Holy Yeezus. Rapper, producer, fashion design, art enthusiast and more, we actually had no idea that Kanye West had aspirations to be a comedian too, but alas it seems he did. And the evidence, which has been sitting online for nearly three years, is starting to make the rounds, and it’s pretty amazing/weird stuff.
Back a few years ago, Kanye was working on an HBO improv comedy shot pilot, produced by none other than “Seinfeld” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” legend, Larry David. So what happened? Well, here’s David himself. “What Kanye West said to me the first time, he said, ‘I’m the black Larry David.’ That’s the first thing he said to me. So it’s like a Kanye and ‘Curb’ show, it’s kind of improvised about the situations and stuff. It was really good, but again I think it was too hardcore for HBO,” David told ComingSoon in 2008. “Also, HBO’s management shifted, but HBO doesn’t have a good track record when it comes to black shows and I felt like that may have had something to do with it also. I don’t see a lot of shows about that experience at all. This was very entertaining and we showed it to a lot of people. People gave it a very good response and it seems to be on the shelf right now. The management has shifted at HBO so we’re waiting to see. Sue Naegle has taken over and I want to show it to her and see how she responds to it.”
Needless to say it didn’t go much further, but something tells us it’s not that the show was too “hardcore” for HBO. This skit just isn’t funny. Comedy is about being able to become the butt of the joke, but here, in this segment with West playing himself and visiting a sick kid for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the joke is that no one recognizes how awesome he is. Even when he’s trying to be funny, it’s all in service of reminding everyone of how famous and respected he is. So yeah, it doesn’t really work, but as far as internet curiosities go, this one wins for today. Watch below before it’s inevitably yanked from the internet. [AV Club]