Rapper Kanye West may be more bark than bite, but it looks like he had some metal work done to the latter.
The controversial “Vultures” rapper, who continues to face criticism for his anti-Semitic views, flaunted a pair of metal grills inspired by a James Bond villain on Wednesday. He ye posted a photo of his teeth encased in a solid, shiny metal accessory on his Instagram Story.
In addition to showing off the designer's dentures, Ye shared a screenshot of a Google search for “james bond jaws,” a metal-mouthed villain played by actor Richard Kiel in the films “The Spy Who Loved Me” and “Moonraker.”
On Wednesday, an outlet reported that the Grammy winner had his teeth removed to make way for dentures, which reportedly cost $850,000. Famed Beverly Hills dentist Thomas Connelly, who designed the grill, denied the reports.
“They didn't remove his teeth,” Connelly confirmed to Complex. “She still has her full set of teeth. Healthy and happy.”
On her Instagram page, Connelly shared photos of Ye's new denture design. While some Instagram followers praised the sleek grill, others mocked the “Tesla Grill.”
“If the Tesla truck were a grill,” one user commented.
“Yes: Have you ever felt like chewing on a Tesla cyber truck,” another follower wrote, “Connelly: Say no more, fam.”
Ye revealed his metal grill amid reports that he plans to release a 40-minute video apologizing, once again, for his anti-Semitic behavior and rants in recent years.
The rapper began facing criticism in October 2022 during Paris Fashion Week when he was seen wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with “White Lives Matter.” Then, on social media, he threatened to stage a “death with 3” against the Jewish community, prompting bans on Instagram and Twitter. He has since been reinstated on those platforms.
With his comments, West's career was in danger as he was fired by the CAA agency and for his deals with Adidas and Balenciaga. Despite his fallout, Ye doubled down on his anti-Semitic views during his appearances on Alex Jones' “Tucker Carlson Tonight” and “InfoWars.”
West did not leave controversy behind in 2022. In November 2023, he joined Chris Brown in Dubai for a surprise performance of his new single, “Vultures,” which some listeners called anti-Semitic. In the song Ye raps: “How am I anti-Semitic? I just fucked a Jewish bitch.”
Weeks after the performance in Dubai, Ye apologized to the Jewish community for his series of comments.
“I sincerely apologize to the Jewish community for my unplanned outburst caused by my words or actions, it was not my intention to hurt or disrespect, and I am deeply sorry for any pain I may have caused,” Ye said in a December Instagram post that already He was removed. publication written in Hebrew, according to a translation by the Jerusalem Post. “I am committed to starting with myself and learning from this experience to ensure greater sensitivity and understanding in the future.
“Your forgiveness is important to me and I am committed to making amends and promoting unity,” he added.
Times staff writer Jonah Valdez contributed to this report.
