'Show Me the Money 12' moved one step closer to the birth of a new icon in the hip-hop scene by selecting the top nine to advance to the semifinals.
On the 10th episode of Mnet's Show Me the Money 12, which aired Thursday the 19th, the main show stage — the dream stage for rappers — unfolded with 14 survivors. That broadcast proved its power as its real-time viewership share on TVING exceeded 78% among all live channels airing at the same time.
The main competition, held as team battles, pitted the three-person survivor team Gray·Loco against the Jay Tong·Hukki Shibaseki team, and the four-person survivor team Zico·Crush against the Lil Moshpit·Park Jae-beom team. The three-person survivor teams performed duet stages and producer joint stages, while the four-person survivor teams added solo performances for a total of 10 stages. For each performance, cumulative performance fees determined victory or defeat through two rounds of audience voting, and the losing team had a member eliminated, heightening the tension.
In the first solo performance face-off, Marv of the Zico·Crush team went up against Jene the Zilla of the Lil Moshpit·Park Jae-beom team. Marv, who put the afrovitz genre front and center, delivered a powerful performance with Phenomeco, who appeared as a featuring artist, with the song "Muldurija," while Jene the Zilla raised the heat with a performance of "MR. ROCKLEE" that featured a four-wheeled bike entrance and tight rap features from Jusdis. Notably, Jene the Zilla, who reached the main stage for the first time after eight attempts, wrote the narrative of perseverance and achieved a hard-won victory.
The duet performance battles were also closely contested. Jeffrey White·Travy performed "MAMA," dedicated to their mothers, with Uneducated Kid, while Raf Sandu·Jung Jun-hyuk, together with Zico, turned the living room's front row into a concert hall with a sanitation worker concept performance of "DIRT!" and claimed victory. Kwon O-seon and Mason Home, with BOBBY, recorded performance fees of 10,740,000 won for their "SKY PASS" stage, decisively defeating the "KISS KISS KISS" stage performed by NowI'mYoung·Royal44·TheBoyz's Sunwoo.
Producer joint performances also delivered memorable stages. Millie, who prepared the "AEIOU" stage with Loco, offered a musical-like performance that overcame the "State of emergency" stage formed by Fleeky Bang and Jay Tong. A clash also took place between Young Blood Kim Ha-on and the veteran Flow Sik. With Crush's backing, Kim Ha-on performed "Sum" and used his rap to show his determination to continue hip-hop amid public judgment. Flow Sik, with Park Jae-beom, showed sincerity with the "BOUNCE BACK" stage but lost narrowly as the performance fees revealed nearly a twofold gap.
With that, the nine who will advance to the semifinals were all decided. ▲ From the Zico·Crush team: Kim Ha-on, Raf Sandu, Jung Jun-hyuk ▲ From the Gray·Loco team: Kwon O-seon, Millie, Mason Home ▲ From the Jay Tong·Hukki Shibaseki team: NowI'mYoung ▲ From the Lil Moshpit·Park Jae-beom team: Jene the Zilla, Travy were confirmed to advance to the semifinals.
At the end of the broadcast, the eagerly anticipated semifinals were teased with an unprecedented featuring lineup that included The Quiett, Lil Boi, WOOGZ, and E Sens, raising expectations. Meanwhile, the tracks performed on the main stage can be found today (Friday the 20th) at noon on various music streaming sites.
Show Me the Money 12 airs every Thursday at 9:20 p.m. on Mnet and TVING.
[Photo] 'Show Me the Money 12'
[OSEN]