Series 2 of BBC Three’s The Rap Game UK continues and the heat has been increased this week on the contestants.
Last week in the series premiere, we saw DDroid, Graft, Lesia, Micahh, Shogun and Zones move into their new luxury Birmingham penthouse and perform an intense 16 bar challenge for Rapman.
The six rap hopefuls were then ranked and left either validated or reeling and ready for redemption in the next round.
This week, the six are paired up amongst each other and tasked with creating a collaborative track which they then had to perform for guest judges Young T & Bugsey.
With tracks like “Strike A Pose” featuring Aitch and “Don’t Rush” with Headie One, the duo are no stranger to hits and are quick to offer the rappers some gems of wisdom.
The pairings vibe with each other and build chemistry as they find cultural similarities with each other and avenues for compromise.
With shared heritages, matching clothing, commendable displays of leadership and matched energy shown in the performances, Krept, Konan, DJ Target and Young T & Bugsey are left impressed and take their time to unanimously decide the winner of the challenge.
The synergy and comradeship doesn’t stay in place for long though as the former pairings are pitted against each other for the infamous live clash challenge.
The clash asks for friend to become foe and the rappers are tasked with going bar-for-bar with their opponent in front of a live Birmingham audience.
With seasoned lyrical warrior Yungen taking the helms as judge and the competition heating up thanks to cold-blooded lyrical assassinations, this clash is a moment that cannot be missed.
Unfortunately for one of the contestants, the heat gets a bit too much to handle which causes them to make the decision to leave the competition just before the clash.
The early departure creates waves in the luxury penthouse but with the music industry often being unpredictable and volatile, the contestants must quickly adapt to their new normal.
With a new arrival joining the competition, feathers are ruffled and everyone is reminded once again how quickly popularity and positioning can change once this week’s rankings are revealed.
The stakes are set to rise once again in next week’s episode which promises an intense quick turnaround writing session and mentors in the form of two of the UK’s most prolific MCs.
Watch BBC Three’s The Rap Game UK on BBC iPlayer now.