With new faces, the foundational hip-hop survival show "Show Me the Money" returns for season 12.
On the 15th, at the Elliena Hotel in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Mnet held a press conference for "Show Me the Money 12." Attendees included CP Choi Hyo-jin and eight producers (ZICO·Crush, GRAY·Loco, Jay Tong·Hurki Shibaseki, Lil Moshpit·Park Jae-beom).
Since its first broadcast in 2012, Mnet's "Show Me the Money," which led the popularization of hip-hop in Korea, marks its twelfth season. As it returns after about three years, the new season—boasting the largest number of applicants and episodes in the show's history and an expansion to the OTT platform TVING—promises a significantly expanded scale.
Choi Hyo-jin, the CP who also directed seasons 10 and 11, said, "Because the broadcast is in January, it means we're returning after about four years. It's been a long time since we've been on air and in production, so we agonized a lot while planning. I think there are about three main points for this season. The first is the producers. The eight producers I am proud of are the key point. We managed to recruit very capable producers this season, and these artists are giving their all at every shoot. If you always watch the seasons, you'll know that good, cool music comes out. I hope you'll watch because you'll be able to hear a lot of attractive music."
He added, "And since it's a program returning after about four years, there were a lot of people. Looking at the participants, many had diverse charms," and said, "Also, because it's been a long time, we pondered the program's composition and what kind of fun the audience would enjoy. As has already been revealed, we expanded regional preliminaries beyond Seoul and held global rounds, which many people joined. We could hear rap in various languages, so through our program we can introduce not only artists based in Korea but also a variety of others. In fact, we expanded the regional preliminaries partly because we expected many applicants after such a long break, and we considered what differentiation could deliver a new narrative, so I hope you'll look forward to it."
He also spoke about global participants. CP Choi said, "I worried about whether raps in other languages would be conveyed well to the producers, but during judging I saw that there are aspects that are understood within the music. Even if the language is different, the artist's attitude, momentum and expressiveness, when combined with the lyrics, convey charm, so artists who participated in the global preliminaries may stand out a lot in terms of narrative. The producers enjoyed it, and among the producers there are many who are multilingual, so even with interpreters communication went smoothly," he said with a laugh.
ZICO explained, "Our team's color is that both of us are artists who cross many genres, so we will not only showcase what contestants are good at but also have them try various genres to maximize their potential. Above all, an important point is that the "Show Me" program itself is delivered to both the public and fans. We are working to create results that satisfy both channels."
ZICO also said, "Hip-hop is a genre that follows trends quickly, and Korean hip-hop changes at such a rapid pace that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it shifts every three to four months. Yet artists with their own colors show that their intrinsic qualities don't change. Hip-hop may change its outward form, but I think it's important that its core remains unshaken. As you'll see this season, the show doesn't gather only people who perform a single genre just because one trend is dominant; there are things we can newly show through this Show Me. There are people who give you confidence in that. There are so many diverse people, each with different colors," raising expectations.
Crush said, "Since ZICO has been preparing and working for a long time, their teamwork is so good that there was, needless to say, a kind of telepathy. That seems to have greatly contributed to teamwork with the contestants through each round."
Crush also began by discussing the influence of "Show Me," saying, "It's so many things that it's hard to summarize. You can't deny that Korean hip-hop can serve as a medium for popular access. It seems to be a program of great significance. That is probably why I joined as a producer. As someone who loves the Korean hip-hop genre and its culture, I sincerely hope this can be an opportunity to help a bit more."
He continued, "Our bodies may be weary, but the CP is working so hard he can't sleep for a week. That, I think, is proof that through this program we're trying to reach the hearts of viewers beyond TV for the Korean public. All the producers here feel this, but our ambition is to show various narratives within the program sincerely and enjoyably, regardless of hip-hop subgenre, for people who love hip-hop. We also want to give resonance to many people and the contestants through music."
