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| ▲ Rapper Jay Park, who serves as a judge on Mnet’s hip-hop survival show "Show Me the Money 12," speaks during the show's media conference held in Seoul on Jan. 15, 2026. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Jan. 15 (Yonhap) -- “It’s true that hip-hop’s mainstream appeal has declined recently. I think people don’t listen to or seek it out as much as they used to. But if we show sincerity, won’t people feel, ‘This is real hip-hop’?”
Rapper Jay Park, who serves as a judge on Mnet’s hip-hop survival show "Show Me the Money 12," offered a candid assessment of the genre’s current standing at a production presentation held Thursday at the Eliena Hotel in Seoul’s Gangnam district.
He said there are “various reasons” behind hip-hop’s waning popularity, adding, “As the overall quality of K-pop music has improved, the boundary between mainstream pop and hip-hop has blurred. At the same time, because the barrier to entry into hip-hop is relatively low, misconceptions seem to have formed — that it’s just about acting tough, flexing, or kids fooling around.”
The producers expressed hope that season 12 of "Show Me the Money" would help revive Korean hip-hop.
Crush said, “No one in Korea can deny that ‘Show Me the Money’ has served as a channel that brought Korean hip-hop closer to the public,” adding, “As someone who loves Korean hip-hop, I prepared so earnestly that I even lost sleep, wanting to be of real help. I hope our sincerity and authenticity can reach viewers’ hearts.”
"Show Me the Money" is a flagship Korean hip-hop survival program that has produced numerous star rappers and hit songs since it first aired in 2012.
Returning about three years after season 11 in 2022, "Show Me the Money 12" features veteran judges and producers such as Zico, Crush, Jay Park, Lil Moshpit (Lee Hwi-min), Loco and Gray, alongside new faces including J-Tong and Huhky Shibaseki.
Huhky Shibaseki said, “Since this is my first time participating in ‘Show Me the Money,’ I’m approaching it with a ‘hungry spirit’ so as not to fall behind the other teams.” J-Tong hinted at surprises, saying, “There’s still uncertainty, but something powerful will emerge from it.”
This season drew a record 36,000 applicants from Korea and abroad. Regional auditions, previously held only in Seoul, were expanded to Busan, Jeju and Gwangju, and global missions were also scaled up.
At the global auditions, rap performances were delivered in 24 languages, including Korean, English, Japanese, Russian and Hindi.
“The languages were different, and many contestants incorporated their own cultures or traditional costumes,” Jay Park said. “Hearing rap in so many different languages felt fresh and bold.”
Choi Hyo-jin, the chief producer overseeing the season, said, “We were initially concerned about whether rap in so many languages would resonate with the producers, but regardless of language, the artists’ attitude, energy and expressive power really stood out, becoming an exciting element of the show.”
The production team added new missions this season, including a “song camp,” alongside familiar challenges such as the fire pit mission. Another distinguishing feature is the release of spin-off content in collaboration with streaming platform TVING.
“Going beyond simply rapping over the beats we provide, we created the ‘song camp’ mission to maximize contestants’ producing capabilities,” Choi said. “There will also be a separate TVING-exclusive series called ‘The World of Yacha.’ While maintaining the same universe, it will present a new narrative.”
"Show Me the Money 12" airs every Thursday at 9:20 p.m. on Mnet and TVING starting Wednesday. "The World of Yacha" will be released exclusively on TVING every Saturday at noon.
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