"He's super in-tune with current hip-hop"

Elton John has taken part in a rap battle for a new Snickers advert in the US, with the artist taking on the role of rising rapper Boogie’s “hungry” alter-ego.

After Boogie’s turn is announced in the battle, John unexpectedly appears and sings a snippet of his 1976 duet with Kiki Dee, ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’ – much to the bemusement of party-goers. A Snickers is then presented to him, which helps John/Boogie turn back into his true self and the rap battle is then resumed.

John reportedly took a hands-on role in casting the advert, and viewed a number of auditions with director Andreas Nilsson before settling on Boogie – watch the clip below.

Nilsson has previously been involved in adverts for the likes of 2 Chainz and David Guetta.

“Working with Andreas was a blessing,” Boogie told Variety about the commercial. “This was in a way my acting debut and he made that transition so easy… Connecting with Elton John was also huge. His musical knowledge is crazy, he’s super in tune with current hip-hop.”

Dale Green, global brand director of Snickers added: “Elton holds the title of Billboard’s No. 1 male artist of all time, and is one of the most prolific and successful singer-songwriters of his generation.

“In pairing Elton and his 50-plus years of multi-genre hits with Boogie, a hip-hop artist on the brink of stardom in today’s most popular category, we can connect with our audiences over a shared love of music.”

Back in April, Eddie The Eagle actor Taron Egerton was cast in the upcoming Elton John biopic Rocketman.