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It was the freak-out heard 'round the world: On Friday night's "all-star" hurricane relief telethon, the usually cocktastic rapper Kanye West decided not to read his script and, instead of speaking about the devastation this-and-that, went fantastically batshit. "I hate the way they portray us in the media," he began, launching into a tirade about how terrible it is to see his people suffering in such a manner and how he was ashamed to have gone shopping (probably for the very outfit he was wearing during the broadcast) before donating a single cent.

West was blessedly inarticulate, angry, nervous, and on the verge of tears, but it didn't matter. He ended on a clear note, and you heard exactly what he said: "George Bush doesn't care about black people." The camera abruptly cut to Chris Tucker, who looked like he'd been smacked in the balls. And you, the viewer, fell in love with live television all over again.

Video available here (Quicktime) and here (Windows Media).
Kanye West's Torrent of Criticism, Live on NBC [WaPo]