Caltex and Def Jam challenge SEA fans with tongue-twisting TikTok rap battle

Caltex, a subsidiary of Chevron Corporation, has partnered with Universal Music Group’s flagship hip-hop label, Def Jam Southeast Asia for a rap challenge. Titled the #Caltexunstoppablestar campaign, the challenge will run on TikTok, celebrating the joy of driving and the freedom of journeys. At the same time, the campaign also aims to engage musicians and fans across Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines. 

The rap challenge was conceptualised and executed by VMLY&R. Featuring a unique 60-second rap song, participants will be challenged to rap the song in four 15-second sections, each increasing in speed and difficulty. Participants can also use TikTok filters to spice up their own rap videos and express how they cannot be stopped from enjoying their journey. Caltex will also hand out prizes to videos that have impressed them.

The song was co-written and co-produced for Caltex by SonaOne from Def Jam Southeast Asia and performed by artists such as Malaysia’s Joe Flizzow, Thailand’s Daboyway and the Philippines Matthaios. SonaOne, also known as Mikael Adam Lozach, is an award-winning rapper of French-Malay parentage. According to Def Jam's website, some of his top hits were "No More", "Ape Khabar" and "Firefly". A+M has reached out to Caltex for additional information regarding the campaign. 

While it has only been 10 days since the launch, the campaign has already garnered more than 600 million views on the hashtag page with several unique submissions from participants, at the time of writing. The campaign is running in Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines from 18 February to 24 April. A+M has reached out to Caltex for additional information regarding the campaign. 

“Hip-hop is highly influential across the region,” said CEO of Universal Music Group Southeast Asia, Calvin Wong. “With some of Southeast Asia’s biggest rappers performing on the track, we’re excited to see how fans and users take the song to the next level through this partnership," he added.

Meanwhile, Valerie Madon, VMLY&R Asia's chief creative officer, said she finds singing in a car a universal joy. "Caltex is focused on enabling drivers to enjoy their journeys. Sharing energy and new music through this project encompasses the human spirit we are championing and keep empowering as the VMLY&R brand," Madon explained. 

“VMLY&R and Def Jam Southeast Asia helped Chevron encapsulate Caltex’s #unstoppable ethos through a fun and unique campaign. With Caltex’s unbeatable mileage, users can keep on going, and fuel stops become one less thing holding them back from what they want to achieve, be it performing as a rap artist or running daily errands!” said Dean Gilbert, Chevron Corporation's general manager for marketing and sales support. 

This is not the first time Caltex has launched a filter on a social media platform. Following the news that Singaporean leaner motorists have to undergo compulsory simulator training in 2020, Caltex Singapore jumped on the opportunity to launch an Instagram filter game. The game was conceptualised by Wavemaker Singapore.

At the same time, Caltex Singapore also tapped on local content creator, Jianhao Tan, Night Owl Cinematics team and SGAG team to be the first wave of players to challenge one another. Targeting the younger demographics, the Caltex spokesperson said at that time that KOLs such as Jianhao Tan, Night owl Cinematics and SGAG had a strong affinity with the gaming segment as well as the younger audience on Instagram.

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