{{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}} {{Infobox Simpsons episode | image = Pranksta Rap.jpg | image_size = 200 | caption = Bart and 50 Cent | season = 16 | episode = 9 | director = [[Mike B. Anderson]] | writer = [[Matt Selman]] | production = GABF03 | airdate = {{Start date|2005|02|13}} | guests = * [[50 Cent]] as himself * [[Dana Gould]] as [[Barney Fife]] | couch_gag = The living room floor is a chessboard and the family hops to the couch dressed as [[chess]] pieces. | commentary = [[Al Jean]]<br/>[[Matt Selman]]<br />[[Ian Maxtone-Graham]]<br/>[[Dana Gould]]<br/>[[Nancy Cartwright]]<br/>[[Tom Gammill]]<br/>[[Max Pross]]<br/>[[Mike B. Anderson]]<br/>[[Mark Kirkland]]<br/>[[David Silverman (animator)|David Silverman]] | prev = [[Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass]] | next = [[There's Something About Marrying]] }} "'''Pranksta Rap'''" is the ninth episode of the [[The Simpsons season 16|sixteenth season]] of the American animated television series ''[[The Simpsons]]''. It originally aired on the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox network]] in the United States on February 13, 2005. The episode was directed by [[Mike B. Anderson]] and written by [[Matt Selman]]. The episode title refers to the music genre [[gangsta rap]].<ref>{{cite book|first=Andrea A.|last=Lunsford|author-link= Andrea Lunsford|title= The St. Martin's Handbook|edition=6th|location=United States|date=2010|publisher= Bedford/St. Martin's|page=536|isbn= 9780312664831}}</ref>
In this episode, Bart disobeys his parents to attend a concert and fakes his kidnapping to avoid being punished. Rapper [[50 Cent]] guest starred as himself and [[Dana Gould]] guest starred as [[Barney Fife]]. The episode received positive reviews.
==Plot== [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] sees a commercial for a concert held by a hip hop artist named Alcatraaaz. He asks for [[Homer Simpson|Homer]]'s permission, and he agrees when Bart says he will pay for the ticket himself. However, as he tries to leave for the concert, [[Marge Simpson|Marge]] forbids him from going, and Homer is forced to agree with her.
Bart sneaks out of his bedroom window to attend the concert. During the concert, Alcatraaaz drops his microphone, which lands in Bart's hands. He challenges Bart to a rap battle. Bart does an impromptu rap and wins, so he gets a ride home from the concert with Alcatraaaz. As he arrives, he overhears Marge and Homer, who are angry that Bart disobeyed them and went to the concert. To avoid punishment, he fakes being kidnapped and goes on the run. Homer and Marge are devastated, and the fake kidnapping is covered by the media. [[Chief Wiggum]] vows to solve the case, but the press laughs at him due to his incompetence. Bart asks [[Milhouse Van Houten|Milhouse]] for a place to stay until the publicity stops, so Milhouse suggests staying at his father's apartment.
Bart calls the Simpson house impersonating the kidnapper, which is being recorded by Wiggum. Hearing how sad Marge is without him, Bart comforts her as himself, but cuts the call short when his stovetop popcorn begins to pop. Wiggum listens to the recording and recognizes the noise of the popcorn as his favorite brand. He asks [[Apu Nahasapeemapetilon|Apu]] who buys the brand, and he says that only [[Kirk Van Houten|Kirk]] and Wiggum buy it. They arrest Kirk for the kidnapping, and Wiggum is promoted to police commissioner. Seeing how badly Milhouse has been affected by his father's arrest, Bart confesses his hoax to Wiggum, who convinces him to keep it secret because Kirk is better off in prison because he gets meals and the adoration of women for being a felon.
[[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]] deduces the truth after finding a sweater from the concert, but Homer destroys the evidence because he sold the film rights to Bart's story and already spent the money. Undeterred, Lisa and [[Principal Skinner]] travel to Alcatraaaz's home, where they find footage of Bart at the concert. Moments later, Homer, Wiggum and Bart arrive and try to convince Lisa to stop because no one has been hurt. Alcatraaaz suggests they resolve the situation by throwing a pool party to the delight of everyone but Lisa.
During the tag scene, Skinner asks about a job in the hip hop business, but Alcatraaaz says he has already hired [[Superintendent Chalmers]], who, dressed as a rapper, orders Skinner to "step off... dawg." As Alcatraaaz's group laughs at him, Chalmers quietly confesses to Skinner that he needs the job as his wife is very sick.
