Kia was coming off quite the run of hip hop-themed TV commercials in 2011 following the success of its hamster-based series for the Soul that kicked off a year earlier.
So Kia Australia decided to get into the act with its advertising for the 2011 Sportage, reaching deep back into rap's origins for its soundtrack.
The Message was the title track and third single from Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five's debut album in 1982 (that's 25 years before the iPhone, kids!). It was considered revolutionary at the time due to its social commentary and musical innovation, and is credited with being the song that catapulted emcees from the background to the forefront of hip hop and gave birth to a whole new wave of socially-aware hip hop acts.
So, of course it was the perfect fit to advertise a mid-size SUV.
Using the tag-line "Grow up, not old" the ad features a young father rapping along to The Message in his Sportage, getting deeper into the fantasy as he drives along, to the point that Grandmaster Melle Mel and Scorpio from the Furious Five appear in the car alongside him.
The illusion is shattered, however, when he pulls into his driveway and his wife enquires if he remembered to pick up nappies.
While the advertisement was a Kia Australia initiative, The Message was actually far more successful on our side of the ditch, where it scored its highest chart position worldwide when it hit the number 2 spot here in 1982.