Check out our exclusive recap of “Show Me the Money 5” Episode 5: Passionate Goodbye (aired on June 17)… Warning: Spoilers ahead!
Show Me the Money 5 – HiphopKR Recap (Episode 5)
Check out our exclusive recap of “Show Me the Money 5” Episode 4: Revival (aired on June 10)… Warning: Spoilers ahead!
After the completion of round 3 preliminary auditions (1 vs. 1 battle), the producers reflect on the matches. Producers discuss their disappointment in certain contestants who were dropped from the round:
- Dok2: Junoflo (“It’s too bad that he was eliminated immediately after he flew to Korea from LA”)
- Zion.T & Kush: Woo Taewoon (scene cuts to Woo Taewoon asking if there is a revival round)
There is an anticipation (almost an expectation) by contestants that Season 5 will have a revival round for those who were eliminated in round 3. However, both the producers and MNET staff reiterates that there is no revival rounds this season.
Rapper Shim Hyeji is selected to choose her opponent for the 1 vs. 1 battle. Initially, she wanted to choose a “powerful” opponent, but changed her mind when she found out about Miss LA who agreed to fly from Los Angeles last minute (due to Legendary TeMo dropping out of the show – see our Episode 3 recap for more information).
Producer Simon Dominic asks contestant Shim Hyeji if she had any trouble preparing for this round with Miss LA. We soon find out that this is the case due to the obvious language barrier between the two. The two contestants use Dok2’s beat ‘Still On My Way‘ for their battle. Following the performance, the producers immediately praise Miss LA for her natural performance (Dok2: “What if Miss LA wins first place on Show Me the Money 5?“). Kush compares this rap battle (American vs. Non-American) with the Korean martial art Tae Kwon-Do (how Koreans are “naturally” better at Tae Kwon-Do)… Kush further clarifies that Miss LA’s rhythm and power in her verse triumphed the Korean contestant. Miss LA makes it to the next round.
The next battle is between Donutman and Bray. Once again, the producer team jokes about Donutman resembling a Wing Chun martial artist (see our Episode 2 recap for more information). The producers are impressed with Donutman’s effortless and clean performance. Donutman makes it to the next round.
The third pair featured on this episode was selected by producer The Quiett during round 1 preliminary auditions: Kim Hyo-eun and Kim Tae-jung. As Kim Hyo-eun spits his verse, the producers complement his unique [deep] voice. The producers appear to be unimpressed as the second contestant begins his verse with the words “I kill you.” Producer Gil states that Kim Tae-jung’s diss verse was like “someone pretending to be good at fighting who actually doesn’t know how to fight.” Rapper Kim Hyo-eun makes it to the next round.
The next segment features two of the most anticipated artists of this season: CJAMM and BewhY. For the past 2 weeks, MNET strategically edited their clips to deceive the viewers into thinking that the two were paired up for the 1 vs. 1 battle (i.e., one of the artists will be eliminated):
However, we soon find out that CJAMM and BewhY are paired NOT with each other, but with Paek Minhyuk and JDUB.
CJAMM notes that he met BewhY back in their first year of high-school (back when BewhY “didn’t even know what rhyme meant”). CJAMM confidently states that he could beat BewhY in a rap battle. BewhY mentions that he wants to meet and battle CJAMM during the final rounds of Show Me the Money 5.
You can check out their (uncut, unedited) cypher battles below:
BEWHY vs. JDUB
CJAMM vs. PAEK MINHYUK
Following their performances, the producers continue to state that “[CJAMM and BewhY] are not contestants, but are hiphop artists that are just having fun on the show.” Zion.T notes that he was impressed with CJAMM’s humorous performance, specifically when he fell on his back (showing that he doesn’t conform to the standards, and that he is so skilled as a rapper that he can perform just as good on his back). Mad Clown states that BewhY’s performance was “shocking” and was the best verse out of the entire roster of round 3 contestants. Bewhy and CJAMM makes it to the next round.
