Universal Music’s Bored Ape Band KINGSHIP Scores M&M’s Partnership
UMG's metaverse band gives a nod to a notorious item on Van Halen's tour rider with new, limited edition boxes of candy.
Members of KINGSHIP, the metaverse band made up of four characters from the Bored-and-Mutant Yacht Club universes, now appear on limited edition boxes of M&M’s.
This team-up — decades-old candy and newfangled technological creation — comes with an ornate backstory that might be familiar to rock fans of a certain age. When Van Halen went on tour, they sent venues an elaborate tour rider, reportedly a 53-page catalog of all the band’s demands, a varied list of items that would make them feel safe and cozy before performing. Those instructions included “herring in sour cream” and a “large tube of KY jelly,” according to Rolling Stone.
The “Jump” band also infamously ordered “M&Ms (Warning: Absolutely No Brown Ones)” and used the head-scratching line item to determine whether a venue was really paying attention to detail.
KINGSHIP’s rider also lists a supply of M&M’s, but with a slightly different parenthetical: “(Warning: Absolutely Must Include All Colors).” Other items on its rider include constantly-refreshed shrimp cocktails, several bags of “Ethereum shaped potato chips” and gluten-free frogs, among other things.
Those interested in acquiring physical evidence of KINGSHIP’s nod to rock — and candy — history have a couple options left: 3,900 brown boxes, and 6,000 gift jars containing individual M&M’s with group members’ faces on them, are available today (August 24). A super-limited run of 100 Gold edition boxes is sold out.
KINGSHIP was born in 2021; the group is signed to Universal Music Group’s 10:22 PM label.
“Just as we would with any artist or creator, my team and I will work with KINGSHIP to sharpen their vision and develop their unique sound,” 10:22-founder Celine Joshua said in a statement. “Each member of the group has their own story and personality that influences and contributes to KINGSHIP’s overall narrative.”