''Watch the Stove'' (stylized in all caps) is the debut EP album by food brand
Hamburger Helper
Hamburger Helper is a packaged food product manufactured by Eagle Foods. As boxed, it consists of a dried carbohydrate (often pasta or rice), with powdered seasonings contained in a packet. The consumer is meant to combine the contents of the box ...
under the alias ''Helper''. It was released on April 1, 2016 through SoundCloud.
Background and release
The idea of a Hamburger Helper album came from a
tweet in 2014, where the brand jokingly stated the mascot would release a mixtape. It became the brand's most-favorited tweet.
The EP was released as an
April Fools
April Fools' Day or April Fool's Day (rarely called All Fools' Day) is an annual custom on the 1st of April consisting of practical jokes, hoaxes, and pranks. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fool " at the recipient. Mas ...
joke by
General Mills
General Mills, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded ultra-processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Founded on the banks of the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in ...
in collaboration with marketing agency
Ketchum Inc. The title references the
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...
and
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...
album ''
Watch the Throne
''Watch the Throne'' is a collaborative studio album by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West. It was released on August 8, 2011, by Roc-A-Fella Records, Roc Nation, and Def Jam Recordings. Prior to its release, Jay-Z and West had collaborated ...
''. It subsequently went viral on Twitter.
Within a week, the album had 5 million streams on SoundCloud.
Production
The EP was produced by a team at the
McNally Smith College of Music
McNally Smith College of Music was a private for-profit music school in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Initially founded in 1984 as the Guitar Center of Minneapolis, it was renamed Musictech College and moved to St. Paul in 2001. The school was renamed a ...
and local
Minneapolis
Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
artists. Two music videos were shot. Songs were required to be family-appropriate and contain no swear words.
Track listing
See also
*''
We Beefin?''
References
{{reflist
General Mills
2016 debut EPs
Novelty albums