Did you believe this week’s online rumors about how Kanye West wants to get himself named the “new King of Pop” in the wake of Michael Jackson’s passing? I hope not — approximately two seconds of research would have revealed that the story began at a satire website. Of course, this fabricated gossip spread like wildfire anyway. Now Mr. West has taken to his thoroughly-capitalized blog to set the record straight:
“I WAS JUST LISTENING TO WENDY WILLIAMS AND HEARD SOME QUOTE ABOUT ME SAYING I’M THE NEW KING OF POP. NOT ONLY DID I NOT SAY THAT, I HAVEN’T SAID ANYTHING. IT MAKES ME FEEL BAD THAT OBVIOUSLY I MADE PEOPLE FEEL THAT I WOULD BE CORNY ENOUGH TO SAY SOMETHING SO WHACK AFTER THE PASSING OF AN IDOL, A LEGEND AND MORE THAN THAT A HUMAN BEING WITH FEELINGS AND FAMILY. IT SCARES ME TO THINK WHAT PEOPLE WILL BELIEVE, WITHOUT EVEN A SOURCE. ANY RANDOM PERSON CAN TYPE SOMETHING ON THE INTERNET AND THEN THE WORLD BELIEVES IT. I DON’T TALK TO PRESS OR DO TV OR DO PROMOTIONS OF ANY SORT. I’VE STOPPED CHASING AND BUYING INTO FAME. FAME IS LIKE CIGARETTES WITH NO SURGEON GENERAL WARNING. IT DESTROYS MOST PEOPLE AS IT DID TO THE TRUE AND ONLY KING OF POP. WE EXPLOIT OURSELVES AND EAT OUR OWN EGOS ‘TILL THERE IS NOTHING LEFT. I HAVE A FEELING THAT THIS WON’T BE THE LAST FALSE STATEMENT WITH MY NAME ON IT, BUT THIS WILL BE THE LAST TIME I DEFEND MYSELF. I’M DONE.”
Get all that? Not only did Kanye not name himself the new King of Pop, he hasn’t said anything about Michael Jackson, and he’s so disgusted with the whole fame thing that he’s decided to stop doing “promotions of any sort.” Are you happy now, Internet?
I’d hate to think of a world without any more memorable interviews from Kanye West, but something tells me he’ll relent on that point soon enough. In the meantime, what do you think? Is Kanye right to be mad about this false rumor? Is fame really like cigarettes with no Surgeon General warning?
