The rapper, 47, has become infamous for his grandiose statements in recent years. From attempting to run for president back in 2020 and having random outbursts on social media, it would appear that Ye has been trying to move on from being known as a rapper and more of a ‘modern artistic genius’.

And it would seem this reinvention has even impacted how he presents himself in the visual media.

West wouldn’t be the first celebrity to prefer to frown into the camera, after all, most of us would be annoyed by constantly having flash going off in our faces, however it would seem that his aversion to smiling comes from something more than just a dislike for having his photo taken.

Back in 2015, the rapper opened up on managing his image during The Daily Front Row’s Fashion Los Angeles Awards back in 2015, explaining how he came to the decision after looking at photographs taken in the 1800s while working on his album Yeezus.

“Back when I was working on Yeezus, I saw this book from the 1800s and it was velvet-covered with brass and everything,” he explained (via E! News).

“I looked at all these people’s photos and they look so real and their outfits were incredible and they weren’t smiling.

“People, you know the paparazzi, always come up to me, ‘Why you not smiling?’ and I think, not smiling makes me smile,” he continued.

He’s previously explained why (Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)

“When you see paintings in an old castle, people are not smiling cause it just wouldn’t look as cool.”

However it’s probably not worth telling the rapper the reason people rarely smiled in early photography was a result of practicality rather than aesthetic. Unlike modern cameras which can capture dozens of photos in seconds, early photography was hard to come by and required the sitter to stay still for an extended period of time – which meant it was simply easier to hold a straight face rather than smile

However we can definitely agree with the Gold Digger singer that keeping a stoic expression certainly looks cooler than baring your teeth at the camera.

West isn’t on his own when it comes to celebrities refusing to smile either, with singer turned fashion designer Victoria Beckham being famous for her poker face in photos.

Victoria Beckham has also opened up on her infamous poker face (Marc Piasecki/GC Images)

Explaining the reason why during an interview with the Telegraph, Beckham explained that she had felt self-conscious about how she looked.

“It was because of my skin that I became very careful about what I ate,” she explained. “And yeah, probably I did look stern in a lot of pictures, but I was so uncomfortable.

“Was there a time when I used to scroll through all the comments about me? Probably. But now I just don’t have the time.”

Kanye West has revealed the one lyric he wrote that he knew straight away would thrust him to fame.

The controversial music artist, who now goes by Ye, has not been shy in the spotlight following his rise to fame in the mid-2000s.

West established himself as a successful producer and rapper in the industry, starting his own record label before eventually venturing out into the fashion world with his famous Yeezy collaboration with Adidas.

His relationship, marriage and divorce from Kim Kardashian was also put under the microscope but apparently, the Atlanta-born artist saw all of the attention coming from a mile away.

In 2019, West revealed in an interview with James Corden as part of their ‘300,000-foot Carpool Karaoke’, while on the way to his Sunday Service choir, that he knew the moment his life would change for good.

The revelation came while he was in a Virgin Megastore on an escalator, weirdly enough.

He explained: “I remember saying, ‘Breathe in this moment, because this will be the last moment I can walk around in public’.

“Because I had written the line, ‘She got a light-skinned friend look like Michael Jackson/ Got a dark-skinned friend look like Michael Jackson’.”

The ‘Gold Digger’ artist said that he knew after that lyric was released, he knew that he ‘wouldn’t be able to walk the streets for the rest of [his] life’.

Corden then asked if he really was that ‘confident’ that the song the line was in, ‘Slow Jamz’ featuring Jamie Foxx, would be so successful.

The 2003 track was released through Atlantic and Roc-A-Fella Records, and is originally a song by rapper Twista, featuring Foxx and West.

It was the first chart-topping tune for all three artists, as it peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 soon after its release.

On the UK Singles Chart, it peaked at number three and on the US’s end-of-the-year chart in 2004, it came in at 16th place.

It looked like Ye was right, but there was more to come.

West has not looked back since. (Paul Hawthorne/Getty Image)

In 2004, the song was nominated for Best Collaboration at the 4th BET Awards. In 2005, at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards, it was put forward for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.

Alongside songs such as ‘Gold Digger’, ‘Stronger’, and ‘Runaway’, ‘Slow Jamz’ is still widely seen as one of Ye’s best and most popular hits to this day.

Maybe this Kanye West guy knows a thing or two about music.