Chance’s surprising candor elucidates his awareness that D Smoke, a 33-year-old Inglewood rapper who radiates an undeniable Kendrick Lamar influence, was the exception to the show’s general rule of shameless gimmickry and heart-tugging backstory ahead of talent. “You don’t necessarily believe that in a workspace like this that you’re gonna find somebody that you really believe in, believe in,” Chance tells eventual Rhythm + Flow winner D Smoke. Rhythm + Flow producers clearly vied to make the “nothing to something” narrative everything, shoving sob stories down the viewers’ throat in a heavy-handed, borderline exploitative fashion. And it’s just as bogged down by hackneyed tropes and an underwhelming talent pool as its predecessors. The 10-episode show, which just wrapped its first season, is just the latest televised rap competition. It’s on those tenuous grounds that Rhythm + Flow rests. J-Pex gets the boot in his initial audition, despite Fat Joe finding novelty in his portly physique. as rap stars is hamstrung by an insurmountable deficiency: he admits that he’s never actually performed live. J-Pex says that he’s been rapping since he was 12-years-old, but his quest to join show judges Cardi B, Chance the Rapper, and T.I. ![]() The Philadelphia rapper is one of the countless aspirants aiming to win the contest that’s offering $250K to “the next rap superstar,” according to the show’s official site. ![]() “This is something I’ve always wanted,” 20-year-old rapper J-Pex reflects on an early episode of Netflix’ Rhythm + Flow. The rap competition show vied to find “the next rap superstar,” but instead gets lost in a borderline exploitative focus on its contestants' traumas.
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