A Recent History of Rappers Wearing Masks

Come through with the Ye mask on...

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Remember back when Jim Carey was an A-list celebrity (think about it: dude hasn't made a popular, well-received movie in like 10 years) and he made The Mask? Not for nothing, as an impressionable kid watching him spin in circles (amazing what passed for "cool graphics" back then) you might have bought into the whole idea of the transformative power of that magical green mask.

It wasn't just that mask, though. All your favorite superheroes wore masks. (Except for Superman because, as Bill points out in Kill Bill, Clark Kent was in fact his mask.) Spiderman wore a mask and went from nerdy photographer to kick-ass webslinger. Batman wore a mask and fought crime to avenge childhood trauma—and look how well adjusted he is! (Okay fine, maybe that's a bad example.) Point being, masks are cool even when it's not Halloween.

In recent years, rap has embraced the mask as a fashion statement. Tyler, The Creator really ushered it in when he started rocking his janky green ski mask with the creepy upside-down cross markered on it. These days, on the opposite side of the spectrum, Kanye West has been covering his face with crystal Maison Martin Margiela during the Yeezus tour. It got us thinking about some of the other rappers who have put on disguise with A Recent History of Rappers Wearing Masks

RELATED: We've Got Your Halloween Costume Taken Care Of: Rapper/Animal Hybrids

DOOM

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DMX

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Eminem during The Anger Management Tour

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Young Buck on the special edition cover of Straight Outta Ca$hville

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Prodigy

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Ghostface Killah

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Jay Z

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50 Cent in the video for "OK, You're Right"

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Nicki Minaj

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Lil Wayne in the video for "HYFR"

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Tyler, The Creator at the MTV Woodie Awards

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Joey Bada$$ & Capital Steez in the video for "Survival Tactics"

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French Montana

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Kanye West at Revel in Atlantic City

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Snoop Dogg on Instagram

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A$AP Mob

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Kanye West

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Travis $cott at SXSW

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Wiz Khalifa on Instagram

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2 Chainz in Detroit, MI

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A$AP Ferg and A$AP Rocky

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Kanye West during the "Yeezus" Tour

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