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| A panel of judges at the television rap competition series "Show Me the Money 4" press conference on Wednesday at the 63 Convention Center, Seoul. From left, rapper Paloalto, ZICO of boy band Block B, Jinu, Tablo, Sean of Team YG, Brand New Music's rappers San E, Verbal Jint and AMOG's artists Jay Park and Loco. / Courtesy of CJ E&M |
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| Han Dong-chul, head of production |
Producers of "Show Me the Money," the television rap competition show, have vowed to select winners fairly in its new season, opening opportunities to all kinds of contestants, including professional rappers.
In season one, which aired in 2012, amateur and underground rappers took part in the competition, using it as a gateway to stardom. Loco, winner of season one, signed a contract with independent record label Above Ordinary Music Group, better known as AOMG, and he now joins season four as one of the judges.
However, in season two in 2013, controversy erupted over its fairness as more well-known and established contestants in the underground hip hop community and rappers from entertainment giants such as YG joined the program. Rapper Bobby, of YG's new boy band iKON, won season three, sparking concern over unfair competition.
"This program is open to anybody and we can't only reject rappers (trained under the talent agencies)," said Han Dong-chul, the head of production, during a press meeting at the 63 Convention Center, Seoul. "Everyone has different standards for fairness. Our rule may be or may not be fair for someone. But we won't break our rule that we have set.
"Definitely, an established rapper has an advantage to some extent compared to lesser-known participants and judges take this into consideration during the competition. But a rapper's profile is part of his skill, too. Last season runner-up Iron was not famous in the underground nor did he have an agency."
The production crew of "Show Me the Money" agreed that several professional rappers from entertainment agencies would appear at this season's audition, but they saw it as part of the competition for amateur and underground rappers.
The show's producer, Lee Sang-yoon, said it was the program's responsibility to find a new rap star. This season's qualifying round audition was competitive and many judges felt it was difficult to pick participants who will move on the next round.
Rapper ZICO of a boy band Block B, one of the judges this season, backed the idea of featuring professional rappers.
"Professional rappers were calm and skillful in controlling their feelings in front of the judges," the rapper said. "This season could be a chance to break the stereotype that rapper trainees have no skills."
Professional rappers are Song Min-ho of YG's boy band Winner, Ravi of Jellyfish Entertainment's VIXX and Starship Entertainment's Monsta X rapper Jooheon.
The first episode of the new season, which premiered on Friday, received some 7,000 applicants. The rap show airs at 11 p.m. Saturdays.
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