At this point, there are 21 (out of ~9000 contestants) remaining in the preliminary auditions. This episode focuses on the producer performances by the following teams:
- Team 1LLIONAIRE (Dok2 & The Quiett)
- Team AOMG (Simon Dominic & GRAY)
- Team YG (Zion.T & Kush)
- Team ??? (Gil, Mad Clown)
Following these performances, the contestants can place their vote and rank the performances (from best to worst). To put it simply, the contestants become the judges and the producers become the contestants.
During the rehearsals, The Quiett and Dok2 commends Team AOMG for their preparation for their performance (notably the Simon Dominic cash).
The Quiett mentions that they didn’t prepare anything special for the show and that they will perform as they always have been in the past. Dok2 states, “the contestants can join our team if they like our rap.” The only special equipment the duo brings to the stage is their signature white microphone that they use during their performances:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BGe-iKRlejL/?taken-by=thequiett
On the other hand, Team GIL and Mad Clown are nervous about their stage performance. Gil states that he is envious of Team Illionaire: “They’ve always performed together. This will be the first time Mad Clown and I will be on stage as a duo.” The rehearsal shows that they invited Heize [and later on, Jung-in] to join their performance. The Quiett adds that “Mad Clown is a huge fan of LEESSANG (Gil’s hip-hop group). The “clown” in Mad Clown stems from the LEESSANG track ‘광대 (CLOWN)’:
Zion.T mentions that Gil and Mad Clown’s performance is a medley of hit tracks. In contrast, Team YG will be performing a series of unreleased, brand new songs. The duo invites fellow YG member and previous Show Me the Money contestant MINO as a featured artist.
Check out their FULL and UNCUT performances:
Zion.T & Kush:
Dok2 & The Quiett:
Simon Dominic & GRAY:
Gil & Mad Clown:
Following the producer stage performances, the contestants meet back at the headquarters to continue the program. They are told that, unlike the previous seasons, the team selection process is completely different: both the contestant and producer(s) must select each other (i.e., stand behind the door) in order to be “matched” as a team. If the two parties do not match, the contestant will not be able to join the producer team.
Before the team selection process, the producer teams are shown the results for their performance:
- Zion.T and Kush (9 out of 21 votes) (=10 chances)
- Gil and Mad Clown (6 votes) (=8 chances)
- Dok2 and The Quiett (4 votes) (=6 chances)
- Simon Dominic and GRAY (2 votes) (=4 chances)
Based on the above ranking, the producer team will have a certain number of chances to “match” with the contestant in question. Refer to the following list for the results:
- CJAMM
- Chose Team YG
- Chosen by Team YG and Team Gil/Mad Clown
- = matched with Team YG
- Flowsik
- Chose Team Illionaire
- Chosen by Team Illionaire
- = matched with Team Illionaire
- Seo Chul Goo
- Chose Team YG
- Was NOT chosen by any team
- Match failed
- Sanchez
- Chose Team Illionaire
- Was NOT chosen by any team
- Match failed
- Miss LA
- Chose Team Illionaire
- Was NOT chosen by any team
- Match failed
- Donutman
- Chose Team Illionaire
- Was NOT chosen by any team
- Match failed
- Hash Swan
- Chose Team YG
- Chosen by Team AOMG
- Match failed
- Boy B
- Chose Team Mad Clown & Gil
- Chosen by Team Mad Clown & Gil
- = matched with Team Mad Clown & Gil
- G2
- Chose Team AOMG
- Chosen by Team AOMG and Team YG
- = matched with Team AOMG
- Superbee
- Chose Team Illionaire
- Chosen by Team Illionaire
- = matched with Team Illionaire
- Kim Hyo-eun
- Chose Team Illionaire
- Chosen by Team Illionaire
- = matched with Team Illionaire
- ONE
- Chose Team AOMG
- Chosen by Team YG
- Match failed
- Sharp Gun
- Matched with Gil & Mad Clown
- Day Day (David Kim)
- Matched with Team AOMG
- Reddy
- Chose Team YG
- Chosen by Team YG
- Killagramz
- Chose Team YG
- Chosen by Team YG
- Matched with Team YG
- myunDo
- Matched with Team Illionaire
- BewhY
- To be continued in the next episode!
