He keeps his hair closely cropped to hide the straightness of his hair.
He wears glasses of a specific style and cultivates facial hair of a specific style that mirrors the style of "conscious" "backpack rappers" of the early 2000s.
Think groups like Zion I.
He's deliberately cultivated a personal look that most African-Americans associate with: "light-skinned, college educated, radical political brother who listens to boring technical hip hop or jazz" and that most liberal white people associate with: "an African-American who is basically just like me, so I can befriend him without being worried."
What a dweeb. I wonder if he colors his skin. The photos of him aren't of good enough quality to tell if he's got that mulatto yellow tone or just a weak tan.
Anyway, his Mama must be as proud of him as he seems to be of her, the ho (to hear him tell it).