The Rapper Thailand Season 1: The Search for Thailand’s Newest Rap Star
Thailand is known for churning out a lot of new reality shows that often involve competition of some sort. Academy Fantasia, a reality TV show, kicked off this mad rush of reality TV in 2004, and since then, multiple iterations of “reality competitions” have spawned faster than mushrooms in the rainy season. Some have lived up to expectations and have produced A-list celebrities, others have not been as lucky and have faded into oblivion.
There is not one recipe that guarantees prime-time success. Imported concepts like “The Voice” have been very popular but other shows like the Korean, “I Can See Your Voice” have proven not to be as hot. What is for sure, Thais are getting their dose of reality entertainment - good or bad. This abundance of shows creates a big challenge for TV execs looking to come up with something fresh and new. However, it seems like Workpoint Entertainment has taken the opportunity to latch onto a comeback trend in the form of hip-hop to create their very own unique concept show.
The Rapper is a reality competition that aims to discover that diamond in the rough. The ultimate goal of the show is to find the next best rapper in Thailand that will come in and disrupt the game. And with almost 27,000 likes on the shows official Facebook page after only popping up in late September, there is clearly a large following that wants to be taken along for the ride to find this next generation of Thai rappers as well.
The show is expected to air in Q1 of 2018, but the production has already started. November 12th, 2017 marked the deadline for lyricists across the country to submit their online auditions or come and audition in person at the Workpoint studios. Although audition tapes have not leaked and it is way too early to know who the hopeful candidates are, there is one thing we already found out - the judges for this competition are 6 of the best rappers out there in Thailand.
It takes one to know one. This is the direction that the show's producers are going for because the roster of judges is straight up fire. The Rapper brings together Joey Boy, Khan Thaitanium, Golf Fukling Hero, Twopee Southside, UrBoyTJ, and Poojan Long Mic to the panel - just the names themselves are already explosive. What is more dynamic is that somehow the show managed to end a long-known feud between 2 factions of hip-hop, Gancore Club and Thaitanium. For those in the know, Joey Boy and Khan use to produce music together under the moniker AA Crew but have since fallen out. This comes back has the streets talking, and interest in the show has skyrocketed.
But if you thought that was it, The Rapper has also sanctioned the help of the Rap Is Now crew to help run and contribute to the show’s creative direction as well. Louis, Rap Is Now’s front man, has also been signed up to host the show when it airs and with this final touch, it is now evident that The Rapper is serious when it comes to finding their true gem.
Be sure to follow the show’s development on their official Facebook page.