"Even caramel sundaes is gettin' touched": Snacks inspired by hip-hop rhymes

When hip-hop makes you hungry, that's probably not your subconscious speaking to you. It's Rakim in your headphones talking about fish, which is his favorite dish but without any money it's still a wish. Or LL Cool J with his thing for milky cereal, baby. In case a fine verse should ever get your appetite going, The A.V. Club hunted down some of hip-hop's more amusing food- and drink-related rhymes, then found the local dishes to go with them. 

A Tribe Called Quest, "Rap Promoter"

The rhyme: "I want chicken, and orange juice, 'cause that's what's on my rider / And my occasional potato by Ore-Ida." 

Q-Tip is calling out the specifications of his rider, intent on avoiding a "wack show" on the Van Halen-esque theory that close attention to the food provisions in the rider will mean professionalism in other aspects of show business—payment and tight stage management. In Chicago, fried chicken doesn't get much more professional than the tender, flour-dipped and deep-fried variety served at Army And Lou's (422 E. 75th St., 773-483-3100). This South Side establishment has been cooking soul food for 65 years and it doesn't just do its chicken fried; if you (or Q-Tip) prefer, you can have it baked instead, or smothered and served with some down-home dressing. If quick and dirty is in order, Harold's Chicken Shack (many locations, South Loop: 636 S. Wabash Ave., 312-362-0442) is as much a Chicago institution as Army And Lou's, in its own way. Its delightfully greasy, hot sauce-drenched fried chicken dinners come with fries and a slice of white bread.

Digital Underground, "Food Fight"

The rhyme: "Flame broil base, my pickle make ya wiggle / You're busted, my mustard, will wax your whole plate." Also, "I'll hit cha in the neck with a cheeseburger." 

Shock G and crew insist that "you've got to bring food to a food fight," and the narrative of this song (which includes fresh cantaloupes, ham hocks, and a bacon-and-egg sandwich) keeps coming back to the food-fight weapon of choice, cheeseburgers. The famous "cheezborgers" at the Billy Goat Tavern (430 N. Michigan Ave., 312-222-1525) might just be perfect for Shock G in his assertion of food-flinging prowess. But, in case something more substantial ("fat like hippopotamus") is appealing, it's hard to imagine the zany Shock G finding fault with The Slayer at Kuma's Corner (2900 W. Belmont Ave., 773-604-8769), even if it's more heavy metal than hip-hop. 
 

Raekwon The Chef, "Ice Cream"

The rhyme: "French-vanilla, butter-pecan, chocolate deluxe / Even caramel sundaes is gettin' touched." 

Taken on its face, this song initially appears to be a charming number about the joys of ice cream. ("Hey mom, can I have some money? The ice cream man is coming!") To sate these wholesome desires, a trip to Margie's Candies (1960 N. Western Ave., 773-384-1035) can fill everything on Raekwon's order. (And that rich hot fudge piled on your sundae is wicked enough to deal doom to all 36 chambers of your body.) Not to mention that Margie's homemade candies, such as English Toffee and Terrapin, practically call out for their own rhymes. Later verses, however, make it clear that ice cream may be a metaphorical stand-in for something Raekwon's mom might not be as happy with. 
 

MF Doom, "Kookies"

The rhyme: "Soft batch he prefer the other bunch like they got for lunch / Chocolate fudge butter crunch." 

In an alternately poignant and disturbing song that seems to equate eating cookies with filling the hole in his psyche, Doom describes dissatisfaction with the contents of his e-mail box, the commercials on television, and late nights spent drinking alone, all the while detailing the various cookies he enjoys. Given Chicago's still insanely popular baked good of choice, Doom might have had better luck with a song called "Kupkake," but Mrs. Fields in the Loop (32 E. Randolph St., 312-629-1001) should be able to provide most of the objects of his desire, and even notorious cupcake bastions such as Sensational Bites (3751 N. Southport Ave., 773-248-2271) also carry a selection of cookies.  

Gucci Mane, "Wasted"

The rhyme: "I'm so wasted / She's so wasted / Shout the bartender send 20 more cases" 

Twenty cases of hip-hop favorite Cristal will run you about $150,000, so let's hope the goofy Gucci is really talking about Milwaukee's Best, which will only set a wannabe back $240—which, even for 30 12-oz. cans per case, still sounds excessive.