Malone and Raising Cane’s announced the chicken chain is now selling collector’s cups made in the “Rock Star” performer’s image at all locations across the United States. Each cup is designed after the rapper’s tattoos, with some emblazoned with a close-up of his face, while another has a cartoon Posty with a microphone in one hand and a Cane’s soft drink in the other. The new promotion arrives months after Malone and Raising Cane’s chief executive and founder Todd Graves opened a location together near the rapper’s home in Midvale, Utah.
To launch the limited 32-ounce cups, which are on sale starting Wednesday, Malone dropped an ad that pays direct homage to Brian De Palma’s 1983 crime drama, “Scarface.”
The commercial draws from the film’s iconic “Push It to the Limit” montage that charts the rise of Al Pacino’s character, Tony Montana, as his cocaine-dealing empire flourishes. (Raising Cane’s dipping sauce is commonly described by devotees as “crack.”)
For Malone’s commercial, which is also set to Paul Engemann’s song “Push It to the Limit,” a slow zoom of counting money is replaced with a shot of chicken strips sizzling in a deep fryer. Instead of a meeting between Montana and a Miami banker, Malone is chatting it up with Graves. Rather than lugging duffle bags filled with cash, Cane’s employees are hauling Malone’s guitar and a mannequin of the rapper into its pink, Midvale location.
“When I grow up, I want to be Todd Graves,” the Grammy-nominated artist says as he sits next to Graves.
“Well look at you now,” the executive responds, as the pair offer a cheers, clinking their collector’s cups.
The collector’s cups were originally only available at the Midvale location, but were expanded to all locations due to rising demand, according to a news release from the company. The collection features four designs and will each be available several weeks at a time until Aug. 2. To get the collector’s cups, customers have to say they’d like to “Post Up” their combos for a charge of an additional $1.39.
“Guess I know what I am doing for lunch tomorrow,” said @mathilljr on Twitter, who said they are a resident of Orlando Park, Ill. Some have already claimed their cups, posting photos of them online, including Twitter user @shaylahubley of Fort Worth, Texas, along with others across the country at other locations.
The partnership between Malone, whose real name is Austin Richard Post, and the restaurant started after the artist, a longtime fan of the chain, “made the personal request” to Graves to open a restaurant near his Utah home. The CEO agreed and went a step further, letting Malone collaborate on the design of the location, which features prints inspired by the rapper’s signature tattoos on its outer walls and an outfit worn by the rapper at the 2019 Grammys. Graves has since described Post as a friend.
Malone is kicking off his If Y’all Weren’t Here, I’d Be Crying tour in early July, which includes several stops in Southern California, including shows in San Diego and San Bernardino on Aug. 13 and 19. His previous Twelve Carat tour had a few stalls after an onstage fall and hospitalization. His new album, “Austin,” is expected to be released July 28.