BBC Three’s The Rap Game UK is back for series two and the BAFTA-nominated series is back with a bang in the series premiere.
Krept, Konan and DJ Target are once again trying to find the next up and coming rap star to sign to Play Dirty Records and the three have teamed up with some of the UK’s most important talents to help test the limits of the six hopefuls.
Confirmed mentors this series include Aitch, Yungen, Ms Banks, Kenny Allstar, Rapman, Wretch 32, Young T & Bugsey, D Double E, Deno and Jme.
Like last time, there will be no whittling down or elimination each week. Instead, the rap hopefuls will use the duration of the competition to impress the judges, compete in challenges and hone their craft before the eventual winner is crowned at the end.
In this episode, we meet this year’s contestants, DDroid, Graft, Lesia, Micahh, Shogun and Zones, and we join them as they move into their new luxury Birmingham penthouse which they will call home for the next few weeks.
The penthouse provides birds-eye views of Birmingham and the contestants can also make use of three balconies and a studio.
Hailing from Birmingham, DDroid has recently left the Wavy Gang duo and is ready to make a name for himself as a solo artist.
Former footballer Graft is excited to rep Leeds with his positive and conscious brand of music whilst Zones is ready to rep for women in the arena of raw rap.
Lesia studied music theatre and now wants to take centre stage in the world of rap, Micahh is excited to push forward his afro-trap sound and continue to build himself up after overcoming homelessness and Shogun wants to put Scottish rap on the map.
For the first challenge, the artists are tasked with performing an a capella freestyle.
Some of the hopefuls do well but others leave the judges disappointed with their performances.
Challenge two offers redemption though and with Rapman in tow as guest mentor/judge, the rappers are asked to prepare another 16-bar rap but this time set to an instrumental and with lyrics that detail a moment which changed their lives.
With stories about mental health, addiction, bereavement and homelessness, the lyrics are raw and engaging – with some of the performances really moving the judges.
After an eventful two days of challenges, the contestants are ranked from 1 to 6 based off of their performances and whilst some are left humbled and happy with their rankings, others are left disheartened and tensions begin to run high.
With next week promising a duo challenge which is judged by one of the UK’s biggest groups as well as the much-loved clash challenge which calls on a chart-topping rapper to help judge the ensuing lyrical warfare, you cannot miss episode two of BBC Three’s The Rap Game UK.
Watch BBC Three’s The Rap Game UK on BBC iPlayer now.