The Hamburger Helper Mixtape is AWESOME. Wait–What?

When I worked as a curator for Songza, the company derived revenue by created bespoke playlists for various brands to embed on their websites. Proctor & Gamble was interested in a fun playlist they could use in conjunction with Mr. Clean.

“We need a playlist that goes well with cleaning the house,” they said. Songza’s curators responded with a playlist called “Rock Out with Your Mop Out.” It was a huge hit. P&G was thrilled.

Which brings me to Hamburger Helper. Let’s go to The Daily Beast:

Hamburger Helper’s April Fools rap mixtape is being praised as the most fun and self-effacing rap mixtape in years. Now meet Illwin, one of the college students who created it.

The rap album of the year is an advertisement for a box of seasoning, and it was made by a half-dozen unheard of college students from Minnesota in the board room of the General Mills building.

Really. Just ask The Root, who wrote this headline only a little bit in jest: “Hamburger Helper Just Released the Best Mixtape of the Year.”

It’s hard to prove to you that this April Fools joke by one of the “Top 5 Fad Foods of the 1970s” is, in fact, actually good, but it is. The album, dubbed “Watch The Stove” in a nod to Jay-Z and Kanye, is the No. 2 trend on Twitter at publication time. Rap critics and rappers alike took to Twitter to lend this thing—an advertisement for a casserole mix—real life credibility.

Intrigued? Let’s have a listen.