Looks like a few of our favorite artists are giving up a little of the rapping and dancing for some lights, camera, and action. Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, ?uestlove, and Will.i.am are set to star on an episode of “The Cleveland Show” on Fox this fall. The all-star musical bunch will appear in the season premiere “Menace II Secret Society” on October 7.
Whisperings about this episode were first heard last summer when Mike Henry, who voices Cleveland on the show told reporters, “We have an episode where Kanye and will.i.am, playing himself, and Nicki Minaj, playing herself, and Bruno Mars, playing himself, and ?uestlove—they’re all part of the rap Illuminati, the secret group that controls pop culture.”
The series’ executive producer Rich Appel explained more about the episode’s plot stating, “Cleveland inadvertently breaks into it and then it’s how he will either bring them down or they’ll bring him down,” he said. “We have a couple of original songs with Kanye and Will and Bruno, I mean, all of them, it was great.”
Unlike the rest of the bunch, this is not Kanye’s first time appearing on the series. The rap star, who rocked out Atlantic City’s Revel Resort this past weekend has been featured on several episodes of “The Cleveland Show” playing the voice of an aspiring young rapper named Kenny West. In West’s past episodes he covers everything from battling over his attractive girlfriend to helping rescue a timid little girl from a well.
‘Question … can you devil worship on the new iphone?’ MC quips on Twitter.
By Mawuse Ziegbe, with reporting by Sway Calloway (@realsway)
Kanye West’s latest artistic endeavor, the musically-driven, short film “Runaway,”has been a hot topic among his fans, with #runaway and #askkanye becoming Twitter trending topics after the film’s Saturday night premiere on MTV. Apparently, some viewers felt the project invoked symbolism of the Illuminati, an ancient secret society that has been linked to contemporary conspiracy theories suggesting an elite group of leaders control the world unbeknownst to the general public.On Sunday (October 24), ‘Ye took to his Twitter page to humorously address rumors that he’s a member of the purported society and worships the devil. Apparently, Yeezy has no clue what the society even is.
“I’ve got question about “the illuminati” … what is it exactly ??? … and why do people think pop stars have a membership???!!! LOL,” he tweeted. “Is illuminati and devil worshipping like the same thing … do they have a social network that celebs can sign up for?”
The MC also joked about which new tech gadgets and social media outlets would work for his so-called satanic lifestyle.
“Question… can you devil worship on the new iphone??? LOL!!!” he typed. “What’s better for devil worshipping Iphone or the Droid… Does lucifer return text… is he or she on Skype? Don’t wanna be sexist.”
‘Ye even took a crack at sparking a devil-friendly trending topic.
“#DoyouthinkLucifer uses in in ear monitors or signature Beats by Dre headphones???!!!” Yeezy wrote.
The MC did say he was cool with legendary hip-hop spinner and producer DJ Clue, who’s known for lacing many of his projects with a chant that sounds similar to Illuminati.
“I am down with Cluemanotti though,” he wrote. “That’s my boy.”
Yeezy joked about claims that he’s down with the devil on Twitter, but he has also recently addressed one of his lyrics that may have riled up fans. In a sit-down with MTV News after the premiere of “Runaway,” broke down the meaning of a rhyme from a freestyle he kicked last year that lit up the blogosphere.
“There’s this line where I say, ‘I sold my soul to the devil, that’s a crappy deal,’ and all these people said, ‘What you mean you sold your soul to the devil?’ But when I say it, I’m saying, when I allow other people’s ideals to interfere with what I know is true to myself, that’s the devil,” West explained. “So, it’s like, people talking mess on the blogs is the devil or …trying to call me names, that’s what the devil is. And me thinking twice about what it is that’s really in my heart because of what people’s reaction would be is me selling my soul to the devil.”
The lyricist maintained that he will no longer let others’ opinions stifle his creative expression.
“You’re on earth for only 80, 90 a hundred years,” he said. “I have to create from my dreams, from the dreams I had as a 5-year-old, and use everything — all the greatest people and all the tools I have around me — and ask as many questions as I can to help facilitate and bring this out. And this [film] is one of the first examples of a dream coming true.”
Yeezy isn’t the only hip-hop star to catch heat about a visual supposedly packed with satanic imagery. Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz batted away rumors, earlier this year, that the slick video for their collabo “On to the Next One” was riddled with demonic references.
What do you think about the rumors about Kanye West? Let us know in the comments!
While some rappers subtly use Illuminati references, Kanye West is taking a bolder approach. Yesterday, the rap diva updated his blog with a clip from Eyes Wide Shut, photos of nude ladies, and the cryptic Skull and Bones logo. Since he didn’t graduate from Yale, he’s probably better suited to push these cats, their secret sex rituals are probably more his (and Amber Rose’s) speed.
