101. Joe Woody – McDonald's Rap (2006)

All through this project, I kept on treating the pop world as if it is as it always was: a world where an artist must find a record company that will peddle their stuff, if they want to be heard by the public. I mentioned cases of artists who managed to circumvent the process and reach the public directly through the web, but they too were signed very fast. But there was another story that was going on, and one of the major events of its second half, at least since youtube was launched in 2005, is that we can all make video clips, and become famous for fifteen minutes. Youtube (and other sites) has a vibrant community with its own stars, and every once in a while some nobody from nowhere uploads a vid that the entire world views and talks about. I could have chosen many examples, but this one is the best.

The story is a classic pop story, of the type Andy Warhol would have loved. Four guys from Fort Wayne, Indiana were bored one evening, so they sat around and composed a hamburger-ordering rap, based on the McDonald's menu. The next step was to go out and try it on the local branch, and film the response. To their delight, the girl taking the order was totally cool and played along, which made the video all the more amusing. Joe Woody, the leading rapper, put the video on his homepage, and someone nicked it and uploaded it on youtube. Soon it had millions of views, and spawned numerous copycats all around the US who tried it on their own, composing raps for other types of junk-food. I doubt they got much to eat (a blessing in itself), but fun was had in abundance. And as for the rap itself, all I can say is: crispy.