Anyone on this site knows that hip-hop's impact on music, culture, and society is powerful and incredibly significant... but what about its impact on a block of cheese? Cheez-It's partnered with Pandora for its new crackers to answer that question. The limited Aged by Audio Cheez-It's are made with 100% real cheese that was aged while "listening" to hip-hop music.
It may be hard to wrap your head around, but the process is intriguing no doubt. Aged by Audio was inspired by a Swiss study that found hip-hop music, specifically its tempos and frequencies, could strengthen the taste and smell of aging cheese. Eric Storm, senior marketing director at Cheez-It, released a statement to share the company's excitement for this product.
“After six months in the making, we’re thrilled to finally share this absurdly delicious collaboration with our fans... Our innovations team is always exploring new ways to bring more unique experiences to our fans, and Cheez-It x Pandora Aged by Audio is the perfect way to provide our dedicated fans with a truly first-of-its-kind snack while celebrating the joy music brings.”
According to Cheez-It's description of the product on their website, the cheese was aged while listening to a curated Pandora hip-hop playlist 24 hours a day for six months. Twitter users have responded with (mostly) cheesy hip-hop puns and disbelief, but people are definitely curious.
Hip-hop's forays into food are nothing new. Master P and Snoop Dogg are releasing new snacks with the Rap Snacks brand, who Migos famously partnered with as well. MF DOOM released a whole album about food, and rappers like Eminem, Bun B, Blueface, and more have all launched their own restaurants. However, this might be the most creative crossover yet, albeit the most unconventional.
Customers who buy the new Cheez-Its will also get a free 90-day trial for Pandora Premium, and they will even be able to access the playlist that the cheese "listened" to while aging, which should pair perfectly with the snack – I wonder if they put Swizz Beatz on there?
People might insert a witty play on words or be skeptical of the process when talking about the rap-aged Cheez-Its, but as they say, can't knock it 'til you try it.
You can buy the Aged by Audio Cheez-It's made with hip-hop music on the Cheez-It website or through the Pandora app or site. You can also check out some of Twitter's reactions to the announcement above.