The Fast Food Chain Mentioned In Two Grammy-Nominated Songs

Food and music go together like, well, peanut butter and jelly. Who can forget Kelis' popular hit "Milkshake" or the ubiquitous "Cake By The Ocean" from DNCE? Or the oldie but goodie "Marshmallow World"? After all, food can conjure the same emotions that many artists tap into when creating a song — whether it's sheer happiness, overwhelming sadness (usually accompanied by a tub of ice cream), and childhood nostalgia.

But it's rare for one of those songs to go beyond the mainstream into the hallowed halls of critical acclaim — none bigger than Grammy night. But this year is different as one popular fast food chain is name dropped in not one, but two songs that are nominated in the Best Rap Category — and the restaurant is celebrating in a big way ahead of the 64th annual award ceremony tonight, at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

You've heard the songs. You've eaten the food. And now, the music industry and Popeyes Chicken are coming together to celebrate the most special night in music — the annual Grammy Awards. Popeyes was mentioned in not one, but two songs that have been nominated for a 2022 Grammy Award in the Best Rap Song category (via Muse by Clio). The songs? "Family Ties" by Baby Keem and "Bath Salts" by DMX. Both tracks pay homage to the "Louisiana fast" chicken joint in their own way. In "Family Ties," Baby Keem raps that "Mama had to cater for the coupe that we rode after school on the way to Popeyes," while on "Bath Salts," DMX says, "I'd still be this fly if I worked at Popeyes."

To celebrate the momentous occasion, Popeyes has launched an all-out campaign to help claim (at least part) of the Grammy spotlight, too. During the voting season, the brand had taken out space on strategically-placed Billboards in Los Angeles and Las Vegas to showcase the achievement. As Muse by Clio notes, those areas are where the Grammy voters were most likely to see them. The billboard messages varied from the song quotes featuring the brand's name to facts about the nominated songs. 

"The billboards were designed as a fun reminder that Popeyes, while known for their chicken mastery, certainly plays a larger part in people's lives when it comes to providing people and families with great tasting food at a great value," a Popeye's representative said in a previous interview. Good luck to the nominees — and tune in tonight to see who wins!