Kanye West has sought the help of his fans after making his surprise return to Instagram.
The controversial rap mogul returned to the social media platform on Sunday (March 5), almost three months after his account was suspended for posting a new song addressing his antisemitic controversy.
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Ye was previously kicked off the ‘Gram three separate times in 2022 for violating the company’s policies, ranging from attacking Trevor Noah to making antisemitic comments.
The Yeezy founder’s first post back was a picture of a slender runway model wearing a gray slim-fitting outfit and bright red glasses.
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The photo was taken from Balenciaga’s Winter 2023 fashion show in Paris and was posted on the brand’s Instagram page hours earlier.
“Look 44, Winter 23,” read the caption. “Round Shoulder Long Sleeve Turtleneck, Low-Waist Fitted Pants, Biker Boot, Speed Cat Sunglasses.”
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In his own post, Kanye called on his 18 million followers for help with coming up with a clever caption, asking them to: “Write a caption…”
“Yeezy back !!!!!” YG responded in the comments section, while former collaborator GLC added: “Sakiya Red!”
U.K. rapper Stefflon Don asked Ye: “Where the hell you been at ?” before joking: “When its the time of the month but he still wanna taste.”
Considering Balenciaga was one of several companies that cut ties with Kanye following his antisemitic tirades and embrace of white supremacy last year, it’s unclear if his Instagram post came in support of the French fashion house or was intended to mock their latest collection.
The status of Ye’s relationship with Balenciaga’s creative director Demna Gvasalia (who designed the Winter 2023 collection) also remains unclear, but prior to their Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga partnership being terminated, Kanye praised Demna as “the greatest designer on the planet” during his ill-fated Drink Champs interview.
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Yeezy’s Instagram return arrives during what’s been a relatively quiet year for the former billionaire, who has been keeping a low profile and largely staying off social media after damaging his career and reputation with a stream of antisemitic outbursts last year.
After rumors suggested he had gone “missing,” Ye quietly married Yeezy architect Bianca Censori at a private wedding ceremony in January, just weeks after finalizing his divorce from Kim Kardashian.
As one of the most famous people on the planet, however, laying low has proven to be a difficult task for Mr. West. This year he’s been involved in numerous altercations with paparazzi and camera-friendly fans, including one incident in late January that saw him snatch a woman’s phone while she was filming him inside her car and throw it down the street.
While it’s unlikely that the damage he caused to his career last year will be easily repaired, Kanye recently struck a deal with adidas to allow the German sportswear giant to release and promote the existing Yeezy product that was created under their previous deal.
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With the unsold Yeezy x adidas products valued at approximately $500 million, the agreement would allow the athletic company to make up for the projected $1.3 billion loss in sales revenue it was facing after cutting ties with West last October.
The deal does not make any provisions for a continuation of their previously lucrative partnership, though.
