For as long as I can remember, the only time I heard mention of the word Hyundai was when it was being used in the context of a joke- generally representing mediocrity in the auto industry. At some point not so long ago, Hyundai seems to have stopped joking around and started building cars that can compete with other imports.

Last Summer, with gas at $4+ per gallon, I decided to capitalize on the fact that rental car companies were pricing their SUV’s cheaper than a Chevy Aveo. I reserved one for a week while traveling- willing to absorb the increased gas cost for the extra room.  I had second thoughts about the decision when I went to retrieve the rental to find a Hyundai Santa Fe was the only SUV available. As the clerk started trying to talk me into a mini-van, I decided to bite the bullet and took the Hyundai.

Once I was able to get over my prejudice to the Hyundai brand, I realized the Santa Fe was actually a good SUV compared to others I’ve driven. It had a lot of features, drove well and was comfortable. It even looked good. I didn’t realize how good it looked until I walked up to an Acura MDX in a parking lot that I had mistaken for the Santa Fe.

A few weeks later I visited a friend who had recently purchased a new Hyundai Sonata sedan. I could tell he was ready for his Hyundai to become a joke that would never get old to me, so he was surprised when I told him the story about the Hyundai I had rented and my new found respect for them.

Today, the Hyundai Genesis (pictured above) was named Car of the Year at the Detroit Auto Show after being named the Top-Rated Upscale Sedan by Consumer Reports earlier this week. The Genesis is outperforming the Acura TL, Lexus ES350 and other well-known luxury brands across the board.

In these tough economic times, maybe Hyundai is setting up to become the best choice for a baller on a budget. Maybe the U.S. auto-makers should study what they’ve done to reinvent them self and take a few notes. I wonder if it was a snobbish pre-disposition that had me convinced Hyundai’s were garbage or if the company truly made really bad cars, but to repent for the years of ridicule I’ll dedicate a post to Hyundai and be one of the first to say; it’s okay to drive a Hyundai.

For some strange reason, this week just about every hip-hop site I’ve visited has included a post featuring a god-awful Youtube video titled, “It’s So Cold in the D”. I kind of feel bad for the cats that made the track, albeit the song is really bad, but there’s plenty of garbage out there so I don’t think the track deserved as much public ridicule as it’s received.

I did a search on Youtube to find the track, having already seen it on various sites, I was curious to find out how much traffic this thing was actually pulling.

Instead I stumbled on another video titled “It’s So Cold in the D”, but this one was a far cry from the joint that we’ve all come to know and love. The video was by another Detroit artist named K.Crump. I’m not sure if his video ironically shared the same title as it’s much-discussed counterpart or if K.Crump just retitled his video to catch traffic. Either way, it worked because I’m thoroughly impressed. If I had to describe the sound, I’d have to say it’s early-Biggie meets M.O.P., which is pretty good company to be in.

So here’s some free promotion for K.Crump for proving that not everyone is cold in the D.

K. Crump