"Hip-Pop Princess"'s third track competition ended, reversing the contestants' fates.
On the 27th (Thursday) episode of Mnet's Unpretty Rapstar: Hip-Pop Princess (hereafter "Hip-Pop Princess") episode 7, the unfinished third track competition "True Battle" continued. Amid ingenious ideas beyond diss battles and a parade of legendary stages, the contest was decided by a mere 0.1-point difference, and a total of 30 people advanced to the next mission.
The "True Battle" was a team-based diss battle over two tracks, "Jjangkkeomppo" and "KITTY MONEY," where two teams per song battled fiercely to claim the new songs. There were four rounds in total: 2 vs. 2 performances that added viewing fun with clever props and staging, 5 vs. 5 dance battles that deployed high-difficulty skills from acrobatics to waacking, and 1 vs. 1 ace rap battles (Korea, Japan) that showcased rap technique and creativity. The owners of each new song were chosen, and participants' fortunes diverged.
As record-level performances poured out on every stage, the producers also applauded. Bada, who participated as a special judge, praised, "These days the contestants' skill levels are really high and the performance quality was amazing. I wonder what I was doing at that age. I was happy throughout watching because many contestants proved not superficially but what they truly want to do." Soyeon, who has experience in diss battles, said, "The young contestants must have experienced this type of diss battle for the first time and it must have been difficult. I had similar experiences when I was young, so I want to applaud them for doing so well," warmly acknowledging the contestants' burdens.
The eliminated contestants were Hanabi, Kwon Do-hee, Lee Chae-yeon, Lee Seo-hyun, Natsuho, and Shin Yu-gyeong. A total of six eliminations occurred from the two defeated teams. The razor-thin contest and fate decided by a mere 0.1-point margin left the venue full of apology and sorrow, bringing tears. Riehata encouraged the eliminated contestants, saying, "This can't end here. I hope you confront yourself more and show your inner potential."
With 30 contestants, the fourth track competition finally opened. This mission, the "special producer new song mission," pits two new songs prepared by special producers against each other, and VERBAL (m-flo), the hip-hop artist who led the 2000s J-POP phenomenon, joined as a special producer, raising expectations. VERBAL said, "The overall level was so high that honestly it was really difficult to rank them," expressing admiration for the contestants' skills. The track competition included a remake of the legendary hit "the Love Bug," which BoA featured on in 2004 and gained great popularity in both Korea and Japan, reimagined as the "Hip-Pop Princess" version, and a new song VERBAL prepared for this competition, heightening the atmosphere at the venue.
Above all, this mission promised even fiercer competition because three teams face off per song. In particular, a shocking rule was revealed that one of the three teams would not even take the stage, causing a collective meltdown. In the midterm evaluation in which VERBAL participated directly, the surprising results of the three teams preparing "the Love Bug" were revealed, raising tension at the venue. Viewers' anticipation is also growing over how the 2025 "Hip-Pop Princess" version of "the Love Bug" will be born.
Growing hotter with each episode, "Hip-Pop Princess" airs every Thursday at 9:50 p.m. KST on Mnet and is available in Japan through U-NEXT.
[Photo] Mnet
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