Kanye West has been known to compare himself to a whole variety of famous figures: Steve Jobs, Le Corbusier, Quincy Jones. But in 2008, the rapper fancied himself a different creative type—namely, Larry David, a co-creator of Seinfeld and the man behind Curb Your Enthusiasm. The latter show, in which David stars as a fictionalized version of himself, was one of the inspirations for West’s own attempt at television glory, which he developed for HBO. When discussing plans for the series, West informed the producer at the time that he was “the black Larry David.”
A few years ago, the actress Alison Quinn, who’s featured in the pilot, posted a clip from the episode, which never aired, to YouTube. Today it’s been making the rounds on the Internet. West doesn’t do much aside from play up his celebrity status and his reputation for arrogance. (In the bit, he visits a Make-a-Wish kid who is disappointed West isn’t R. Kelly or Lil Wayne.) But it’s still fun to watch and wonder what could have been.
Update, July 16, 2013: The clip has since been removed from YouTube due to a copyright claim by HBO.
