro look, which he has often worn  proudly and with style. His music incorporates funk, soul, jazz, reggae, hard rock, and folk. From 1999 to 2002, he won the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, setting a record. Other accolades include American Music Awards, Radio Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards ad Brit Awards. Some of his hit singles include ‘It Ain’t Over ‘til it’s Over’ (1991), Again (2000), Always on the Run (1991), Fly Away (1998), and American Woman (1999). He has sold over 40 million records. He plays Cinna in the Hunger Games film series.

Check out 10 of the most Famous Rock Singers.

Famous instrument players who’ve rocked the afro

11. Billy Preston

Billy Preston by David Hume.

Looking at some of Billy’s photos, one can’t help but admire the incredibly grand black afro, all puffed up and resting just fine. Born in Houston on September 2, 1946, Billy was an American keyboardist, singer, and songwriter. He mostly played R&B, soul, funk, and gospel. He was one of the top keyboardists of his time, playing for artists such as Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, the Beatles, and Rolling Stone.  His solo works, such as Outa-Space, Space Race, With you I’m born again and Nothing from Nothing won him Grammy Awards. He died on June 6, 2006. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced in May 2021 that he would be inducted with the Musical Excellence Award.

12. Esperanza Spalding

Esperanza Spalding (2009). Photo by Andrea Mancini.

The widely acclaimed American bassist, singer, and composer rocks her natural bulky hair in stunning afro styles, and we could say it has become part of her musical look. Spalding was born in Portland on October 18, 1984. She started playing music as a child, performing as a violinist in the Chamber Music Society of Oregon. She plays guitar and bass too. Spalding has released several albums, and her third studio album, Chamber Music Society (2010) was quite a success. It earned her a Grammy Award for Best New Artist, making her the first jazz artist to win in the category. Her fourth album Radio Music Society (2012) won her another Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album. She has also worked as an instructor at the Berklee College of Music, and as a professor of the Practice of Music at Harvard University.

Top 10  Most Famous Singers from Portland Oregon.

13. Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix at the amusement park Gröna Lund in Stockholm, Sweden, May 24, 1967.

Hendrix was one of the most influential electric guitarists of the 20^th century, born on November 27, 1942, in Seattle. This is despite his short mainstream career of four years. He has been described by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as ‘arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music.’ His iconic afro hairstyle, spotting a voluminous, black mane is the characteristic ‘Hendrix the guitarist’ look. He attained numerous achievements, including Billboard’s Artist of the Year (1968) and Rolling Stone’s Performer of the Year.  The Jimi Hendrix Experience was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005.

14. Craig Ross

Craig Ross at Rock in Rio Madrid 2012 by Carlos Delgado.

Craig Ross is a guitarist whose best known for performing with Lenny Kravitz. He rocks a huge afro on and off stage, and it’s quite iconic really. Some of his early musical influences include the Beatles and Chuck Berry. He began playing the guitar at the age of 8, and by 16, he was playing for the L.A clubs.  He also cites Jimi Hendrix, Freddie King, and Jimmy Page as influences. He has toured with Lenny Kravitz and even co-written several songs including Stillness of Heart and Lady. The two performed at the 2012 Kennedy Center Honors tribute to Led Zeppelin.

15. Questlove

Questlove with The Roots at the 2011 Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest. Photo by Brennan Schnell.

The first thing that comes to mind when I hear his name is his stunning big afro, and drums! Questlove is an American musician and record producer, who also features as the drummer for the hip-hop band the Roots. The band has served as the in-house band for Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show since 2014. Questlove has produced recordings for various artists, including Erykah Badu, Jay-Z, D’Angelo, Al Green, Amy Winehouse, and John Legend. He has received numerous awards for his achievements, including six Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a BAFTA Award.

Famous authors

16. Wole Soyinka

Wole Soyinka during a lecture at Stockholm Public Library on October 4, 2018. Photo by Frankie Fouganthin.