In summary:
- Team Illionaire: Kim Hyo-eun, Superbee, MyunDo and Flowsik
- Team AOMG: G2 and David Kim
- Team Gill & Mad Clown: Boy B and Sharp Gun
- Team YG: Reddy and CJAMM
Did you enjoy reading our weekly recap of Show Me the Money 5? Please let us know on our social media channels for us to determine whether we should continue the series or not. Thank you!
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Show Me the Money 5 – HiphopKR Recap (Episode 3)
Check out our exclusive recap of “Show Me the Money 5” Episode 3: “Attack of the United States”… Warning: Spoilers ahead!
Last week, we got a sneak peak for what was to come in this episode: 37 contestants who passed Round 2 auditions in Seoul, Korea, will be joined by a handful of contestants who auditioned in Los Angeles, California (check out our exclusive recap of Episode 2 here).
Episode 3 is divided into two parts: Los Angeles auditions and round 2.5 cyphers (will be explained later on this article).
The episode reveals that 26 Los Angeles contestants pass the first round of preliminary auditions (a cappella verse) and are faced with their next challenge: 60 seconds cypher survival (very similar to round 2 held in Seoul, Korea). The four producers (Kush, Dok2, Simon Dominic and Gill) are joined by the legendary American producer Timbaland.
Here are some remarks by our Korean producers:
- Simon Dominic: Judging alongside with Timbaland seemed surreal … It was an honor.
- Kush: I still have several Timbaland tracks on my playlist. Just sitting beside him was like … wow.
- Dok2: It was as if I was watching television.
- Gill: Being able to meet him in person, I would like to send my thanks to the #SMTM5 staff.
Producer Timbaland comments on Show Me the Money: “I think [SMTM] is the most innovative show that I have ever heard of. Big up Korea for doing the very first hiphop show. They took something that is heavily American culture and made it their culture. Korean hiphop, Show Me the Money: the newest wave.”
The first contestant is Mike Chun, also known as Verseatile. You may have seen his round 1 audition video that circulated on the internet prior to this episode drop. The artist has been in the hiphop scene for a while, with connections to Snacky Chan and being featured in an album by Uptown. Kush and Simon Dominic state that they want to see Verseatile and Snacky Chan battle in round 3. Check out the music video for his latest single titled ‘Car Tunez‘:
Unfortunately, all five producers fail the contestant. American producer Timbaland comments, “The rap selection is wrong, and the beat selection is wrong. You have to try a new style.”
The next contestant is Los Angeles-based Korean American rapper Sean Rhee. The artist comments, “There is no platform for Korean hiphop artists in Los Angeles … through this show, I hope to pursue my passion in music more freely, without needing to worry about money.” Check out his most recent single titled ‘YA JA SU (야자수)’ below:
The artist receives an ALL PASS. Simon Dominic comments, “[Sean Rhee] raps very tightly.”
Up next is Los Angeles-based Korean American rapper Junoflo (of Native Souls). The artist comments, “I’ve always been a fan of Korean hiphop. When I heard that ‘Show Me the Money’ was coming to Los Angeles, I thought it was a good opportunity to participate and win.” Check out his latest single ‘That’s iLL‘ on his SoundCloud channel:
Impressed by his verse, the producers give him an ALL PASS. Dok2 notes that Junoflo was consistently unshaken and did very well. Gill notes that he is a winning candidate of the show, “In my view, Junoflo is number one in Los Angeles.” Simon Dominic also adds that “He’ll probably gain a lot of female fans [for his charm, charisma, looks, etc] through this show.” When Simon Dominic asks Kush why he had failed the contestant, the producer responds, “To make him stronger.” Timbaland adds to the conversation, “Very wavy.”
The next contestant is a well known Korean artist in the Los Angeles Korean hiphop scene: Cycedelic Records artist Sikboy. Gill asks, “Why are you so popular in Los Angeles?” To which Simon Dominic adds, “Is it because you dissed San E?” This is a reference to Sikboy’s San E diss track that dropped a few years ago. Gill then asks, “If San E came out again [as a producer] this season, would you have competed?” To which Sikboy said he wouldn’t as he still dislikes the Brand New Music artist. Check out the music video for his latest track ‘LALA’ below:
Unfortunately, the contestant forgets his lyrics and consequently is eliminated by the five judges. The artist is disappointed and admits that his nervousness got the best of him.
