Playboi Carti's New Joker Look Ignites Debate Between Fans On Whether It's Fire

Since shaking the music world with "Magnolia" more than 5 years ago, Playboi Carti's aesthetic has gone through a few iconic phases. But the latest one seems to have fans rethinking their tireless support.

When Carti first started hitting festival stages to perform his relentless #1 album 'Whole Lotta Red,' he wore masks like the one below at Lollapalooza 2021 where the show was paused in the middle of his set.

Artists like Kanye, Drake and Pooh Shiesty also adopted and fueled this trend as a style choice. (Ye was also the executive producer on 'WLR.')

Nearly a year removed from his set at Lolla, Carti aka "King Vamp" is again turning heads with bold outfits. But this time, the 25-year-old is opting for makeup and face paint.

First, he shut down Wireless Festival in London – The Guardian said he had the best show of the weekend. Then, he went to Rolling Loud in Portugal.

He even popped out at Balenciaga's Haute Couture show in Paris (alongside Offset and Luka Sabbat) and went viral with his below Joker cosplay.

While some fans felt the look was "hard," others fired back and compared Carti not only to the Joker but to legendary pro wrestler Jeff Hardy.

Speaking with XXL earlier this year, Carti credited rapper Tech N9ne – who built a reputation for painting his face in the late 2000s and 2010s – with being "the pioneer of what I got going on right now." He added, "He embraced the rock star, punk s**t in hip-hop and it's fire."

Lil Uzi appears to be feeling the goth-clown wave, as he posted a photo of Carti with his face done up.

While Uzi and Carti's careers have taken separate paths since dropping hits like ​"wokeuplikethis*" in 2017, there's no denying their status as two of the rowdiest festival acts in the game.

Carti's influence is shaping the next era of hip-hop stars, too. Ken Carson – who's signed to Carti's Opium imprint – just shared his sophomore album 'X,' exec produced by his mentor.

The 19-year-old told Montreality the best advice Carti has given him: "Put your phone down, man."