Kanye West has made some “interesting” choices in the past, but his latest may truly take the cake. It was reported last week that the rapper spent $850,000 to change up his teeth. Instead of a mouth full of pearly whites, West is now sporting custom designed titanium implants. On the surface, this may sound like something that’s never been seen before, though it would appear that there was a specific inspiration behind the metal chompers. The star’s new look apparently drew inspiration from a few James Bond movies, specifically one character that pops up in them. And, honestly, I can see it.
When pursuing this dental endeavor, Ye opted to work with Dr. Thomas Connelly, who specializes in specific implants. The physician – who has reportedly dubbed himself the “Father of Diamond Dentistry” – posted about the Grammy winner’s design just recently. Connelly took to Instagram to share a mock-up of the work that would be done, and it’s distinct, to say the least. You can take a gander at the recreation in the post, in which the music and fashion mogul himself is tagged, down below:
So is the lightbulb going off for any of my 007 fans in the room? Well, on the off chance that it isn’t I won’t keep you in suspense. The Donda creator’s new teeth mirror those of the character Jaws, one of the most notable James Bond villains with a notable skill. Played by the late Richard Kiel, the imposing character showed up in 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me and 1979’s Moonraker. Believe it or not, Ye seemed to confirm this connection himself in a since-deleted post shared to his Instagram story, which featured images of the fictitious brute. It’s really not hard for me to see the comparison, and you can see it for yourself by watching a clip of Jaws in action down below:
Kanye West has shown that he’s a movie lover on multiple occasions. He previously went viral after posting on X about watching Blade Runner 2049 on the biggest screen possible. More controversially, West made headlines when he mentioned having watched Jonah Hill’s 21 Jump Street and said it helped cure his antisemitism. (Even Seth Rogen shared thoughts on that while speaking exclusively with CinemaBlend). The songwriter’s apparent love of cinema aside though, I’m not sure anyone would’ve expected him to pay homage to a character in such an unconventional way. If anything, this is further proof that he continues to find new ways to surprise us – for better and for worse.
The actual work done to his mouth have been referred to as “fixed prosthodontics” and, as the name suggests, they’re reportedly permanent. The “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” performer allegedly came up with the design himself and then joined with Dr. Connelly to get the work done. On the whole, the procedure has been referred to as “experimental dentistry” that apparently “goes way beyond veneers or grills.”
Interestingly enough, in the aftermath of the implant news, insiders dropped wild details on the history of Ye’s teeth. One person claimed that he’s been “weird” about his chompers for years, specifically after the 2002 car accident that left him with a shattered jaw. It’s also been alleged that the hip hop artist once gave a dentist advice on how to proceed when handling his teeth. On top of that, another source said that the “Stronger” writer can have up to a dozen dentists in his personal directory at a given time.
Kanye West has yet to provide a specific reason for his decision to get the titanium gnashers installed. Whether he chooses to do so remains to be seen. What I can say now, however, is that any time I watch Jaws in either of those Roger Moore-fronted James Bond movies moving forward, my mind will go right to Ye.
