The cover of ‘Bully’, the next solo album by Ye, the American rapper formerly known as Kanye West, features an image captured with his camera by Japanese photographer Daido Moriyama.

The rapper posted a black and white photo of a person smiling on his Instagram account. The person’s teeth are covered with jeweled cases and the central ones are blackened.

Italian digital magazine Outpump in a post on Instagram clarifies that the image is a reference to the Japanese custom of ohaguro, a symbol of adulthood, marriage and beauty.

Women painted their teeth with a solution made “from iron filings mixed with vinegar and tannin from vegetables or tea” according to the British Dental Journal.

In the Meiji period the fashion disappeared because it was considered too backward and was only kept on special occasions, such as the reenactment of dramas in the Kabuki theater or during popular celebrations it was adopted by geishas.

Moriyama documents the changes in post-war Japan and the effects of modernization on the country’s culture. He participated in the Museum of Modern Art exhibition in 1974 “New Japanese Photography”.

Ye enlisted the legendary Japanese photographer for his album cover.

Born in Osaka in 1938, Daido Moriyama grew up in the turbulent times of World War II. After moving to Tokyo, he became an assistant to photographer Takeji Iwamiya, honed his skills in the medium, and established himself as one of the most promising talents in Japanese photography.

The Japanese photographer was deeply influenced by American artists such as Andy Warhol and William Klein, as well as the novelist and poet Jack Kerouac. Their bold and unconventional styles left a mark on his work. This influence can be seen in his bold approach to photography, the magazine says.

Ye traveled to Tokyo and took full creative control of the album, serving as its sole producer. Reporter Toure recently revealed that Ye relocated to Tokyo, where he lived and recorded the album in a hotel room.

This is not the first time that Ye has featured the work of a Japanese artist on his album. Takashi Murakami designed the cover art for the rapper’s 2007 albums ‘Graduation’ and 2018’s Kid Cudi collaboration ‘Kids See Ghosts’.