Sunday night (September 26) marked the return of a handful of excellent TV shows, including "Eastbound and Down," "Dexter," "The Simpsons" and "Family Guy." But none of those shows had a bigger guest star than "The Cleveland Show," as Kanye West made his second appearance on the Seth MacFarlane-produced animated hit. The rapper returned as "Kenny West," an old friend of lead character Cleveland Brown's who found himself homeless. In the episode's best exchange, West tries to get Cleveland to stop talking about the h-word in front of his daughter. "I told her cars were homes and homes were cars, so now she just thinks we're carless," he explains.
In an effort to prove that he can accomplish something in his life (just like his old nemesis Barack Obama), Cleveland takes in West and his daughter.
Just as he did the first time he appeared on "The Cleveland Show," West stole most of the episode with his willingness to go with it. West becomes a cable installer, then grows a mustache and eventually devolves into Cleveland himself. When he finally decides to break back into the rap world, he isn't so sure of himself. "I've been out of the game for six days," he frets. "Lil Wayne has dropped 30 mixtapes since then!" Cleveland becomes West's manager and helps him stage a benefit concert for a girl who is trapped down a well. The song the pair perform, of course, pretty strong. "Turns out all I needed was some inspiration/ Like Mr. Miyagi but a lot less Asian," he rhymes about Cleveland on the track "Be-Cleve in Yourself."
Along the way, West manages to lampoon a handful of West's key moments, including his snafus at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards and the 2005 telethon for Hurricane Katrina. In the end, West fires Cleveland and goes about his business of being famous, while Cleveland returns home slightly defeated with the help of President Obama, who returns to school him on the basketball court.
