Cupcake Cake

{{Release | Name=Cupcake Cake | Artist=Mike Shinoda | Release=Dropped Frames, Vol. 1 | Cover=CupcakeCakeArt.png | Working title=4.23 Bollywood | Recorded=2020 | Released=July 10, 2020 | Format=Digital | Length=3:15 | Stems= | Time signature= | Tempo= | Key= | Samples= | References= | Live debut= | Last played= | Writer=Mike Shinoda | Producer=Mike Shinoda | Label=Kenji Kobayashi Productions | Misc=Template:Extra track listing "Cupcake Cake" is the fourth track on the "Dropped Frames, Vol. 1" instrumental release by Mike Shinoda.

Background

"Cupcake Cake" is a song by Mike Shinoda made during the 2020 global COVID-19 pandemic.

In March 2020, the global pandemic created by the COVID-19 coronavirus caused communities to quarantine at home. During this time, Mike Shinoda decided to start live streaming online and inviting fans to watch him create new instrumental music.

"Cupcake Cake" was a track made by Mike on April 23, 2020 under the working title "4.23 Bollywood." This CoronaJam was a fan request by a fan named karmadoll that Mike picked to do in the style of Bollywood Hip Hop.^[1]

Mike said, "We have a fan request today. It's been an interesting week. We've done an art day, we did the melodic metal today, today we've got Bollywood hip hop. It was a request, karmadoll requested it. So let's jump into this track. Preloaded a few things here into Maschine, got our sample, this was from sounds.com. It's actually a few different things. I added a few percussive things over the top of it. I was feeling on this one some different sounds... my first thought was to do something more like "boom, bap." Maybe we'll throw a little swing on it."

The title of the song is likely a nod by Mike to fans, who would continually write "cake, cake, cup" in the Twitch chat whenever the track came up on Mike's playlist.

Mike held a listening party on Twitch for "Dropped Frames, Vol. 1" on July 10, 2020, the day of the album's release.^[2] About "Cupcake Cake", he said, "This one was called Bollywood Cupcake, or it was called Bollywood something. This was from the Bowl of Destiny. Was it karmadoll, were you the one who you suggested the Bollywood? Yeah, it was like Bollywood hip hop was the suggestion. I don't think you guys heard the ending as it is on the record here. I tightened up the beat at the end. I wanted it to almost feel like OutKast. You hear that reference? I wanted it to feel almost like "Hey Ya" or something. Just clean sampled drums. Oh and this keyboard solo over it was bonkers. Do you remember? I just like jammed out the most random notes, chopped u the keyboard parts, and placed them into phrasing. This was like, so weird, such a cool, weird way to put that together."