Celebrity Hairstylist Chuck Amos Sets The Record Straight About Brandy’s Braids
Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET
By Shalwah Evans ·

Between the release of her new album b7, Moesha now streaming on Netflix much to our streaming delight and an upcoming Brandy and Monica Verzuz, Brandy has been on everyone’s lips lately. And we all know that when conversations about the singer come up, her former signature braids are mentioned just as much as her title as the queen of runs.

And celebrity hairstylist Chuck Amos is not here for the rumors. He started the week off with a little reverie of his own in an Instagram post – remembering all the fun and bizarre moments of shooting the video for “The Boy Is Mine.” He also set out to dispel any false claims about the singer’s iconic braids.

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Hey Y’all!! This next “BRANDY”/“MONICA” @VerzuzTv is Personal!! I did @Brandy’s hair for her first 2 Albums 1994-1999! I WAS THERE, on set, for #TheBoyIsMine video, shot in LA! -This was @JosephKahn’s 1st debut video; He was “hand selected” by #Brandy herself! She put him “on the map”! No one understood what he was doing, with his “carousel” apartment set and his camera on a “rickshaw”, that slid “up ‘n’ down ‘n’ sideways”! We were all confused and he almost got “let go” midday! -We shot 3 Different Endings, where @MekhiFromHarlem each gets “the Other One”, in addition to the Final Cut, where they both gang up on him! All of Us, on set, suggested a 4th ending, where he ends up with a “Boyfriend” at the End, but that was “turned down” (I guess it was too early for that concept). -The call time was so early in the morning, Brandy got her makeup done, while laying down napping, by @QueenNzingha and I did her hair after that! -During “The Boy is Mine” cover shoot, shot at the 31st street studios, in NYC, @MonicaDenise, was 2hrs late! My Mom @LadeeLove7 was with me, on set that day, so #Brandy started singing a makeshift song called “Chuckie’s Mother” and sang it while waiting; Historical!! For the @MTV #VMAs performance, back in LA, @SamFine did @Brandy’s makeup! All styling was by @SusanMosesNYC and @HomeGirlByCRM was her publicist! …Now Let Me “Set The Record Straight”… Brandy NEVER HAD “Lace Front” Braids EVERRRR!! That is “A LIE” and a FALSE RUMOR!! I was there, FirstHand DOING her hair!

A post shared by Chuck Amos, Hair Legend (@chuckielovehair) on

“I did @Brandy’s hair for her first 2 Albums 1994-1999!” he wrote in the caption of the post. “Now Let Me “Set The Record Straight”…Brandy NEVER HAD “Lace Front” Braids EVERRRR!! That is “A LIE” and a FALSE RUMOR!! I was there, FirstHand DOING her hair!”

So if you didn’t know, now you know.

But what’s more important is the fact that her hair was ever a controversial discussion at all. Black women’s appearance is constantly under scrutiny, and the policing of Black hair is directly in step with the policing of Black bodies.

If Brandy was wearing lace front braid wigs (which, if we’re being honest, anyone with the blessing of sight could see was not the case), that’s her prerogative.

But it’s refreshing to see the people who were there tell that story and put the facts on the record. Today, she continues to stun in braids, looking just as youthful and fresh-faced with the style as she did back in the nineties.

And in a recent episode of ESSENCE’s Yes, Girl! podcast, Brandy talked about how she no longer looks for outside validation, and how she discovered the importance of self-love.

“I’ve learned boundaries for myself. I’ve learned how to take care of myself, she explains. “You can’t love anybody unless you love yourself… I’m really good.”
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