It's Intentional

At the Grammys Doechii and Alicia Keys used their hair to amplify their messages

Feb 08, 2025

I’ll admit I had to rewind Alicia Keys’ speech several times. I thought, “She is channeling Patrice Rushen with that look.”

(Sidenote: I loved what Key said about DEI, but I am not writing about that today.)

Keys achieved a similar impact with ornate accessories—a headband-earring combo designed by Dolce &Gabbana and a jewel-encrusted belt instead of the braids worn by Rushen.

When I listened closely to Keys’ speech, she mentioned Patrice Rushen’s name, which made sense. Her look was intentional.

“I always had to fight for a certain level of respect as a songwriter, a composer, and especially a producer… It’s strange that we don’t think that women can be producers. But people don’t think women can be producers like Quincy, Dre, or Swizzy, but women have always powered the industry…Patrice Rushen, Missy Elliott, Linda Perry, Grimes, Solange, and so many more…”

She is multifaceted and talented for those unfamiliar with Patrice Rushen. Her career started when she was a teen. She signed her first record deal at 19 with Prestige Records, a jazz label. But if you didn’t follow Jazz, you didn’t know her, according to this Urban TV documentary. But in 1978, she got a deal with Elektra and released a self-titled album to lukewarm results. Her second album had a hit, “Haven’t You Heard,” and that was the first time I saw her in the signature braids.

She played on Prince’s debut album. Her album “Straight From the Heart, “ which contains “Send Me Forget Ne Nots,” remains her biggest seller, and she then moved to Arista where her music had disappointing sales. Rushen started a career scoring movies, starting with “Hollywood Shuffle,” then became a musical director for the NAACP Awards, The Emmys, and The Grammys. She produced an album for Sheena Easton and was the musical director for Janet Jackson’s ‘tour. Plus, she still tours with people like Jeffrey Osborne.

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Doechii Produces Moments Where Hair Has a Starring Role

Doechii deserved every Grammy she won. But she is not only a talented rapper, but I believe she is a talented production designer because hair has become a major character in her work, dare I say damn near a star. She uses it to transform herself; she uses it to unify the cast's look, elevate an idea, shock us, and delight us. And to have fun.

(I can’t embed the Grammy performance, but “The Colbert Show” is a better to see to the hair—check it out)

She’s Something Like a Phenomenon

To prove my theory, I went back and looked at her Doechii images before ABNH blew up, and there are some great examples of how she’s changed her look depending on the project or other circumstances.

How Hair Fit Into Her Current Vision

While there is a style guild for the tour and appearances, that's a different story regarding Award Shows. Vogue went behind the scenes with her as she chose her looks for The Grammys with Thom Browne.

For her Grammy Award hairstyles, she collaborated with celebrity hairstylist Malcolm Marquez, who told Elle they wanted to design a series of hairstyles that would pair well with Browne’s aesthetic.

According to Elle, the duo wanted to tell a story using braids throughout the night. To elevate the classic braided style, they chose sculptural braided headpieces. They partnered with TGIN (Thank God I’m Natural Products) to Bring the look to life. Check out some of the BTS processes below.

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Marquez is one of Doechii's collaboration partners, as well as her musical director and choreographer. The two conceived the connected braids the dancers wore on ‘The Colbert Show”.

“Doechii and I have a very collaborative process,” says Marquez. “Sometimes, I have the main idea that she edits, and sometimes, she has an outline of her vision for me to enhance. Either way, we are always working together on her looks, and we must work with Black-owned brands to execute these looks.”

Here’s the thing: we might love this version of Docheii, but what she’ll be and how she’ll decide to creatively express that in her clothing, hairstyle, or makeup remains to be seen.

The Last Word from Start Right Here

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