Kylie Jenner Revives ‘King Kylie’ Persona with New Music and Cosmetics Launch
LOS ANGELES – Kylie Jenner is fully embracing her past, reviving the “King Kylie” persona with a new musical collaboration and coinciding with a Kylie Cosmetics drop. On Oct. 18, Jenner dyed her hair blue, mirroring a signature look from the earlier era, and released ”Fourth Strike,” a new song with the musical duo Terror Jr.
The track serves as a follow-up to Terror Jr.’s “Three Strikes,” which originally soundtracked a Kylie Cosmetics lip gloss launch years ago. Jenner’s contribution to ”Fourth Strike” includes a brief rap verse culminating in her repeating the phrase “King Kylie.” The revival has sparked both nostalgia and criticism, with some accusing Jenner of cultural appropriation.
The “King Kylie” era, launched as Jenner built her makeup empire, was characterized by a distinct aesthetic – matte lips, long nails, and a stylistic embrace of trends popular in hip-hop culture. Her multi-toned lip kits, released under the persona, frequently caused the Kylie Cosmetics website to crash due to high demand.
Though, the reemergence of the persona has drawn scrutiny online. “The reason she can’t reheat these nachos correctly is because the King Kylie era was heavily associated with blackness and Black Culture.King Kylie was an alter ego borderline. gheto-colored wigs, long nails, rappers, nightlife she was fun.Being Black is fun,” one user wrote on X.Another user stated, “Nobody gagging bc king Kylie era was just Black woman cosplay.”
Despite the criticism, some fans have expressed excitement about the nostalgia and praised Jenner’s vocals on the new track. Jenner, now a billionaire, initially leveraged the “King Kylie” image to build her prosperous makeup brand.