Wicked Fabulous: Kanye West Samples the 'Popular' Kristin Chenoweth

The unlikely mash-up of Broadway and hip-hop continues, and this time one of the biggest players in the game is getting involved. DJ Carnage and Carnage TV have leaked footage (which has since been taken down) of mogul Kanye West's beat-making for his forthcoming album, expected to drop sometime during summer 2010, and who can we hear getting the remix treatment while Kanye's behind the board? None other than current Promises, Promises star Kristin Chenoweth, that's who. West samples the pint-sized star's chirpy vocals from from the chorus of "Popular," one of the catchiest tunes from mega-musical Wicked.

The combination of bling and Broadway won't be an industry first, of course. Frequent Kanye collaborator (and current Fela! producer) Jay-Z put the Rialto on the hip-hop map back in 1998 with his chart-topping "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)", which turned the shrieking orphans of Annie's "Hard Knock Life" into rap gold. Chenoweth and Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz should be honored if the final cut makes in onto West's album; the release would put them in the company of names like Bette Midler, Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles, all of whom have been sampled by the rapper and producer.