Photo: Vice
Action Bronson’s “F*ck, That’s Delicious” should be at the center of your pop culture universe if it isn’t already. Why? Name some stuff you like. Music. Food. Comedy. Irreverence. BOOM! Here you go, this show is where your eyes belong.
I don’t remember exactly how I heard about Action Bronson. That’s the thing about him. One minute you’ve never heard of him, the next minute, you don’t know how you ever lived without him. Action Bronson just is. He’s Bam Bam. The Young Randy Velarde. Bronsolino. He’s Mr. Wonderful.
Action Bronson is a big, bearded, tatted, blue-eyed, curly-haired, perpetually stoned hip hop artist from Queens, New York, who also happens to host a food/travel show on VICE’s new cable channel, VICELAND, and their website’s food section, MUNCHIES. The first season of the show follows him from his hometown favorite eateries, to exotic locales he visited while on tour with Eminem. Most of the episodes feature at least one other personality; a musician he’s collaborating or touring with, or a well-known chef. In one episode, he’s camping out at producer Alchemist’s house, just doing dabs, baking cauliflower, and writing raps. Lighting blunts on the grill next to his perfectly charred steaks.
In another episode, he plays his album for Chef Michael White and they cook dishes that pair well with the songs. The single “Baby Blue” becomes risotto.
Photo: Vice
What business does a rapper have hosting a food show? “F*ck, That’s Delicious” could just as easily be the title of a Tracy Morgan sketch on SNL. Action Bronson was a chef in his previous life. After an injury disabled him, he started writing raps to pay the bills. Once he realized how well he could do for himself, and his notoriety gained momentum, his career shifted (semi)permanently to music.
Photo: Vice
But he was never too far from food in spirit. His lyrics are loaded with references to food. You can sense his familiarity with the kitchen in rhymes like, “Bone marrow roasted/Spread it on the rosemary bread, lightly toasted/Drizzle with the vinaigrette,” (Tan Leather), or “All my women play the flute/Saw me plate some melon and prosciutt’,” (Actin’ Crazy). PS, when he’s not rapping about food or women, he’s rapping about sports.
Photo: Vice
His combination of talents make him an unexpected but ideal TV show host. He describes the food like he’s experiencing taste with every nerve in his body. Seeing him interact with legitimate chefs is so much fun to watch because the chefs love him as an artist, and then they geek out that he knows so much about their craft.
For the second season, he’s on The Mr. Wonderful tour, supporting the album of the same name and getting into more shenanigans with his entourage.
“We eat, we rap, we rap, we eat, “he says in the first episode. “It’s really that simple.”
Watch a full episode of F*ck, That’s Delicious above, or on Vice’s new cable network, Viceland.
