Doug E. Fresh Joins Forces with McCormick® for Flavorful Music and Culinary Fusion

Hip-hop icon and beatboxing pioneer Doug E. Fresh has teamed up with the McCormick® brand to release an original song and music video, marking the brand’s first bottle redesign in almost four decades and celebrating the 50 years of hip-hop. The Hip-Hop Hall of Fame inductee goes from Doug E. Fresh, to Doug E. Chef, serving up an electrifying tune that blends beats from the kitchen.

“I never thought I would be doing something with McCormick,” Fresh said. “I have been cooking for a long time. Onstage I’m Doug E. Fresh, but in that kitchen baby, I’m Doug E. Chef!”

Timely amidst the 50-years of hip-hop festivities, the partnership gains extra significance as McCormick commemorates its inaugural bottle redesign in nearly half a century. These innovative bottles are now available across the nation on retail shelves, boasting the innovative SnapTight™ lids that audibly seal to maintain the freshness of essential herbs and spices, including cinnamon, garlic powder, paprika, parsley, and crushed red pepper.

“I like to cook because cooking is very similar to making music,” Fresh explained. You have your bass drum and the snare, hi hat, keyboards, guitar, and what happens when we make music, is you’re mixing emotions to come out with a massive emotion. So the same concept that goes into making music, is the same concept applies when you’re making food. I like to have the best possible seasonings to put in my food the same way I want the best possible sounds to put in the music.”

The collaboration is elevated by a kitchen-inspired track, “McCormick Red Cap,” crafted by the hip-hop pioneer to animate the celebrations. He says that sonically, the idea for the song stems from sounds that would be similar to cooking. You’ll hear the sizzle of something pan frying along with the pop of the new SnapTight™ lid throughout the song.

Beyond the track, Doug E. Fresh will take center stage in an exceptional cooking class set to take place on Thursday, September 14, 2023, for local New York food enthusiasts. Handpicked attendees will not only have the chance to savor the taste of McCormick® seasonings, but will also cook alongside the musical maestro himself, for a mouthwatering feast.

During the cooking session, Doug E. Fresh will share his delectable take on spiced cod with mashed plantains, guiding participants through each step of the recipe. The dish is mashed plantains infused with a hint of coconut milk to complement the cod filets, which are coated with a medley of seasonings.

The recipe stems from the rapper’s Caribbean roots. The Barbados-born rapper loves to infuse spice and soul into his cooking. “I’m from the Caribbean so I like most West Indian food because Caribbean food has a flavor to it. There’s an excitement to it,” Fresh told ESSENCE. “When I got with McCormick I said, I’ll do this but it’s got to have soul. It’s got to have that. I didn’t want to go hardcore with scotch bonnet, but working with McCormick, the red pepper flakes and the different seasonings in it that will give it a kind a balance of Caribbean flavor.”

The song has a fun and energetic vibe, and Fresh made sure that it would have that “hip-hop feeling.” He says, it’s similar to the energy he had when he made “The Show” in 1985 with The Get Fresh Crew, and “Let Me Clear My Throat,” in 1996 with DJ Kool and Biz Markie.

Giovanna DiLegge, Vice President of Marketing, NA Consumer at McCormick says that it’s a privilege to partner with such an icon like Doug E. Fresh. “An innovator in the studio and in the kitchen, we watched as Doug E. Fresh transformed into Doug E. Chef for his popular cooking videos on Instagram and are excited to deliver his mouth-watering recipe and original sounds for our own landmark year.”

The new McCormick redesigned bottle caps are available for purchase now.

To participate in the exclusive sweepstakes for a spot in this one-of-a-kind cooking class, visit the official entry page HERE. The sweepstakes has officially kicked off and will conclude on Thursday, August 31, 2023, at 11:59 p.m., with a limited number of openings available through a random selection.