Anthony Negrete, better known by his rapper name Speak!, is an artist that's been quietly bubbling beneath your Youtube searches and Twitter timeline for years. Speak! first made a name for himself in 2011 while writing songs for other rappers, most notably for Kreayshawn and her breakout single "Gucci Gucci." But since then, he's been on his own trying to build his own brand of free-spirited, high-energy, often hilarious hip-hop, starting with an album called Inside Out Boy, and then last year with his biggest project to date, Gnarly Davidson vs. The Marlboro Men. It's safe to say Speak!'s day-to-day life has never been the same since he quit flipping burgers at In 'N' Out five years ago to pursue music—and neither has his hair.

In fact, a couple of years ago Speak! declared himself the "hair god" of rap music, and with locks that reach halfway down his back and little competition (sorry, Macklemore), it's hard to argue otherwise. But his mane isn't just a conversation starter—it's in many ways become Speak!'s spiritual energy source, whether in a bar trying to pick up girls or during a raucous live performance. We sat down with him after the release of his latest mixtape, Sex Quest 3, to unlock the secrets behind his epic follicles.

What was the moment when you said to yourself, "I'm not cutting my hair anymore?"When I quit my job flipping burgers and In 'N' Out. I was going to school full time and selling pills to college kids. I was fucking miserable. Not only was I miserable about my life, I was just pissed about having to smell like burgers and grilled onions. And they're super militant about their grooming guidelines [at In 'N' Out]. It's all, like, a good American crew cut. So I told myself, "As soon as I quit, I'm growing my hair out like Robert Plant or [the wrestler] The Ultimate Warrior." It's always been the ultimate badass thing for me. Growing up my parents never let me grow my hair out, but I would watch wrestling and see, like, Bret Hart come into the arena with his hair dripping wet for no reason. Or I'd see pictures of Robert Plant looking like a Viking sex god.

What was the exact date of your last haircut?I don't know exactly, but probably sometime at the end of 2010. I had, like, a rat tail. But recently I met this guy Richie Cuts who lives in Palm Springs. He cuts celebrities' hair, but he likes my shit so last time I was in Palm Springs he precision cut my hair. It's not a real cut, just more of a layering thing. It's a freedom thing, it's a lifestyle choice, and it's a statement. Whenever you see a guy with long hair you probably think he's into Led Zeppelin, or Metallica, or he's homeless, or some hippie, or a warrior. I feel like all of those things.

Can anyone in hip-hop compete with you, hair wise?Absolutely, 100 percent not. Not in any genre of music. I don't care how many fans you put on Beyoncé's hair during the Super Bowl. Nobody is touching my shit.

What makes yours so special?The person it's attached to! This is just the warrior's armor. It's my receptors for the universe. I feel like Samson, with all my power and ideas broadcasted into my head through my hair. But, also, I don't use any products and I don't have split ends. People try to tell me sometimes that I have split ends and I'm just, like, "Nah, that's from the precision cut. Don't try and play me."

What's the maintenance like? How often do you wash it?Well, today's Friday, so I washed it today like I do every Friday with Moroccan oil. It gives it that silky shimmer. But other than that, I don't put any toxic product in my hair like Aqua Net. None of that shit. What I do is, and I don't even like the word 'condition', cause what are you conditioning it for? To look a certain way. It's low-key racist. Anyway, I put natural elements in my hair. When I'm chilling at home, I'll microwave up a little bowl of coconut oil and run it through the ends and massage the scalp. Coconut oil is honestly god's gift to the world. You can cook with it, lather your body with it to feel sexy, whatever. But also the vitamin E in it helps fight dandruff—a lot people don't know that. Plus it smells good as fuck. Women are attracted to it like magnets.

I used to use tea tree oil, but there's some kind of natural astringent in it that was starting to dry out my scalp and my beard. I was smelling minty as fuck, but was starting to get pimples under my beard.

What else do you do for your beard?I use a product called Woodsman Beard Oil. It smells like cedar.

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How has your hair affected your dating life?It's a natural icebreaker. What beautiful, fashionable, in-tune woman doesn't notice a great hairstyle? When I'm talking to girls, and I'm pretty fearless about it too, the topic of hair usually comes up. For a long time, I wasn't very social, my hair was sucking and I was a little heavier, and it made me really depressed. But now it's easy. And women love it, especially in the bedroom.

Has your hair influenced your vibe as an artist and rapper?It's added a different layer of confidence. It's let me strut on stage like Robert Plant. It adds a different dimension to my live performances, and adds a layer of sexuality. It's my look—I like it. I like the way I look.

What do you think about the man-bun and topknot trends? Do they offend you?I hate it. Long hair is not in and out of season. I hate when guys are like, "Oh, I'm just doing this for the winter." Like, you're not committed to the cause my guy. And you don't have locks. I hate the little art teacher monk style. What's the point? Unless you are a decorated Samurai warrior, I don't want to see your man-bun. Do you know how to swing a sword? Do you know about Bushido Blade? Did you play Tenchu on Playstation? No. Fuck that.

Jake Woolf is a writer who has covered men’s style for over ten years and has contributed to GQ since 2014. A graduate of Parsons The New School for Design (good school, long name), he also has bylines at Robb Report, HighSnobiety, Pitchfork, and the defunct #menswear website Four Pins... Read moreWriterXRelated Stories for GQHairMusic