South Park is a television giant no stranger to sticking it to the biggest of names, with a particular affinity for lampooning one Kanye West.
Back in 2009, the program ran a hilarious episode of their thirteenth season in which Kanye realised (after much prompting) that he was a gay fish with an appetite for “fishsticks.” Who could forget those heartfelt lyrics: “I wasn’t being true/even though everyone said/that I had to make a switch/now I know that I’m a gay fish.”
Then, two years ago in the season 17 episode “The Hobbit”, the show took a swipe at his partner Kim Kardashian in an episode where West read a story about Hobbits, which was in turn an allegory for his and Kim’s relationship. That episode was particularly memorable for a scene in which Kanye interrupts the Pope at a ceremony in order to explain to a crowd that Kardashian can’t be a Hobbit because “she doesn’t turn blue when there are Goblins around.”
Now South Park is at it again, with creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker taking to the stage at the E3 conference to launch their latest joke at Yeezy’s expense, the pair specifically taking aim at Kanye`s forthcoming video game Only One, which follows the story of his deceased mother on her journey to heaven.
It just so happens that South Park also has the concept for a game titled South Park: The Fractured But Whole. As Parker explains: “There’s a gay fish in South Park, and he loves fish sticks, and the gay fish actually wants you to help him get his mother into heaven, so you get to journey up and help this little gay fish get his mom into heaven.”
Parker then took a leaf out of Kanye’s book to chide the crowd for laughing, telling them that “You’re all acting like shit’s regular. This shit is hard. I hope you all saw the Kanye thing.”
Matt and Trey talking about Kanye's game pic.twitter.com/88zToxPLdC
— Rob (@Precyse) June 16, 2016
Only One is yet to have a release date, but the trailer looks pretty whack. Check it out below.
No reaction from Kanye West himself has been received as yet, though he was incredibly humble after his very public slamming in “Fishsticks” back in 2009, stating that “I actually have been working on my ego” and “As long as I act like a bitch, this type of shit will happen to me”, even thanking South Park for its portrayal of him and his crew. That particular episode poked fun at the man himself though and not a project that, while on the surface may seem kind of misguided and ridiculous, involves his deceased mother and is clearly very dear to his heart. It was also done with the softer edge of an animated television comedy and not in such a public and personal manner. Difficult to imagine today’s Kanye taking this very well but it remains to be seen.
Who knows though? Maybe he will lend South Park the same inspiration that he gave this upcoming rapper when their paths crossed last year.
Image: Hot New Hip Hop