New scene, on Netflix the second season: is the right talent for rap?

After the debut of last year, New scene has returned to Netflix With his second season and the format is the last time. In the eight episodes that will be divided into three parts, the judges Fabri Fibra, Geolier and Rose Villainthey go hunting for talents not only in the largest Italian metropolises but in several corners of the peninsula: if in the first season we have chosen to scan in the standard cities of Italian rap (Milan, Rome and Naples), for this sequel the judges have concentrated their research in other national realities, being helped by their colleagues “local” such as Willie Peyote, Luchè, Maximum danger, Bvesh And many others. From Turin to Genoapassing through the Puglia until the boundaries are overcoming, coming to London. The selected boys all go to Milan and after the auditions and the cypher (A format in which you try a group performance) they challenge each other in freestyle, video clips and featuring battles, flanked by some of the most important exponents of the Italian rap scene. The winner wins 100,000 euros. In short, the formula remained unchanged, the protagonists and places to fish the talents have changed.

Karim El Maktafi

For years, many rap enthusiasts they missed of a talent show entirely dedicated to the genre, a stage that could really tell the hip-hop culture without compromise or forced adaptations. The “bigger cousins” of New scenelike X Factor And The Voicedespite having given space to artists with hip-hop influences they never really managed to hit the goal. Their approach has always been to integrate rap making it more accessible to a generalist audience, but inevitably distorted the essence. There have been, it is true, cases of artists who have distinguished themselves bringing rap and hip-hop sounds to the stage of these talent, even reaching victory, see Anastasio to X Factor In 2018. Despite this, the basic problem remained unchanged: anyone who tried to express this culture in a traditional talent inevitably found themselves a having to soften your styleproposing an sweetened version of the genre, modeled more to compete with the other competitors who, to reflect the rap that dominates the rankings of Spotify and other streaming platforms.

And it is precisely here that New scene makes the difference. It should be acknowledged to the program of having filled a voidto have finally brought a format capable of telling the rap without filters and without forcing it to compromise. The music you listen to inside the show is authenticas close as possible to the Italian underground reality. This aspect is evident immediately. Looking at the first four episodes of the new season, It is noted that the talents in the race are not accustomed to talent shows and transmit a feeling of spontaneity, and it is rap that earns us.

Like everything, too New scene has its strengths and weaknesses. If on the one hand the authenticity of music and competitors represents one of the most evident strengths, on the other theor show, just like in the last edition, struggles to take off in the initial phase. The program really comes alive only when the actual competition begins, while the scouting part is at times dispersive and not very incisive. A wasted occasion, considering that at this stage the guests involved in the selection process could be better enhanced, whose contributions often pass in the background.

If it is true that The competence of the three judges is undisputed “Come on their obvious harmony – The overall judgment could be even richer if more space was given to the “guest” judges. Their contribution would undoubtedly be more interesting and useful than the Usual voice-over who focus on the life of the competitors and their possible redemption. Not that personal stories have no value, but when it comes to a talent show entirely dedicated to rap, we would like to give greater centrality to music rather than getting lost in too built narratives. But this is a vice common to many talent shows: the emotional story is favored at the expense of music. The strength of New scene It lies precisely in its ability to bring something more authentic than traditional formats. Because of this, It would be nice to see less words and more music, less rhetoric and more rap. The first part of New scene (first four episodes) will be available from March 31st, the second (ep. 5-7) the April 7thand the final the April 14th to 21:00.

Source: Vanity Fair

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