Prepare for battle: The hit music competition series Rhythm + Flow is returning for a new season to discover the next generation’s rap superstar.
And who better to guide the contestants than three of the biggest names in hip-hop today? DJ Khaled, Ludacris, and Latto will serve as the judges for Season 2, coming to Netflix on Nov. 20. Based in Atlanta, a hotbed of the American hip-hop scene, the trio of hitmakers will assess a talented group of young and hungry artists competing for a grand prize of $250,000 and the title of hip-hop’s newest star.
But that’s not all. Rhythm + Flow is also assembling a crew of legendary music moguls and industry icons to lend their expertise, including the one and only Eminem. He’ll join the series as a special guest judge from a surprise location during one of the competition’s high-stakes battles.
While the cutthroat competition once again will work to find and nuture true excellence within the genre, above all else, Rhythm + Flow aims to uplift and celebrate the craft of hip-hop. “It truly is an art form that allows people to express themselves when they often don’t feel like they have another outlet. So I think it’s important that hip-hop has its own space in music competition shows too,” co-executive producer Dionne Harmon tells Tudum. “I also hope Rhythm + Flow shows people what it takes to be a rapper. It’s not just putting the beat on and just smoking a blunt, or whatnot. You do have to put time, energy, and effort into the craft — it’s not easy to become a star. In the era of YouTube and TikTok, it can all look so easy. But to have that real staying power and to try to get to where these judges or guest judges have been takes a lot of work.”
Below, check out everything you need to know about the fiery competition ahead.
The competition will be released in three parts, with four episodes premiering on Nov. 20, the next three on Nov. 27, and the final three dropping on Dec. 4.
Industry icons DJ Khaled, Ludacris, and Latto will assess and mentor the up-and-coming rappers looking to make it big. Eminem, who was announced previously, will make an appearance as a special guest judge during a particularly heated part of the competition.
Below, listen to the judges talk about what they’re looking for and more on this episode of our We Have the Receipts podcast.
Joining Eminem will be a star-studded list of hip-hop hitmakers lending their expert POVs, including Busta Rhymes, Big Sean, Remy Ma, Mr. Porter, Royce Da 5’9”, and GloRilla — who is also a concert headliner for Poguelandia: An Outer Banks Experience in early November. Additionally, the legendary DJ Holiday will spin the beats during the initial audition rounds, and later DJ Moe Beats will do the same for the battle rounds (and hosted by battle rapper SMACK).
Get a glimpse of the epic battles ahead and get to know a few of the contestants in the trailer at the top of the page.
Harmon explains what the show was looking for when searching for the perfect talent to put forth through the audition process. “You’d probably just automatically assume that in a music competition, the best singer is going to win, or the best rapper is going to win,” she says. “And it’s so much more than that. And we see that in the industry right now. You have to have star quality. You can be the best rapper ever, but if you don’t command that stage and that audience, it’s not going to work.”
And it’s hard to put your finger on it, but when you’re watching all of these videos people are sending in when we’re picking our initial group of contestants, that’s really true,” she adds. “Some people just stick out, and they just shine. You just have it in you. I don’t even know how to describe it, but you know it when you see it.”
Below, check out the contestants ready to take the stage and to show the powerhouse panel of judges — and the world — all they have to offer.
This season of Rhythm + Flow is set in Atlanta. “That’s a big thing about this season that’s different,” Harmon says. “We shot pretty much the whole show in Atlanta, so it acts like a character in and of itself in the show. It’s also a massive big deal in hip-hop — a lot of amazing rappers have come through it. There’s a unique sound to that space, and there’s just a cool energy there that we thought was a great addition to this season.”
Alongside the title of hip-hop’s newest star, the winner will be awarded a $250,000 cash prize.
D Smoke, the winner of Season 1, (judged by T.I., Cardi B, and Chance the Rapper) has become a Grammy– and NAACP Image Award–nominated artist for his 2020 album Black Habits, in addition to landing a recurring role on the crime drama Mayor of Kingstown. The series’ format has also since been brought to shows in other countries, including France and, most recently, Italy. He’s currently signed with Snoop Dogg’s Death Row Records.