Park Jae-beom boasted about the teamwork with Lil Moshpit, saying, "Moshpit and I seem to have the same taste and sense. We have good chemistry when we work together and just enjoy it. We've known each other for a long time. Because we're close, it's fun and enjoyable. There are many reasons to laugh." He added, "Our goal is not to do "Show Me" calculatively, but to keep showing our spirit and style." This season held preliminaries in various countries, and Park Jae-beom said, "There were participants who presented traditional costumes related to their country's culture. It was interesting. Hearing music in different languages was refreshing and shocking. For me, this is my fourth Show Me; I've done music for a long time and released many songs, so hearing so many different languages was fun," sharing his thoughts on the more globalized Show Me.
Park Jae-beom especially said, "As K-pop's level of completion has risen recently, the boundary between pop and hip-hop seems to have blurred. Rap has a low barrier to entry. Because anyone can imitate it with a little effort, it feels lighter. So it can be perceived as 'kids' play,' posing or flexing, which has led to some misconceptions and weakened its mass appeal." He added, "So my personal goal is not to chase mass appeal but to make it clear we're doing Show Me for what it is. If we show the spirit and authenticity of what we've done, perhaps people will feel, 'This is real hip-hop.'"
Lil Moshpit said, "It's been a long time since I've known hyung, so I'm enjoying filming very much. We want to remind people why the culture we love is cool. I want to reintroduce why the Show Me program resonated with and was loved by the public."
Loco said, "We put our body and soul into this. Thanks to many people's efforts, it seems it will be shown in an entertaining way," and added, "Our team's goal is to aim for victory in the competition. Because viewers will enjoy watching, we aim to win. We have great chemistry and are former contestants ourselves, so we're in a position to understand contestants better than anyone else. When the team is formed, we can create songs with that deeper understanding. Producing work that satisfies everyone seems to be our strength."
GRAY spoke about his chemistry with Loco: "We've known each other a long time. We met in college and were at the same company. We were even in the same crew. We have long-standing coordination, so just a look can tell us what we want and like; our directions are similar. I think those things come out in the music. In fact, it's only been four years since Show Me; we really waited, and as a program that popularized itself, I feel a duty—not exactly a duty but a sense of responsibility—between core fans and the general public."
He continued, "I've appeared in seasons 5 and 10, and this is my third time, so rather than big changes, I think I'm always doing it with a sense of responsibility every moment. Since many contestants participate in the show, we try not to miss a single thing. We are doing it wholeheartedly. The standard, as always, is to try to be as objective as possible, but since the eight have different tastes it's subjective, so we are trying to objectify things as much as possible."
Hurki Shibaseki, who newly joined the "Show Me the Money" producers alongside Jay Tong, vowed, "Our team's strength is that since both of us are participating for the first time, we have a hungry spirit. We'll work hard not to fall behind other producers." He added, "I haven't participated as a contestant before, so I didn't know what the atmosphere would be like, but it seems fun. I want to believe that. I want to say that our participation made it a bit more interesting."
Park Jae-beom also said, "Because they have walked a consistent path over a long period, they help in terms of authenticity. And it's new and fun. I also talked to them for the first time through the show, and it was fun. Even though it's their first time, they were better at broadcasting than I expected," attracting attention.
Jay Tong said, "It's a first-time format for me. I've worked with Hurki a lot before, but we're trying it with new participants. They don't answer calls. We're doing it amid uncertainty where contact isn't reliable. I think something powerful might come out of that," he said with a laugh. He added, "Lyrics are, I think, a concentrated form that reveals a person's background, and when you hear them for the first time you have immediate reactions of like or dislike. I base my decisions on what I instinctively feel."
Finally, Loco said, "I think many people will be able to see new faces that many will watch. I hope you'll enjoy checking how regional characteristics appear in Korea's hip-hop," sharing viewing points and urging viewers to watch.
Meanwhile, "Show Me the Money 12" premieres today (the 15th, Thursday) at 9:20 p.m. on Mnet and TVING.
[Photo] OSEN DB
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