Kanye West Doesn’t Want To Judge ‘American Idol,’ But Dr. Luke Might

Kanye West is a very credible alternative rapper and his reputation cannot be tarnished by forays into crass commerciality! That’s the implicit statement of his reaction to being offered a seat on the judges’ panel next season on American Idol, to which he reportedly responded… No.

Us Weekly reports that he decided to pass because, as a source says: “He didn’t want to go that mainstream. He didn’t want to lose any street cred.” This makes sense, because having a child with Kim Kardashian is and remains a distinctively avant-gardeist, left-of-center move. 

But! There’s a new potential judge on the horizon, also according to Us Weekly, who say that super-producer Dr. Luke (no point in listing his song credits because he did literally every big hit of the last ever) is in talks to assume the vacant third seat among the judges, joining Keith Urban and Jennifer Lopez there. That sounds like a significantly more appealing solution, given that Luke has about as much relevant industry experience as anyone in the game; he churns out huge radio hits for a living and would offer a perspective that even seasoned vets like L.A. Reid and Randy Jackson aren’t equipped to lend.

In short: American Idol might be worth watching again.

[via Us Weekly]