EAT IT

Former rapper N.O.R.E explores the food that satisfies the hip-hop and hungry, making for hilarious television

A culinary show without pretentiousness

Let’s be fair, most food TV shows suck. If you are not the kind of person who agonises over whatever dauphinoise is or enjoys watching Gordon Ramsay swear at reality-show contestants masquerading as chefs, chances are you would rather watch paint dry.

The problem is that most food shows are no fun and not particularly relatable. A new show from rapperturned-podcaster N.O.R.E, On the Run Eatin’, is changing all that.

While not the first food show by a rapper

(we’re looking at you, Action Bronson), it is definitely the least pretentious. Straight from the title sequence the show unveils itself as “a different type of food show” as N.O.R.E and his co-hosts gleefully rap about how they “smoke and get bent [drunk] on ma food show” while guzzling bottles of Moët on a yacht among a constellation of thongs. It all looks like the kind of rap videos a pre-Beyoncé Jay-Z was making.

If you want to try to intellectualise it, the premise of the show is about hip-hop and its relationship with food. Obviously, what and where rappers eat has been represented less than what they drink, drive and wear, but as we find out, hiphop has some pretty deep culinary ties.

However, if you want some kind of seriousminded exploration of hip-hop’s culinary persona, don’t bother. The point of the show is fun. Each episode is a raucously funny romp through the places “where hip-hop eats” in a particular state.

From chicken wings at a strip club to THCinfused desserts in Las Vegas (which gets everyone hilariously stoned), all of the food is everyday gourmet. Think giant chunks of meat glazed in secret sauces, fresh Southern-style sea food and nothing prefixed with the word “artisanal”.

The show makes a conscious effort to visit restaurants in the “hood” to showcase that great food can come from there, too, but isn’t scared to take a bunch of loud, jocular black men to Napa Valley to scare some white folks. All of that gets mixed in with a list of guests that include Amber Rose, Big Boi, Charlemagne tha God and Scott Storch. The result is tear-jerkingly funny.

Barring a few outliers, the post-hip-hop prospects for a lot of rappers tend to be pretty bleak. Over the years, however, we have seen a number of rappers reinvent themselves and N.O.R.E is one of them. First with his podcast,

Drink Champs, and now with On the Run Eatin’, he has shown that he has a knack for turning good times and his thoroughly entertaining personality into engaging content.

On the Run Eatin’ is not a show for foodies. It requires no specialised knowledge of food trends or hoity-toity chefs to be able to follow what is going on, and very rarely features places where eating with your hands would be frowned upon. That’s the fun of it. Where lots of food shows are adorned with innumerable French-sounding bits and bobs, On the Run Eatin’ reminds us that enjoying a meal only has two prerequisites: good food and better company. The rest is all garnish. ● L S.

You can stream On the Run Eatin’ on firstwefeast.com