FEATURE:
Popularity Over Purity
IN THIS PHOTO: Krept & Konan are fronting a new show, The Rap Game UK, for BBC Three (it is based on the popular U.S. format, The Rap Game) alongside DJ Target/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
Why a New British Rap Talent Show Is a Step Too Far
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I am not sure when the T.V. music talent format will die…
IN THIS PHOTO: Stefflon Don is one of the most talented and striking rappers on the U.K. scene/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
but every ounce of commercial possibility has been wrung! My feelings are clear regarding long-running shows like The Voice and The X Factor. These shows are not concerned with authenticity and actual talent. In fact, there is no need validity to any music talent show. The design is not to discover an enduring and original artist who can survive for years. Instead, the same sort of generic and manufactured people are seen on the screens. In the history of every music talent show, is there honesty anyone you truly love and has remained in the heart? Even the more successful stars like Olly Murs are not exactly ubiquitous and memorable. The artists that compete on talent shows are defined for the Pop charts; to be as disposable as possible and not really challenge. People who go on talent shows mean well but they are sort of skipping the queue and are playing for celebrity and a record contract rather than any sort of respect and longevity. It has grown very boring and the finest albums artists have not come from talent shows but from other avenues – has there ever been a talent show contestant who has transcended the spectacle and sob stories of the shows and actually stood out as a name to watch? I think the music talent show format needs to die out because we get the same hype and attention that has nothing to do with unique and promising artists and everything to do with T.V. ratings and headlines.
It is thoroughly boring and, in a crowded music scene, we should be encouraging artists to do things the right way: not rely on T.V. shows and that empty lure of big contracts and judges’ approval. Many people do like music talent shows but you cannot say they are the go-to when it comes to unearthing the next generation’s stars. Real and authentic music needs to come from individuals and original thought and not what record labels want and T.V. audiences crave. There is this split between those who want empty and easy Pop music and people who have no time for these pointless shows. Just when you think the format has run its course, a new show is popping up: The Rap Game UK is a show designed to find the next big Rap/Hip-Hop star. Whilst the idea of a British Rap talent show is a lot cooler and less chart-based than the usual fare, it remains the same: it is a talent show that doesn’t need to exist. We no longer live in a time when artists need recording contracts and cannot release music without a big deal – that would not even be an excuse to have a talent show. The idea is to find this sort of diamond in the rough artist who will then be mentored by rappers Krept & Konan – they will be signed to their Dirty label.
IN THIS PHOTO: Queen Latifah front theThe Rap Game alongside Jermaine Dupri/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
This article from The Guardian explains more:
“BBC Three is, this week, launching its own version of The Rap Game, the US version of which has now been running for five seasons, fronted by rap svengali Jermaine Dupri alongside Queen Latifah. The Rap Game UK is a somewhat more low-key take. South London rappers Krept & Konan and BBC 1Xtra’s head of music and grime OG DJ Target will mentor seven unsigned MCs, who have been flung together in a soulless-looking penthouse in Birmingham for a) the purposes of our entertainment and b) the chance to win a recording contact with Krept & Konan’s Play Dirty label. The show is the latest series to prove that the appetite for rap-themed talent telly is still growing.
Maybe a Rap-themed show provides distraction and an alternative from the tacky and formulaic talent shows that want to uncover the next big Pop thing but I wonder what the point of The Rap Game UK is. Rap, to me, is about these underground artists working their way through the ranks and getting the word out; starting small but building up respectfully; never yearning for big-money deals: they are trying to get something pure and real out into the world. Whilst Rap has not penetrated the mainstream as you’d hope, there are a lot of great British Rap artists out there. From Stromzy and Skepta to Lady Leshurr and Stefflon Don; they are fusing Rap and Grime to wonderful effect.
