The hysteria surrounding Kanye West's seventh studio album, The Life of Pablo, only increased in the weeks before its release due in large part to the cast of characters Kanye was photographed with in studio. It was a who's who of A-list rap friends and musical collaborators all of whom signed West's trusty legal pad, and with his next album already in his crosshairs, it appears that Kanye is up to the same old tricks.

On Easter, Kanye posed alongside two-thirds of the Migos for a casual "oh us?" Instagram flick, and coming again from Quavo's account is the above photo with a few more rappers in tow. There are Kanye West proteges Vic Mensa and Big Sean and even Lil Yachty is in the cut. Kanye's face is partially obstructed by what looks like a piece of plywood or an unfinished bookcase with the words Turbo Grafx 16, the name of Yeezy's next album, written on the side.

Previously, as in exactly one month ago today, Kanye was photographed in studio with Kid Cudi, Mike Dean and Plain Pat, the caption then reading "TURBO GRAFX 16 day 1." What is perhaps most remarkable about Kanye's Pablo rollout is the way he has been able to capture and maintain public attention through little more than context-less social media posts. Look at the way he's lurking in the background of the above photo, present but not, the actual center, but hardly the focus.

On Pablo, West tapped up-and-comer Desiigner for two guest spots, so the fact that he's already setting sail with Lil Yachty is at least somewhat consistent with recent trends. While the above posse is certainly enough to start drumming up excitement for Turbo Grafx, not everybody photographed during the Pablo sessions wound up on the album so it is likely premature to start hypothesizing guest features. Regardless though, if West remains firmly planted within his musical zone, that's a good sign of things to come.

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