As the latest Kanye West–inspired social-media pig pile reminded us, we’re in the era of #brand Twitter, where Fortune 500 companies assume the voice of ROFLing teens in order to sell their burgers, quesalupas, or stuffed-crust pizzas. But out of this corporate milieu, one particularly odd character has emerged to capture our attention: @Helper, the anthropomorphized white glove that represents Hamburger Helper as a no-name rapper trying desperately to get his mixtape off the ground.
While other brands piggyback incessantly on hip-hop stars and memes, only one has fully embodied the POV of a Drake stan who still lives with his parents. Perhaps we should have expected nothing less from a foodstuff with deep roots in rap. “Iron Chef Beezy, twenty Hamburger Helpers,” rapped Bay Area icon Lil B on “Cook My Bitch.” Curren$y has expressed his love for the stovetop staple on Twitter, noting, “I’d high five the hamburger helper dude, but that’d be like slappin him n da face right?” And everyone from Jay Z to Eminem has referenced the budget boxed meals in rhymes.
Besides the fact that the legless hypebeast changed his name from Hamburger Helper to Helper in A Diddy-esque moment of reinvention, he embodies all of the pillars of struggle rap to the tee—from the incessant mixtape talk, to the shameless swagger-jacking and DM lurking. Yet somehow, Helper is endearing—just a four-fingered outsider trying to get some shine in a five-fingered world.
Here is a look at how Helper became a mainstay of struggle-rap Twitter, and why you shouldn’t be surprised to see him handing out jewel cases in Times Square.
His mixtape is always “coming soon.”
https://twitter.com/helper/status/699410885048168448
He constantly stans for Kanye…
https://twitter.com/helper/status/697897662385942528
…and Drake…
https://twitter.com/helper/status/696768083390767108
…and Lil B…
https://twitter.com/helper/status/682397816866631681
…and Future…in hopes of getting noticed by his heroes.
https://twitter.com/helper/status/695818455673675776
The snippets he posts from the studio sound trash.
https://twitter.com/helper/status/699060995667443712
He spends most of his time playing video games instead of booking shows.
https://twitter.com/helper/status/688150580980666369
He’s quick to co-opt the latest meme for a retweet.
https://twitter.com/helper/status/676225380311687169
He finally gets brand money then totally blows it…
https://twitter.com/helper/status/562032125231525888
…because he’s always trying to scrape by on a budget.
https://twitter.com/helper/status/695067145680601089
He’s not too proud to request guest verses on Twitter…
https://twitter.com/helper/status/521511680392847360
…or jack mixtape art from other rappers.
https://twitter.com/helper/status/519958114750435328
And yet, his commitment to the game has won him at least seven loyal fans.
https://twitter.com/l0lenrique/status/674085834027438080
Do you, Helper. Do you.