It’s a beautiful silky white and awesomely bulky afro affair for the renowned Nigerian playwright, novelist, and poet. Wole Soyinka has written numerous famous works including The Lion and the Jewel, The Interpreters, Death, and the King’s Horseman, and Chronicles of the Happiest People on Earth. He has won numerous awards, including the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature, which made him the first sub-Saharan African to receive such an honor in that category. Soyinka is known for his fierce criticism of successive Nigerian governments and he has used his writings to address oppression and political wrongs.  He has also taught at the Universities of Oxford, Havard, Cambridge, and Yale. He was awarded the Europe Theatre Prize in 2017 for his contribution to ‘the realization of cultural events that promote understanding between peoples’.

Top 10 Remarkable Facts about Wole Soyinka.

17. Chimamanda Adichie Ngozi

Chimamanda (2015) by Librairie mollat.

Chimamanda not only rocks her natural hair in beautiful afro styles, but she has also spoken boldly about the cultural and political significance of black, afro hair in interviews. She is a Nigerian author, best known for her stance on feminism, and her immensely significant contribution to the African perspective in literature. Her famous works include Half of a Yellow Sun (2006), Americanah (2013), We Should all be Feminists (2014), and Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions (2017). She was awarded a MacArthur Genius Grant in 2008 and the PEN Printer Prize in 2018. In 2021, she was in BBC’s 100 Women of 2021.

18. Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison by John Mathew Smith.

Toni Morrison was a celebrated American novelist, credited for addressing issues of racism in the U.S. through her works. Her gray, kinky natural hair accentuated her deep yet lively visage, and the stunning look boldly engraves her image in our minds. She won the Pulitzer Award in 1988 for her work Beloved, and in 1993, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Other notable works include The Bluest Eye (1970), Song of Solomon (1977), and Tar Baby (1981). She was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on May 29, 2012, by former U.S. President Barack Obama, and was inducted posthumously into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2020. She died on August 5, 2019.

Check out the 10 Most Famous Black Female Authors.

19. Noviolet Bulawayo

Noviolet at Melbourne by EuphoricOrca.

Bulawayo is a Zimbabwean author, whose real name is Elizabeth Zandile. Often spotting a short, evenly styled afro, her kinky hair look has easily become part of her style. She is perhaps best known for her award-winning work, We Need New Names, which was her debut novel. It was shortlisted for the 2013 Booker Prize. When her second work, Glory was shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize, she became the first Black African woman to feature in the Booker list twice. The two novels have political themes, showcasing the author’s criticism of corrupt regimes, and her bold activism in speaking against political repression in featured African countries.

20. Yaa Gyasi

Yaa Gyasi (2021) by Udoweier.

It’s rough, kinky, bold, and unapologetic afro moves when it comes to her natural hair look. Yaa Gyasi is a Ghanaian-American novelist, known best for her 2016 debut novel, Homegoing. It won numerous accolades for her literary achievements including the National Book Critics Circle’s John Leonard Award for the best first book, the American Book Award, the PEN/Hemingway Award for a first book of fiction, and the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 honors in 2016. She cites being inspired to pursue writing as a career after reading Toni Morrison’s ‘Song of Solomon. Her most recent work is Transcendent Kingdom (2020).

Actors & Actresses

21. Pam Grier

Pam Grier (1976) by Marylinn K.

Back in the 1970s, Pam Grier’s bulky, jet-black afro look was at the top of the list of iconic afros of the time. Today, she still rocks her natural hair once in a while, sometimes straightened out and held back, and other times, in beautiful curls or wavy edges. Pam rose to fame in the 70s as an actress for her starring roles in the blaxploitation, action, and prison films of the time. These include Foxy Brown (1974) and Bucktown (1975), among many others. She is a recipient of numerous accolades, including nominations for a Golden Globe Award, an Emmy, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Saturn Award.

22. Viola Davis

Viola Davis at 21st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards. Photo by Red Carpet Report. W

Viola Davis has a knack for killing it on the red carpet, with her fashionable outfits, and once in a while, a gorgeous, kinky, and satisfyingly full afro. Excellence personified. She is a highly achieved American actress, having starred in major film works including  Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020), How to Get Away with Murder (2014-2020), and The Woman King (2022). Needless to say, she has won numerous awards and is one of the exceptionally few performers to receive an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony, (EGOT) status. From the foregoing, she is also the only African-American to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting.

Have a look at 30 Most Popular Actresses of all time.

23. Yara Shahidi

Yara Shahidi in a video forVogue Taiwan in 2019. Photo by Conde Nast.

