4/9/2009

in

Rapper Kanye West posted his reaction to last night's episode of "South Park," which parodied the Chicago rapper, on his blog today.

A. Dickinson

Over its 13 seasons, Comedy Central's *South Park* has poked fun at every celebrity under the sun, with targets ranging from Phil Collins to Hillary Clinton. But it is rare that a celebrity actually takes the time to respond directly to their portrayal on the show. Rapper Kanye West, however, decided to express his feelings about his portrayal in an April 8 episode on his popular Kanye University blog.  
  
West has been quick to respond to criticism on his online diary in the past, including a memorable tirade after he was lambasted by fans for his late-starting set at Bonnaroo in 2008. Internet junkies speculated throughout the morning following the episode as to whether another such response would be forthcoming. In the episode, West is lampooned as an overly-egotistical performer prone to emotional outbursts.  
  
West did indeed eventually write a post about the episode, but opened by admitting the episode was "pretty funny." Rather than attacking the show's creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the *808s and Heartbreak* star chose to open up about his own struggle with his extroverted personality, writing.  
  
In his trademark style of all capital letters, he wrote, "I USE TO USE IT TO BUILD UP MY ESTEEM WHEN NOBODY BELIEVED IN ME. NOW THAT PEOPLE DO BELIEVE AND SUPPORT MY MUSIC AND PRODUCTS THE BEST RESPONSE IS THANK YOU INSTEAD OF I TOLD YOU SO…I NEED TO JUST GET PAST MYSELF. DROP THE BRAVADO AND JUST MAKE DOPE PRODUCT. EVERYTHING…I GOT A LONG ROAD AHEAD OF ME TO MAKE PEOPLE BELIEVE I'M NOT ACTUALLY A HUGE DOUCHE BUT I'M UP FOR THE CHALLENGE."  
  
West even went so far as to thank Parker and Stone for "TAKING THE TIME TO DRAW MY CREW. THAT WAS PRETTY FUNNY ALSO!!" and actually posted a clip of the episode taken from YouTube on his blog. It was later removed by request of Viacom, Comedy Central's parent company.  
  
The episode in question, "Fishsticks," involves a plot in which recurring characters Cartman and Timmy come up with what the world perceives to be the "perfect joke." West's inability to understand the joke, which ends with the punch-line, "What are you? A gay fish?" frustrates him to the point that he ruthlessly assaults comedian Carlos Mencia in order to determine the gag's origin, all the while proclaiming himself to be "a genius!" Eventually, with a little help from Cartman, West mistakenly concludes that his out-of-control ego has blinded him to the fact that he is, in fact, a "gay fish." The episode ends with West leaving dry land to live and love in the ocean depths as a slickly produced parody of his hit song, "Heartless," plays out the credits.  
  
West's response comes just one day after Vulture.com reported that Saddam Hussein, another frequently parodied character on *South Park*, was shown episodes of the show featuring a satirical version of himself while in jail in Iraq after being captured by U.S. forces.