S. Samuel
Grammy-winning rapper Kanye West's Yeezus album may have dropped last June, however, reports claim the hip-hop mogul treated select executives of the upcoming Anchorman 2 film to a private set.
According to Anchorman 2 star David Koechner, cast members overheard Yeezy spitting rhymes from the LP prior to it hitting shelves in June.
The full cast list for Anchorman 2 is chock full of stars in cameos (and Koechner hints that there might be more who aren’t listed, in order to preserve the surprise). One of those stars is Kanye West and, as might have been predicted, his presence on set led to an extraordinary moment. The day his cameo was shot was pre-Yeezus, and the rapper was discussing his upcoming album with director Adam McKay when the film’s editor, Brent White, showed up on set. “Kanye was in the tent with Adam talking about his new album and he rapped the entire cut “New Slaves” to Brent, who was sitting in a chair,” recalls Koechner. “None of us [cast members] were in the tent; we’re just hearing Kanye rap to Brent White. It was pretty awesome. That’s not going to happen every day. It was a private performance from Kanye West! People would pay a lot of money for that!” (TIME)
Recently, Anchorman 2 lead Will Ferrell said Ye often found himself so much in the zone during the filming that he often did not think about the crew.
Will Ferrell graced the cover of Rolling Stone’s latest issue, and during his interview with the publication, the actor, along with director Adam McKay, opened up a bit on what it was like working with Kanye West on set of Anchorman 2. West, who had a small cameo in the film, is known for having an ego bigger than Jupiter, and the rapper stroked it during the entire shoot. Ferrell reveals that Yeezy wouldn’t stop playing his music during his visit to the set. “He was playing it through the sound department, on the speakers on set, at the park, as people were setting up for the next shot. Which was great.” The Saturday Night Live alum added, “But then he didn’t understand when it had to be turned off, when it was time to actually film. He was like, ‘Hey man, what’s going on?’ We didn’t want Kanye to get upset, but at the same time, we kind of had to film.” (RumorFix)
Director Adam McKay also talked about how much dedication Ye showed for his cameo.
“He was like, ‘You guys want to listen to some new tracks?’ We’re like, Yeah, sure! Then he started performing, and it gets to the point where he’s screaming. He goes a full 100-miles-an-hour. Then he’d turn off and go, ‘Anyway, thanks.’ It was hilarious,” McKay explained. And while most stars would find it a fun and lighthearted gig, it appears Kanye took his Anchorman 2 cameo extremely seriously. The filmmaker explained, “Kanye was great. He really locked in. He asked me a ton of questions. He’s super-interested in process — he’s a big fan of comedy. He took private lessons in beginner’s improve with a friend of mine in Chicago a few years ago.” (RumorFix)
Last summer, McKay admitted Ye lived up and went beyond his own expectations.
“He was great, and he was funny. He came up with a couple good lines on his own,” McKay said. “We did our usual style of do the written line, and then I would throw out alternate lines and we’d improvise. He was completely cool and game.” The rapper apparently went above and beyond for his role, showing up for additional scenes, even when he didn’t have lines. “He even showed up for an extra quarter of a day where he had no speaking lines,” McKay said. “He was just kind of in the group fight sequence, and he was having so much fun that he came back to do that.” (MTV)
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