Kanye West auditions for ‘American Idol’—kinda

American Idol‘s fifteenth and final season is kicking off with a Yeezus.

Kanye West took a break from presidential fundraisers (i.e. Obama’s, not his) and staged a fake audition for American Idol judges Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, and Harry Connick Jr. this weekend in San Francisco. West chose to sing his 2005 hit, “Gold Digger” for the big moment

As per usual, the full clip of his performance will be reserved for American Idol, but Twitter account Hip Hop Facts was kind enough to share some backstage fan footage of the performance.

No need to hold your breath, folks. Kanye West walked away with a golden ticket.

Ryan Seacrest and wife Kim Kardashian greeted him with a celebratory high fives.

There’s no word on whether there is a through line to Kanye’s prank performance, but a Fox rep told Yahoo Music’s Reality Rocks that his appearance was “a complete surprise.”

American Idol kicks off its final season in January. Stay tuned!

(Images via Instagram)