For those that aren’t already watching, Show Me The Money is a rap competition show that airs on Mnet. In the same fashion as one of the hottest music competition shows on television, The Voice, the contestants are put into teams, lead by some of the hottest stars in the Korean hip hop scene. These poor souls contestants compete in ridiculous activities and live performance competitions until one is crowned as the winner. The winner receives 1,000,000 won and a car*. And that, ladies and gentlemen of OneHallyu, is the dumbed down version of Show Me The Money.
But if you are interested in learning more, keep reading.
Who’s on the show?
There are four “producer teams,” which consist of some big names in the industry. However, some of the contestants aren’t nobodies who just stumbled into the auditions. You may recognize some of the team members, as idols and underground legends are sprinkled throughout the lineup.
Team Hi-Lite (Zico & Paloalto)
Idol producer and rapper, and former underground king, Zico, is teamed up with the rapper most known for his meaningful lyrics, head of label Hi-Lite, Paloalto.
Their team consists of: One (of 1Punch), Mino (of WINNER), Andup, and Ja Mezz
Team Brand New Music (San-E & Verbal Jint)
Popular artist and host of Unpretty Rapstar, San-E, is teamed up with well-known lyricist and rapper, Verbal Jint.
Their team consists of: Hanhae (of Phantom), Basick (of Jiggy Fellaz), Microdot (of ALL BLACK), and Blacknut
Team AOMG (Jay Park & Loco)
The founder and CEO of AOMG and idol singer, Jay Park, is teamed up with one of his star artists and winner of SMTM1, Loco.
Their team consists of: Geegoin (of Rhythm Power), David Kim (of DMTN/Dalmation), Sik-K, and Lil Boi (of Geeks)
Team YG (Tablo & Jinusean)
Well-known leader of hip hop group Epik High and CEO of record label HIGHGRND, Tablo, is teamed up with blast-from-the-past rap duo, Jinusean.
Their team consists of: Incredivle, Superbee, Innovator (of Jiggy Fellaz), and Newchamp
How are the contestants chosen?
Show Me The Money has a very open-door first round of auditions. You simply apply and show up, ready to wait for hours for your ridiculously short audition with one of the producers. This year, over 7000 people showed up to auditions (I would say “rappers,” but let’s be real. Some people just want to be on television).
After the first round, we are left with significantly less hopefuls, and that’s where the fun really begins. From this point forward, the show is a clusterf#@* of questionable editing and over-the-top elimination methods. The most notable would be the 30-person-cypher, where nearly 30 contestants were given one microphone and told to all rap within 10 minutes, with the beats changing on a whim. Then, to top it off, they had to do all of this in front of Snoop Dogg. No, I’m not joking.
All of the antics are to throw out rappers here and there, all to get to the coveted Top 16 ranking. Personally, I wouldn’t call this a rap competition until the Top 16. At this point, writing and performance is of the utmost importance. Also, if you are a hip hop fan, the producer teams work side-by-side with their team members to write and record tracks that are later released for purchase (and the songs are pretty good). If you haven’t picked up the show, now would be the time to start watching, because the competition is getting fierce, which is great television.
Be honest. Is the show any good, Holke?
Surprisingly, yes!
I’m not really that interested in music competition shows, so I haven’t caught onto the current wave of KPOP group making shows, and I didn’t previously follow Show Me The Money or Unpretty Rapstar.
Although the editing can make the show a little dramatic at times, the show is generally enjoyable because of the personalities and the performances. The four producer teams each have a unique dynamic that is fun to watch, and I got to get to know some big names that I had previously ignored because of personal bias (just being honest). Did anyone else know how hilarious Tablo is? I had no idea. He cracks me up!
The only downside (for me): Show Me The Money 4 has been filming for a couple of months, but is still actively filming. The footage that we see is probably around a month old, so your favorite contestant that you’re cheering for may have already been kicked off of the show. Because of the weeks in between filming and airing, it’s hard to go online and not get elimination spoilers.
And just so you know, I’m a fan of Blacknut.
If you are a OneHallyu user, I would suggest checking out the official Show Me The Drama Money 4 Thread. Get in the conversation. Most spoilers are put under a cut, so you don’t get smacked in the face with elimination news early. There’s a lot of great info on the contestants that you won’t find compiled anywhere else, so check it out!!
Who is your favorite contestant? Who is your favorite producer team? Let me know in the comments!
*This information was revised. Thank you, reader.