The next contestant is Orange County-based Korean American rapper KillahGramz, who is another artist under Cycedelic Records (led by Compton Kirk – read more about him and the world renowned Compton records store here). Simon Dominic proudly introduces KillahGramz, stating that he had passed the contestant during the round 1 preliminary audition. The producer adds that he enjoys the contestant’s rap style, “I think we’d make a great duo. My tight low tone with his tight high tone … we would kill this sh*t.” Check out his collaborative track with fellow label-mate Sikboy titled ‘We Good’ featuring Kidkat and Beat Rhino:
https://soundcloud.com/714sikboy/we-good-feat-x
Timbaland is impressed by the contestant’s unique style, “That was different [unique] … you got something.” Producer Gill adds to the feedback, “He killed it. I really enjoy rappers like KillahGramz … He’s got his own color.” Lastly, Dok2 adds, “In the hiphop scene, it’s very important to represent where you come from. The beat he chose had a very Los Angeles vibe.” KillahGramz qualifies to the next round!
This episode also features many non-Korean contestants who competed in the Los Angeles auditions, [distastefully] using Wiz Khalifa’s ‘Black and Yellow’ as a backing track to introduce these African-American artists. Dok2 comments that the hiphop culture is prominent in Los Angeles, and Simon Dominic wonders if they would see artists with the West Coast, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg vibe.
The first non-Korean contestant is Miss LA, who dominated the stage with confidence, as Dok2 points out after the performance. Unlike the other producers, Kush failed Miss LA, “There’s a lot of talented female rappers in Los Angeles … She was talented but I didn’t see anything beyond that.”
Next contestant is Legendary TeMo, who passed her first round of preliminary auditions by Kush. The producer, after listening to her a cappella verse in the previous round, was curious to see how she would do with a backing track. Timbaland states, “Let’s see if she can rock it on the beat.” With the exception of Gill, the other producers praise her catchy, trendy rap performance. Gill questions whether or not she would have anything more than the current trendy hiphop she brought to the table.
Up next is a familiar face: Hiphop duo (82 Hottest MC’s) member Superbee, who decided to try out ‘Show Me the Money’ in Los Angeles this season. Based on his personality and characteristics from last season, the artist was notorious for dissing HIGHGRND and Tablo in relation to artist Incredivle. Dok2 comments, “I didn’t feel very good about the fact that Superbee dissed Tablo, who is a very good friend to me. However, ‘Show Me the Money’ is … Show Me the Money (i.e., for entertainment).” Gill adds, “Any artist is free to diss others.” Superbee admits to his immaturity last season and states that he is back in this season as a different person, “I want to show a positive image of myself this season.” After his performance, Timbaland comments, “That was fresh.”
The next artist is a New York-based Korean-American rapper Flowsik (of Aziatix). As soon as he introduces himself, the producers comment on his deep voice. Timbaland states, “That voice is like a star’s.” Simon Dominic recognizes that Flowsik has dropped several albums in the past and is currently very active in the scene. Dok2 adds that Flowsik’s group Aziatix is currently signed under Cash Money Records, a renowned record label for working with artists like Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj and Drake. The contestant explains why he chose to participate this season, “I know that my roots are from Korea … my parents are Korean. I wanted to see if I could make my mark in my parent’s country.” Dok2 states that he has been a fan of Flowsik “since day 1.” Check out his latest Korean collaboration with artists LIVE, PUNCHNELLO, SIK-K, and OWEN OVADOZ:
Flowsik receives an easy ALL PASS. Timbaland comments, “My favorite from this audition was Flowsik … ‘Sikflow’ or ‘Flowsik.’ Either one it go, he do both: he flows sick, and he’s a sick flow-er.”
What follows next is a contestant named Yung Kameo who passes the first round audition (by Kush) for his intensity during his verse. However, he fails in round 2. Kush states, “You’ve got a lot of energy, which is good, but you were so excited that you weren’t even on beat.” Timbaland agrees, “It was too much.” This was received negatively by the artist, who stomped out of the stage cursing at all the producers and contestants.