I think the U.S. has a stronger Rap scene but there are some potent British artists – such as Dave and Little Simz – who should be leading the way. Look at someone like Dave the fact that he has built this career from grinding and working tirelessly to get his music out there. He recently played Glastonbury and it would have given inspiration to those out there who want to follow in his footsteps. What about the artists who cannot get on the new show? When the winner does get announced, they will be made to sound like Krept & Konan; something their label can mould and put out into the world. On the surface, it might sound different to all the other talent shows but it really is not. How about the people who will compete for a recording contract? Where will they come from?
“When it came to casting, a shout-out for applications was placed on social media; artists were also flagged by the BBC’s own in-house new music launchpad BBC Introducing. One of them was former admin assistant Lady Ice, an MC from Manchester, whose super-fast flow is peppered with patois. She has already freestyled for Toddla T on 1Xtra and isn’t new to the televised talent show hustle, either. As a teenager, she got through to The X Factor’s bootcamp stage as part of a grime duo with her cousin, but they left the show after he had a change of heart. Back then she was gutted, but she has since realised it might not have been the best way to forge a career”.
IN THIS PHOTO: Stormzy/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
I can understand why broadcasters would want to capitalise on the rise of rappers like Stormzy and uncover someone similar. I do not recall any of these big artists going through the talent show route. Maybe they had local contests and got to flex their muscles in small venues but they did not need to go through T.V. and seek the approval of judges. I have a lot of respect for British Rap but a talent show cheapens the genre and seems like a pointless exercise. Krept & Konan are hardly household names and are far weaker than peers that I have just mentioned. Maybe they will find a talent artist but that particular person already has that ability and they could put their music online and find a fanbase doing things that way. T.V. shows are just fast-tracking artists and, again, it is not about discovering the best out there and…well, I am not sure what the point is. If one wants to showcase the great Rap potential out there, we are all in favour of that. Make a documentary or put playlists together; have festivals dedicated to these great artists. Having a T.V. show controlled by individuals looking for artists that fit their bill lacks a sense of ubiquity and popular consensus – will there be voting on this show? I think talent shows are innately cruel because they rely on sob stories and there is that rejection of not making it.
Rather than search for a single artist who can go all the way, I think we should be doing a lot more to promote Rap as a whole and showcase schemes and courses that helps young artists hone their craft and get the industry support they need. The Rap Game UK is just a T.V. show that is a step too far. As I said earlier: how many winners from The Voice and The X Factor do you listen to and are blown away by?! I think the same will be true of whoever wins The Rap Game UK. Where does this cycle end? Will we have a talent contest for Jazz artists or D.J.s? Do we then move into band territories or hunt for the next big producer?! I am all in favour of supporting great genres and throwing some love the way of those who deserve it. Modern Pop is okay but I do worry that it has declined over the decades. Are we looking to T.V. shows to find the next generation rather than urging Pop artists to write for themselves or find a sound that steps away from the commercial and thruway? The most interesting Pop artists of the moment are deeper, more intelligent and intriguing than the carbon copy artists we see on talent shows. I worry the same will happen with U.K. Rap if we encourage talent formats to thrive. The Guardian’s article continues:
We will have to wait to see if the show can uncover new talent and make them ubiquitous, Olly Murs-style. But maybe that’s not really the point. Maybe it’s about finally making space for a credible British hip-hop show that truly understands that world, as well as its audience. “There hasn’t been much for me to scream and shout about on UK talent shows in the past, especially when it comes to rappers; that’s why this programme is so necessary and relevant,” says DJ Target. “We’ve been working very hard to deliver something that’s real.” It looks like they’re not too far off”.
I question the motive of a U.K. Rap show and whether it is more about cashing in on the talent show movement or genuinely trying to find a diamond. The U.K. Rap scene is growing and busy and I think judges will be looking to mould the ‘next Stormzy/Skepta’ rather than allow an artist to be themselves and utilise their own voice. I can applaud anyone who wants to promote and augment British Rap music but The Rap Game UK is really…
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
NOT the right way to do things.