McDonald is getting new packaging? And he designed it?
Just a short while ago, Ye (Kanye West , Kanye West) posted a photo on his Instagram and wrote that he would be working with designer Naoto Fukasawa (Naoto Fukasawa, MUJI designer) to re-imagine the McDonald's packaging.
▲Image from: Instagram
In another Instagram Stories (a limited-time dynamic that automatically disappears after 24 hours of posting), in addition to the burger's packaging, it mentions 'next week it's the fries'. Coincidentally, the phrase was also featured in the lyrics of 'Kanye''s 'Gold Digger'.
The collaboration between "Kanye" and McDonald's is a bit confusing at first glance, but it's actually kind of expected.
Love McDonald's "McDonald's Man" the most
Ye's love affair with McDonald's doesn't really end with this collaboration. He's already been featured in a McDonald's commercial during the Super Bowl a few months ago, sitting in his eye-catching Sherp ATV dirt bike and looking at the menu indecisively at the McDonald's Deli Speed window.
▲Image from: Instagram
Even earlier, Kanye West, who hadn't yet changed his name to Ye, had already directly expressed his love for McDonald's. For example, in 2018, he tweeted, "McDonald's is my favorite restaurant.
▲Image from: Twitter
Back in 2016, in the limited edition Boys Don't Cry magazine from Frank Ocean, Kanye West also 'fondly' wrote a poem - 'The McDonald's Man'
▲ Image from: cnBeta
Not only is the name of the poem fairly straightforward, but the content appears to be all McDonald's food: fries, cheeseburgers, milkshakes, Diet Coke, apple pie ......
▲Image from: cnBeta
Cross-border "octopuses"
Aside from his connection to McDonald's, collaborations with the food industry are not unusual for Kanye West, a "crossover fiend" who started out as a rapper and has now made his mark in a variety of fields.
Unlike the usual "gangsta rap", Kanye West's style of music is unique in the European and American HipHop scene, both in terms of the content of the lyrics and the structure of the melodies.
▲ Image from: uDiscoverMusic
With more than two dozen Grammy Awards to his credit, "Kanye" is a black singer who has to be mentioned in the industry and has been the music producer for Jay-Z, Madonna and many other big names.
Despite his musical achievements, many people may not have heard his songs. It doesn't matter if you haven't heard the songs, but it's unlikely that you haven't seen his designs.
▲ Photo from: Kanyi Daily News
Kanye West's personal trend brand, YEEZY, has the famous "coconut shoes" that have become a global phenomenon within a few years (it seemed like you could see the Yeezy Boost 350 everywhere in those years).
▲ Image from: Pinterest
There are also a wide range of clothing that is 'deconstructivist' (the Kardashian family still has a vivid memory of 'carrying' each new product when they were not divorced from Kim Kardashian).
▲Image from: GQ
Not only does he have his own unique design brand, but Kanye West's influence in the fashion world is much broader. Virgil Abloh, the former artistic director of LV menswear and head of the brand Off-White, is a close friend of "Kanye" and was also the creative director of Kanye's creative team Donda.
▲Kanye West and Virgil Abloh , image via: NSS MAGAZINE
Jerry Lorenzo, the mastermind of high-end hipster label Fear of God, also worked as a designer for Kanye's Donda team (Kanye also wears Fear of God clothing regularly).
▲Kanye West and Jerry Lorenzo , image via: Pinterest
The design-obsessed Kanye West is not only "big" in the fashion industry, but also in interior design. The mansion where Kim Kardashian once lived with him in Calabasas was designed by Belgian designer Axel Vervoordt.
▲ Photo from: VOGUE
The completed "mansion" has a distinctive "abject poverty style" that looks like a home, but is actually a well-designed space that uses large areas of black, white and gray, practicing a minimalist style that also incorporates Japanese "wabi-sabi" (a peaceful atmosphere that makes the place feel like a monastery).
▲ Photo from: VOGUE
Back in 2018, Kanye West also announced on Twitter that he was creating a 'Yeezy Home' as a place for the homeless to live.
The "accidental element" in pop culture
Rap legend, fashion maker, residence of unique ...... music, footwear, clothing, interior design ...... "Kanye" has an extremely rich life.
▲Image from: Billboard
His ideas have become more 'crazy' and unique over the years: he wants to run for President of the United States; his new album 'Donda 2' is being demoed in front of a public 'room on fire', and the album is not on any streaming platform, but is limited to a $200 Stem Player player that he has released.
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Perhaps some of the acts were controversial and the results were not as satisfying as they could have been. But there's no denying that Kanye West, who continues to cross over and experiment, has used his power and ideas to make a strong mark on contemporary pop culture.
Not having studied or music systematically, he has broadened the boundaries of hip-hop again and again, incorporating electronic, jazz and even symphonic music. Departing from the common themes of expression in underground music, he began to discuss society, fame and fortune, affection and even religion.
▲Image from: GQ
Although some of the overly pioneering expressions have attracted criticism, this unique style has allowed the underground to intermingle and collide with the mainstream, and has made hip-hop more diverse.
Kanye, who has set his sights on design, is back with Yeezy, a 'deconstructionist' of his own in the fashion week shows. The minimalist design and color scheme was a breakthrough in the fashion industry, and he set a new trend with this particular one.
▲Image from: YEEZY MAFIA
Some say Kanye is getting "crazy," but perhaps it's this pursuit of being a pioneer and breaking some ground that has allowed him to make waves in pop culture over and over again.
Perhaps the upcoming collaboration with MUJI designer Naoto Fukasawa and McDonald's will have another "surprise" in store.