The last featured Los Angeles contestant is a New York-based Korean-American rapper JKey (Jaeki Cho), who was featured on HiphopKR for his mixtape [Gyopo Anthem: 퀸즈 돈벌어]. You can also check out his recent music video drop ‘SHABANG (샤방)’ below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0G6AZnI9z2g
The contestant receives a pass by Timbaland, but fail from the other producers. JKey comments, “Yo, God bless you, Timbo.” However, Timbaland, after seeing the other fails, responds, “Yeah, uh .. I feel like, you know, it was a miscall [to pass JKey].”
Producers bring out the nine contestants back to the stage. The contestants soon find out that only five of them will be fly to Korea for the next round of ‘Show Me the Money 5’. Timbaland states that the producers chose four contestants that will automatically pass to the next round: Flowsik, Junoflo, Superbee and KillahGramz. The last five contestants are left to participate in a cypher, in which the winner will fly to Korea.
Out of the five contestants, the producers cannot make a decision between Legendary TeMo and Miss LA. They agree to do another round, but this time with Timbaland beatboxing. After much contemplation from the producer team, the decision is made: Legendary TeMo wins. However, she drops out of ‘Show Me the Money 5’ due to personal reasons.
Cue back to Korea in an abandoned warehouse: the 37 contestants meet MC Kim Jin Pyo, who congratulates them for making it this far. The host states that round 3 will be, as previous, 1 vs. 1 battle, where contestants will be randomly drawn to choose their opponent. To get a good grasp of other contestants’ rap skills, the contestants will participate in a “Cypher Search” round where each contestant will have an opportunity to spit their verse.
The contestants will be divided into teams based on how many “PASSES” they received from round 2 auditions:
- Team SANG (ALL PASS): Woo Taewoon, G2, Boy B, myunDo, Hash Swan, CJAMM, BewhY, Sanchez, Reddy, etc.
- Team JOONG (3 PASS): Snacky Chan, Jung Sang Soo, Kim Hyo Eun, Yang Hong Won, Donutman, ONE, etc.
- Team HA (2 PASS): Seo Chul Goo, Evo, J-Dub, Kim Seung Hwan, MOJAE, etc.
- Team “Dangerously Close to Elimination” (1 PASS): J’Kyun, Kim Tae Jeong, Shim Hyeji, etc.
After categorizing the contestants, MC Kim Jin Pyo mentions that they will be joined by four contestants from Los Angeles: KillahGramz (Team SANG), Superbee (Team SANG), Junoflo (Team JOONG), and Flowsik (Team SANG).
Team “Dangerously Close to Elimination” begins the cypher, followed by Team HA, then Team JOONG, and it’s wrapped up by Team SANG. After each cypher round, the other contestants are given the opportunity to write comments anonymously regarding the cypher. Here are the comments mentioned in the episode:
- Cho Seung-Yeun (1 PASS): His rapping is … typical
- J’Kyun (1 PASS): I can confirm that he is “dangerously close to elimination.”
- LeellaMarz (1 PASS) (who calls out Superbee during the cypher): LeellaMarz should be nice to Superbee
- Seo Chul Goo (2 PASS): The Korean Eminem … Why are you in “TWO PASS”?
- Snacky Chan (3 PASS): God-nacky Chan
- Hash Swan comments, “There is a reason why Snacky Chan is still here despite his hiccup last round … Because we know how good he is.“
- ONE (3 PASS): ONE’s homework: memorize his lyrics
- ONE forgets his lyrics twice during the cypher. Donutman jokes, “He kept repeating the same line … I thought he was just doing the hook.
- ONE reflects on his cypher: “I’m staying positive with the mindset that I will do better.“
- Junoflo (3 PASS): The water must be different in the United States. Never want to battle you!
- G2 comments “Junoflo did very well–I really like his rapping voice.“
- Hash Swan states that Junoflo is the best out of the four Los Angeles contestants
- BewhY felt that Junoflo should have been in Team SANG (ALL PASS)
- CJAMM (4 PASS): No need to say anything else but GOOD. Winning candidate.