Rising to stardom for her role in the popular sitcom Black-ish, (2014-2022), Yara Shahidi is an American actress born in Minneapolis. She is known for her refreshing afro looks and impeccable sense of fashion as well. The fashion website, Net-a-Porter ranked her as one of the best-dressed women in 2018, and for the 2019 September issue of British Vogue, she was one of 15 women selected to appear on the cover. Her other film credits include Imagine That (2009) and Smallfoot (2018).

24. Lupita Nyong’o

Lupita by Daniel Benavides. Wikimedia Commons.

Lupita has graced the Oscars severally in creative afro designs, and the natural hair look is one of her most common go-to signature styles. She is a Kenyan-Mexican actress and has won numerous accolades including a Tony Award, an Academy Award, and two Primetime Emmy Awards. Her first feature film role as Patsy in the 2013 biopic 12 Years a Slave won her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.  She played the voice role of Raksha in Jungle Book (2016), played Nakia in Black Panther (2018), and starred as the lead actress in the horror film Us (2019).

25. Sasheer Zamata

Zamata performing at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival. Photo by Rhododendrites.

Sasheer is an American actress, mostly known for featuring as a cast member on Saturday Night Live (SNL) sketch series from 2014 to 2017. She is a stand-up comedian and singer too.  A stunner in her full afro look, which she wears almost always, she easily makes the list. After leaving SNL, she has featured in the TV series Woke (2020-2022) and Home Economics.

Civil Rights Activists

26. Angela Davis

Angela Davis (1970) by Ray Graham.

Born in 1944 in Alabama, Angela Davis is a political activist, author, and professor who was actively involved with the Black Panther Party and the Communist Party. Having been previously accused of being involved in murder during an escape attempt at the George Jackson trial of August 1970, her legacy is controversial. She was jailed for 18 months, and this led to the Free Angela Davis campaign. She was released in 1972. Her written works address matters of gender, race, and the U.S. prison system. She teaches at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Some of the awards received include the Soviet Union’s Lenin Peace Prize and induction into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Angela Davis.

27. Jesse Jackson

Jesse Jackson in a rally (1975). Photo by O’Halloran, Thomas J.

Jesse Jackson is an American political activist and Baptist minister, who has long been active in advocating for civil rights. He started gaining public attention when he began working for Martin Luther King Jr., and his zeal was exemplary. He participated in the Selma to Montgomery marches of 1965, and King soon gave him leadership roles in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He helped found Operation Breadbasket as part of the SCLC’s economic arm. Its main aim was to ameliorate the economic conditions of black communities in the U.S. In his heydays, he rocked a classic full afro, which had then gained popularity as a political statement for black identity in the Civil Rights Movement.

Sportsmen

28. Mohammed Ali

Muhammad Ali (left, 1966).

Mohammed Ali’s nickname ‘The Greatest’ is hardly fictitious, owing to the incredible feats achieved by the American professional boxer. Ali is widely considered the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time, and in 1999, he was named Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC. His final record was an impressive 56 wins, and 5 losses with 37 knockouts. Besides his heavily built muscles, a steady gaze, and the magnificent aura he had around him, Ali spotted a characteristic, short, slightly trimmed on-the-sides-afro look, in and outside the ring. He died on 3 June 2016.

Top 10 Most Famous Boxers of all time.

29. Julius Erving

Image by Kevin Fitzgerald.

Erving is a former professional basketball player born in Roosevelt on February 22, 1950. Back in the day, when he was still young and running along the tracks in the pitch, he wore a big, black, all-combed-out afro. He played a key role in legitimizing the American Basketball Association before its merger with the National Basketball Association. He was exemplary in the game, and he is the eighth-highest scorer in ABA/NBA history with 30, 026 points. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.

30. Josh Childress

Childress (2009) by Rudolf Getel.

Yet another former professional basketball player who proudly rocked the afro on the pitch. Josh played with Atlanta Hawks, Phoenix Suns, Brooklyn Nets, and New Orleans Pelicans in the NBA. He has achieved much in his career, including numerous awards such as the NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2005), the All-NBL First Team (2015), NBL Top Scorer (2015), and Greek League All-Star (2010).