We can all let out a collective exhale. Uncle Earl has finally taken the shears to his locks. He started growing them after promising to do so on “Tell Me When To Go,” but even then their popularity was waning. As 510Renaissance reminds us, about 2 or 3 years ago a lot of folks cut their hair when the police began profiling based on dreads.

Some old heads have been twisted up for years, but I remember the blond tipped dread wave of the early to mid 2000s being first popularized by the STI (Scandalous Type Individuals) gang. Dreadlocks have not completely left the scene, but with the police attention, employer pressure and the evolution of style, they are fading in popularity. Some folks look good with locks, but some, like E-40, do not.The timing of this is crazy given the video posted below. If you haven’t peeped Ryan Coogler’s short film Locks, do so now. I want to write about it in more depth, but don’t want to give anything away. Maybe soon.

Shout out to DJ Backside for the footage