Watch Kanye West "audition" for "American Idol"
"American Idol" got a visit from a famous rapper during its audition rounds last fall.
In a new clip, released Monday ahead of the show's final season premiere, Kanye West shows up in the show's audition space in San Francisco.
"My name is Kanye, I'm from the south side of Chicago," West says during his introduction to judges Jennifer Lopez, Harry Connick Jr and Keith Urban. "I'm originally a producer. I always wanted to rap and no one really believed in me, so I wanted to try some things out, ya know?"
Backstage is West's wife, Kim Kardashian, who tells "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest, "I'm not really nervous because I do really believe in him. I didn't give any advice on singing, rapping. I just really believe in him."
West says he wants to do a "something original" before rapping part of his 2005 hit "Gold Digger" because "it has one of the judges' names in it." That would be Lopez.
So how did that all come together? The "audition" took place last fall while Kardashian was still pregnant with the couple's baby boy, Saint.
Seacrest told E! News, "We were in San Francisco, and they said, 'We've got a contestant that's just going to jump into the line.' And up walked Kim and Kanye -- Kim pregnant and Kanye enthusiastic and ready to go in there. He walks in there and does a lyric about J.Lo from one of his songs."
Watch below:
"American Idol" returns for its 15th and final season Wednesday on Fox.