We Beefin? is a Nicki Minaj/Cardi B wannabe.

Note how I didn’t specify who created this 5-track album; that’s because it’s in fact a marketing promotion for, and courtesy of, Wendy’s.

Yes, the fast-food chain.

And since its conglomerate powers-that-be decided to credit the album to “at Wendy’s” (which might confusingly refer to their Twitter account, @Wendy’s) on Apple Music, Spotify, and other streaming services, I’d need to do some internet digging to figure out the artist(s?) actually responsible for these five songs.

And like other lazy consumers, I’m not going to do that, which is one of the main reasons this bit of brand development rubs me the wrong way.

The title is just the first of many “creative” (I guess?) puns revolved around the idea of Wendy’s engaging in a rap beef with other global purveyors of beef. It’s about as creative as the creativity we’ve all come to expect from marketing creatives attempting to bolster the brands of inherently-uncool corporations by co-opting “hip” culture, which Wendy’s is the queen of, mostly due to the aforementioned tweeting.

And what’s more hip than hip-hop?

I like the idea of Wendy’s funding new music…but if they actually cared about providing an up-and-coming musician with a platform, then they PROBABLY would’ve PROMINENTLY listed the name(s?) of the rapper(s?) SOMEWHERE?  Instead, the intent of this whole endeavor reeks of capitalistic pandering.

You know what’d really endear potential customers to a brand? Legitimately supporting artists. Maybe they would’ve understood that real ingenuity is required to properly scale Nicki Minaj and Cardi B’s swaggy heights.