Kanye West has left fans doing a double take after looking noticeably younger in new photos.
Pictures and videos emerged on Tuesday (October 22) of the 47-year-old rap icon appearing slimmer and more clean-cut while out and about in Tokyo with his wife Bianca Censori.
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Ye’s clothing was also more understated compared to some of the daring outfits he’s worn in recent years as he opted for simple a black denim jacket and baggy pants.
Fans on social media were taken aback by Kanye’s reinvigorated appearance, with one joking: “That’s 2016 Kanye and you can’t tell me otherwise.”
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“Kanye aging backward,” another remarked, while a third user compared the new photos to other recent pictures where Ye looks far from his best.
“Kanye has started using AI on himself cuz there is no way this is the same person,” they joked, referencing the claims that the G.O.O.D. Music founder used artificial intelligence to recreate his own voice on his latest album Vultures 2.
That’s 2016 Kanye and you can’t tell me otherwise pic.twitter.com/E2gVOIYiZo
— Jasper (@Jasp3r_0) October 22, 2024
kanye aging backwards 😭 pic.twitter.com/Y5AuJWF2oR
— juju 💰 (@ayeejuju) October 23, 2024
Kanye has started using AI on himself cuz there is no way this is the same person 😭 pic.twitter.com/f4dXhPuMp2
— Jasper (@Jasp3r_0) October 22, 2024
Kanye’s new look also coincides with him making some major changes in both his personal and professional life.
As journalist and podcaster Touré reported earlier this month, the father of four is currently living in Japan and working largely in seclusion on his first solo album since 2020’s Donda.
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Touré said in a video posted on Instagram: “Kanye is now living in Tokyo and living in a hotel hard at work on his next album Bully. He’s recording the album in the hotel room. Like, all the machines are set up in the hotel room.”
He then shared more details about the project, saying: “It’s a concept album and he plans to be the only producer on it. Traditionally, Kanye is the product of a team, there are producers helping him, there are writers helping him, he comes with the big ideas but there’s others in.
“Not this time. This time, Kanye is gonna make this pretty much by himself. A fresh chapter in his life because in Tokyo he can be who he wants to be.”
He also noted: “This album is 100% him. They meant it’s pretty much made by Kanye alone. He’s producing everything 100% himself. This will be 100% Kanye West, which it hasn’t been in many, many years.”
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The last Kanye West album to be solely (or at least primarily) produced by the man himself was his 2004 debut The College Dropout.
Ye has since shared a snippet of what appears to be the first single from the project, “Beauty and the Beast,” which marks a return to his soul-sampling sound.