- G2 (4 PASS): He reminds me of a tiger. Powerful and winning candidate.
- KillahGramz comments, “I could hear everything G2 was spitting … he had great delivery, and his confidence boosted his overall rap performance.“
- BewhY (4 PASS): He’s a king. Winning candidate.
- Junoflo comments that he enjoyed BewhY’s verse and unique voice
- Woo Taewoon (4 PASS): Disposable … If you’re gonna rap like that, then ‘Copy Ma Lyrics’ (reference to his latest single)
- Due to his nervousness, he forgets his lyrics. He makes a decision to use the same verse from round 1 auditions, which Mnet points out
- Boy B mentions that Woo Taewoon did NOT know Notorious B.I.G.’s ‘Hypnotize’ and states that “any true rapper would know this track.”
- Reddy (ALL PASS): Receives all positive comments
- Although Reddy forgets his lyrics several times, the other contestants support him, unlike they did with Woo Taewoon, as Reddy appears to be more likeable than Woo Taewoon
- Flowsik
- Seo Chul Goo critiques Flowsik, “I could barely understand what he was saying.“
- KillahGramz: His voice is surprisingly good ... His rap was fresh, unlike his physical appearance
You can check out the official cypher videos of some of the contestants by accessing the videos below:
Uncut versions of Junoflo, Boy B, CJAMM, and BewhY:
Did you enjoy reading our weekly recap of Show Me the Money 5? Please let us know on our social media channels for us to determine whether we should continue the series or not. Thank you!
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Show Me the Money 5 – HiphopKR Recap (Episode 2)
Check out our exclusive recap of “Show Me the Money 5″ Episode 2… spoilers ahead!
Show Me the Money 5 – HiphopKR Summary (Episode 1)
Check out our exclusive summary of Show Me the Money 5 – Episode 1 … Spoilers ahead!
San E and Verbal Jint addresses controversy surrounding Hanhae and Black Nut
Hours after the airing of the latest episode of Show Me the Money 4, producer team Brand New Music (San E and Verbal Jint) posted a letter of apology in response to the heated reaction behind the decision behind Show Me the Money 4 contestants Hanhae and Black Nut. Warning: spoilers ahead. Do not proceed unless you watched the latest episode!
To recap the episode, the initial decision of eliminating Black Nut instead of Hanhae was met with confusion and disappointment even within the circle of Show Me the Money producers and contestants. San E and Verbal Jint eliminated Black Nut because he was unable to perform without taking his sunglasses off due to his stage anxiety which was explained numerous times in previous episodes. However, fellow team member Hanhae had forgotten his lyrics during the same performance. The decision to drop Black Nut instead of Hanhae may have been influenced by the fact that Hanhae is in the same company label Brand New Music as producers San E and Verbal Jint.
However, the episode revealed that days after the decision to drop Black Nut, San E and Verbal Jint unexpectedly brought Black Nut into the same room. They announced that their decision to drop Black Nut was a poor one and therefore will have Black Nut continue the rounds, and consequently dropping Hanhae from the show. Black Nut responded in confusion and anger in the form of a rap verse:
Hours after the episode aired, Show Me the Money 4 was met with anger saying perhaps this was a scripted episode influenced by the program directors. San E and Verbal Jint responded accordingly:
Essentially, the two stated that what was revealed on the show was 100% real and under no influence by the program directors. The two producers apologized for their unprofessional actions on the show and was apologetic towards producer team Paloalto & Zico, as well as Hanhae and Black Nut.
Show Me the Money 4 – Episode 3 (tl;dr)
Show Me the Money 4 (Episode 3) tl;dr (too long didn’t read) edition.
Warning: Spoilers ahead!
[Contest] Cast Your Vote for Show Me the Money Round 3 Auditions!
Check out this special event where YOU can decide which Round 3 1:1 battles will air on the next episode of Show Me the Money 4. Details to participate are shown within!
Show Me The Money 4 – Episode 2 (tl;dr)
Show Me the Money 4 (Episode 2) tl;dr (too long didn’t read) edition.
Warning: Spoilers ahead!