Met Gala Co-Chair A$AP Rocky Sports Intricate Cornrows – Essence

This week, A$AP Rocky has been the talk of the town. Aside from his W Magazine cover, shot by his girlfriend Rihanna, Vogue announced the rapper—along with Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, Pharrell Williams, and honorary chair LeBron James—to co-chair the 2025 Met Gala with a theme inspired by Black Dandyism.

And, although he’s a paparazzi hot shot, often spotted in the streets of New York for his iconic fashion moments, Rocky’s braided looks are his understated signature. His intricate cornrows (which he wore at the Bottega Veneta SS25 show) often follow a fixed, yet curved pattern: bended stitch braids outlined by micro-braided edges and a zig-zag braided middle part.

Braided without an end, the style is reminiscent of the viral “braided baldie” but with smooth, masculine curvature. Often adorned with pearl hair clips and pins (as seen in campaigns and covers), the father is a self-proclaimed “pretty boy” with a “ghetto expressionist” approach to grooming.

“Beauty and fashion are becoming more fluid,” Rocky told Vogue back in 2023. “I am my own greatest beauty influence.” Spotted hand-in-hand with Rihanna—who wore a tousled black wig and light brown lips—the superstars continue to redefine what beauty means to them (and subsequently, the culture follows).