Mic Check

“Success is when preparation meets opportunity. Prepare yourself for the next opportunity.”
– T.I.

The highly anticipated Netflix Original rap competition reality show series, Rhythm & Flow, hosted by T.I., Chance the Rapper and Cardi B, aired on October 9, 2019. These three, searched in their hometowns, Atlanta, Chicago, and New York respectively, and were hard pressed to find the next voice in Hip Hop. As a fan of music, pop culture, and hip hop, I’ve been hooked. I literally binged watched the whole season (yes it’s that good)!

​First let’s talk about the judges. Each one offers a different point of view, and represents the diversity of Hip-Hop’s ever evolving sound. Chance the Rapper, represents the independent sound and wave of Hip-Hop culture, where as Cardi B., represents the trendy sound of Hip-Hop “Kulture” and the space for female MCs right now in music; and T.I. represents the authenticity and innovative sound of Hip Hop, the consistency that it takes to remain in that space and the longevity that one can have within the music industry.

At its core, Hip-Hop is the expression of cultural experience set to a track. To convey the story well, and bring awareness takes a tremendous amount of practice, skill, preparation, and talent, and marketability. In Rhythm & Flow, each judge was looking for that whole package. Who could best represent what Hip-Hop is, what it stands for, and where it has the potential to go?  The eclectic group of talent that T.I., Chance, and Cardi found truly makes for a great show. These individuals are artists in their own right, doing what they love, and have now been provided a platform to showcase their talent on a grander stage. Guaranteed, you will vibe with, champion on, and have your favorites, but one thing I appreciated is that you will learn to respect the hustle of each upcoming MC.

In this series, viewers get a bit of everything: passion, respectful rivalry, tension, suspense, honest insight about the music business, surprise guests, mega producers, great storylines, and perhaps most importantly, real hip-hop. Each challenge given by the judges builds on the next, and their criticism is in love, but its also no cut cards.  The show is exciting, because it feels like you, as the viewer, are getting a front row seat to something historic.
3 judges. 30 contestants. 10 episodes. 1 winner, and a non-contractual prize of $250,000 dollars at stake.
If you are a true music lover and seek to get a deeper look inside the industry and what it takes to make it in this musical climate, I encourage you to watch Rhythm & Flow on Netflix.

Photo by Dawid Łabno on Unsplash