==Production== The hip hop songs in the episode were written and performed by [[Boots Riley]] of the rap group [[The Coup]].<ref>{{cite web|first=Dave|last=Lifton|date=July 26, 2018|title=The Rap History of 'Sorry to Bother You' Director Boots Riley|url=https://theboombox.com/boots-riley-the-coup-history/|website=The Boom Box|access-date=July 19, 2024|archive-date=August 26, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240826063225/https://theboombox.com/boots-riley-the-coup-history/|url-status=live}}</ref> Writer [[Matt Selman]] wrote the lyrics.<ref>{{cite episode|title=Pranksta Rap|series=[[The Simpsons]]|network=[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]|date=February 13, 2005|time=21:40}}</ref> The character Alcatraaaz appeared to be modeled after rapper [[Ludacris]], who later appeared in the [[The Simpsons season 18|eighteenth season]] episode "[[You Kent Always Say What You Want]]".<ref name="Jones"/>
Rapper [[50 Cent]] appeared as himself in a cameo appearance.<ref>{{cite web|date=August 9, 2004|title= Billboard Bits: 50 Cent, Pixies, Miller/Keen |url= https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/billboard-bits-50-cent-pixies-millerkeen-66990/ |website=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=July 19, 2024}}</ref><ref name="Jones">{{cite web|first1=Wil|last1=Jones|first2=Jerry|last2=Gadiano|date=August 11, 2016|title=A Brief History Of Hip-Hop On 'The Simpsons'|url=https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/william-jones/hip-hop-rap-references-on-the-simpsons|website=[[Complex Networks|Complex]]|access-date=July 15, 2024|archive-date=July 22, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722002755/https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/william-jones/hip-hop-rap-references-on-the-simpsons|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Reception== ===Viewing figures=== The episode earned a 2.9 rating and was watched by 8.01 million viewers, which was the 62nd most-watched show that week.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] Medianet |date=February 16, 2005 |url=http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=021505_06 |title=Weekly Program Rankings |access-date=November 27, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150311231316/http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=021505_06 |archive-date=March 11, 2015 }}</ref>
===Critical response=== Colin Jacobson of ''DVD Movie Guide'' said the episode reminded him of the [[The Simpsons season 3|third season]] episode "[[Radio Bart]]" and that the use of Chief Wiggum and Kirk Van Houten made it a "likeable" episode.<ref>{{cite web|first=Colin|last=Jacobson|date=December 11, 2013|title=The Simpsons: The Complete Sixteenth Season [Blu-Ray] (2004)|url=http://www.dvdmg.com/simpsonsseasonsixteen.shtml|website=DVD Movie Guide|access-date=August 24, 2024|archive-date=September 27, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230927063408/http://www.dvdmg.com/simpsonsseasonsixteen.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref>
On ''Four Finger Discount'', Guy Davis and Brendan Dando liked Wiggum's story and would have liked if he had remained the commissioner for new story possibilities.<ref>{{cite podcast|first1=Guy|last1=Davis|first2=Brendan|last2=Dando|title= "Pranksta Rap" Podcast Review (S16E09)|work=Four Finger Discount (Simpsons Podcast)|date=September 22, 2022|url= https://www.fourfingerdiscount.com.au/episodes/pranksta-rap-simpsons-podcast-review|time=2:00|access-date=August 24, 2024}}</ref>
==Legacy== [[File:Mike B. Anderson by Gage Skidmore.jpg|right|thumb|Mike B. Anderson directed the episode.]]
Andrew Martin of ''Prefix Mag'' named [[50 Cent]] his eighth favorite musical guest on ''The Simpsons'' out of a list of ten.<ref>{{cite web|last=Martin|first=Andrew|title=Top 10 Best Musical Guests On 'The Simpsons'|url=http://www.prefixmag.com/features/50-cent-barry-white-cypress-hill-george-harrison-johnny-cash-lionel-richie-michael-jackson-rem-spinal-tap-the-white-stripes/top-10-best-musical-guests-on-the-simpsons/57220/|work=Prefix Mag|accessdate=October 8, 2011|date=October 7, 2011|archive-date=May 14, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514112540/http://www.prefixmag.com/features/50-cent-barry-white-cypress-hill-george-harrison-johnny-cash-lionel-richie-michael-jackson-rem-spinal-tap-the-white-stripes/top-10-best-musical-guests-on-the-simpsons/57220/|url-status=live}}</ref> Charles Hiroshi Garrett cited the rapper's appearance as part of a trend of hip-hop artists who appear on film and television to ridicule themselves.<ref>{{Citation|first= Charles Hiroshi |last= Garrett |contribution="Pranksta rap": humor as difference in hip hop|editor-first= Olivia |editor-last= Bloechl |editor2-first= Melanie |editor2-last= Lowe |title= Rethinking Difference in Music Scholarship |page=335|publisher= Cambridge University Press |date=2015|isbn= 9781316194430 }}</ref>
A screencap from the episode showing a rapper wearing a chain necklace with the words "Thursday the 20th" has become an [[Internet meme]], with the screencap getting circulated across the Internet on the twentieth day of a month if it is a Thursday.<ref>{{cite web|first=Jay|last=Hathaway|date=July 20, 2017|title=It's Thursday the 20th, so be prepared to post this 'Simpsons' meme|url=https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/thursday-the-20th-simpsons-meme/|website=[[The Daily Dot]]|access-date=July 19, 2024|archive-date=July 22, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722002738/https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/thursday-the-20th-simpsons-meme/|url-status=live}}</ref> In October 2022, the meme became a [[The Simpsons future predictions|purported prediction]] of the series when it was the date that [[Liz Truss]] resigned as [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]].<ref>{{cite web|first=Becca|last=Monaghan|date=October 20, 2022|title=Did The Simpsons predict when Liz Truss would resign?|url=https://www.indy100.com/viral/the-simpsons-liz-truss-prediction|website=[[Indy100]]|access-date=July 19, 2024|archive-date=July 22, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722002739/https://www.indy100.com/viral/the-simpsons-liz-truss-prediction|url-status=live}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Wikiquote|The_Simpsons/Season_16#Pranksta_Rap|"Pranksta Rap"}} {{Portal|The Simpsons}} * {{IMDb episode|0701198}}
{{The Simpsons episodes|16}}
[[Category:The Simpsons season 16 episodes]] [[Category:2005 American television episodes]] [[Category:Television episodes written by Matt Selman]] [[Category:Television episodes directed by Mike B. Anderson]]