Music

Forget BTS And Travis Scott, These Are The Maccas Collabs The World Really Needs

"Smack my ass like a drum…Welcome to McDonalds may I interest you in the CupcakKe meal?"

by Joseph Earp  16 August 2021
hozier mcdonalds meal photo meme

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The world of modern music marketing is a strange one, a veritable Wild West of TikTok trends and McDonalds meals.

Gone are the days when albums were shifted through extensive radio play and live touring. With the latter option decimated by the coronavirus pandemic and the former option a way of the past, musicians are turning to new and inventive ways of getting their music out there.

Promotional food tie-ins, once the remit of Hollywood blockbusters rather than popstars, are the way of the future. First, there was the insanely popular Travis Scott McDonalds meal, a standard order given new life by its endorsement from the rapper. Then, capitalising on the success, there was the BTS meal, a glowing tribute to the beloved K-pop band that came in the form of chicken nuggets and a special sauce.

But why stop there? After all, shouldn’t every major musician on the planet have their own associated order? That’s what Twitter thinks at least, with a new trend seeing users dream up their own promotional taglines and associated meals.

There’s the frenetic beauty of the Kendrick Lamar meal…

The nourishing sustenance of the Tyler the Creator meal…

The daring and sexualised taste of the CupcakKe meal…

The summertime sadness of the Lana Del Rey meal, complete with coffee poured from a fleshlight…

The throwback pleasures of the Janet Jackson meal…

The vicious beauty of the 21 Savage combo…

The deep melancholy of the Hozier meal…

And so many more.

This is more than mere imaginative play on the internet; more than a mere meme. This new trend is a way of exploring the strange and beautiful ways that popstars spread their wings and meet a new audience. Managers and PR gurus, take notice: the future is here, and it tastes like a chicken nugget combo.