Elton John Sings His Heart Out During a Rap Battle in Hilarious New Snickers Ad

Sir Elton John is a man of many talents, but winning a rap battle isn't one of them

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Published on August 30, 2018 06:03 PM

Sir Elton John is a man of many talents, but winning a rap battle isn’t one of them.

In a new Snickers commercial that premiered on Thursday, the 71-year-old singer becomes the latest famous face to appear in the brand’s “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” campaign.

In the humorous ad, John stars as the “hungry” version of the rapper Boogie. When it becomes time for the rising star to spit his best flow in a rap battle, John appears in his place and proceeds to launch into an off-key rendition of his 1976 hit “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.”

However, one of his friends quickly stops the singer and advises him to “eat a Snickers,” explaining that “you always your edge when you’re hungry.”

After biting into the sweet treat, John turns back into the rapper, who takes part in the rap battle with ease.

“They key to winning an epic rap battle? A SNICKERS, duh,” the brand wrote on Twitter alongside a video of the new ad.

“Most people already know I’ve long been an advocate of hip-hop, and that’s why I wanted be a part of
this–I got to hang out with Boogie and some great hip-hop talent from the U.K. too,” John said in a statement about the commercial, according to Adweek.

Continuing, he remarked: “I love the direction the new Snickers ads have humorously portrayed being off your game when you’re hungry, but in a way that’s current and relevant to young people, especially considering hip-hop is one of the biggest music genres in the world today.”

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In addition to being a huge fan of the ad, John was partially responsible for Boogie’s involvement.

“We worked with the talent team and Boogie to put together a virtual audition,” Amir Kashani, who made the deal on the rapper’s behalf, told Variety. “He dropped a freestyle over FaceTime and iPhone videos — and the choice really came down to the director and Sir Elton on whom to cast.”

“Connecting with Elton John was also huge. His musical knowledge is crazy, he’s super in tune with current hip-hop,” the rapper added.