The "hip-pop princess" opened a powerful prologue, heralding the birth of an unprecedented Korea-Japan joint hip-hop group with a new identity.
The first episode of Mnet's Unpretty Rapstar: Hip-Pop Princess (hereinafter "Hip-Pop Princess"), which aired on the 16th (Thursday), exploded with dopamine as the 40 Korean and Japanese contestants met for the first time and the full-scale "track competition" toward debut began. In the fiercely contested Korea-Japan matchup, which was as intense as a national showdown, a parade of overwhelmingly talented performers raised expectations to a peak. While inheriting the DNA of Unpretty Rapstar, the fact that Korean and Japanese contestants self-produce their stages stands out as Hip-Pop Princess's distinct differentiator compared with existing auditions.
The opening stage was a joint performance by the main producers. The first track and title song of Hip-Pop Princess, "Do my thang," was performed. Starting with the powerful entrance of i-dle (아이들) So-yeon, the solo MC and main producer, the stage was completed with Gaeko's ear-pounding rapping, Riehata's surprising rap skills, and the presence of Iwata Takanori, creating an overwhelming performance. The producers' stages, which contained the paths and stories each had walked, and the large-scale group choreography performed by the 40 Korean and Japanese contestants were enough to send shivers down the spine.
The first meeting of the 40 Korean and Japanese contestants, signaling the start of the full-fledged survival, was also riveting. Contestants who showcased their individuality and charm with various keywords such as "hip-hop DNA," "Korea-Japan boss baby," and "street dance fighter J" appeared one after another. Notable moments included EVNNE member Keita's younger sister Rina's challenge and Nam Yuju, who narrowly missed debuting on Island 2, drawing attention. In particular, talented rapper Yoon Seoyoung, recognized by Chanmina, and SNS star Nico, who received shout-outs from Lee Youngji and Code Kunst, ranked first in the pre-evaluation between Korea and Japan, raising the tension on site simply with their appearances.
Unpretty Rapstar's trademark introduction cypher was also indispensable. Listening to the beat and the first contestant to grab the mic would start rapping, and a probing battle unfolded according to the Korea-Japan ranking groups. Unlike confident Korea, Japan had a tense atmosphere, but once the cypher started, contestants transformed and unleashed hidden skills. The fierce contest for the mic even escalated to physical scuffles, quickly pushing the on-site tension to a peak. So-yeon, the youngest Unpretty Rapstar contestant who returned as MC and main producer after nine years, watched the contestants' stages and expressed deep emotion.
Especially, the cypher showdown between J-hip's top Nico and K-hip's top Yoon Seoyoung was undoubtedly the highlight. Following Nico, who dominated the stage with unique energy, Yoon Seoyoung counterattacked with intense rapping, deepening immersion. Regarding the duel between the two, So-yeon praised them, saying "I was overwhelmed." In the "No. 2 matchup," Coco, who shook fans' hearts with a neck-cutting gesture, and Nam Yuju, who showed her unmistakable presence, had a fierce battle, and Kim Doi, who learned rap for the first time this year, also left a strong impression with spine-tingling skills.
After warming up, the contestants finally entered the full track competition. The first mission, the "hip-pop challenge," was a stage to reinvent a K-pop song into a new genre called "hip-pop" by adding original rap and performance, and it was an important battleground to determine the owner of the title track. The first matchup was Japan A team versus Korea A team, composed of the No. 1–5 ranked talents, boasting an avengers-level lineup. In the mission where contestants directly created the rap, choreography, and styling, they completed a new stage by applying their own production to ITZY's "WANNABE."
Japan A team earned praise from the main producers with a performance that made the original song forgettable, and Korea A team also responded with an overwhelming performance. So-yeon and Iwata Takanori praised both teams' high level of completion, saying, "Can such a great stage come out of an audition?" and "It's amazing that the same song can produce such different stages." The first victory went to Korea. However, in individual scores, Nico ranked ahead of Yoon Seoyoung, further heightening the tension in the Korea-Japan matchup. Who will ultimately claim the title track for their country, and how the contestants will grow through collaboration beyond competition, are drawing attention.
After the broadcast, viewers in both Korea and Japan have continued to praise the contestants' self-producing capabilities, the freshness of the composition, and the positive synergy among the producers.
Korean viewers responded with comments such as "a fresh format not seen in existing survival shows" and "it's surprising that self-producing rap, dance, and styling are included in the evaluation criteria," while Japanese viewers also gave favorable evaluations such as "high immersion and differentiated composition from the first episode," "the synergy between talented contestants and producers is promising," and "the stage completion is excellent."
Meanwhile, Hip-Pop Princess airs every Thursday at 9:50 p.m. (KST) on Mnet and is available in Japan through U-NEXT.
[Photo] Mnet
[OSEN]