In the summer of 2021, iQIYI's "Junior Rap Project" came out, so that the two elements of youth and rap were magically integrated, and the public seemed to find a new direction for the development of the rap industry in this innovation. Now, with the successful conclusion of this Chinese rap innovation industry observation program, Capper (Zhang Yanhun) won the championship in one fell swoop, which not only means the beginning of the era of many new generation Rappers, but also injects fresh blood into the Chinese rap variety track that has developed into the fourth year.
At the end of the show, Zuo Jin, the general director of "Junior Rap Planning", was interviewed by the Beiqing-Beijing headline reporter, and she gave her own unique insights on the cultivation of the new generation of RapStar (rap stars) and the future development of rap music, and even the trend of the entire rap industry.
The "sense of youth" of rap IP
For a long time, there seemed to be an insurmountable gap between teenagers and the rap circle. On the one hand, the temperament and experience required for rap are far from being controlled by teenagers; on the other hand, the world has some prejudice against teenagers, believing that they lack persistence, "childishness", and run counter to the spirit conveyed by rap. However, Zuo Jin, the general director of "Junior Rap Project", does not think so, and she admits that "juvenile feeling" is the biggest difference between this show and the previous rap ensemble.
If the IP of "China New Rap", which has lasted for 4 years, brings the rap culture that should exist in the niche circle into the public vision, then the "Junior Rap Project" is to provide help to rap teenagers in a new way, thus changing the situation of the entire industry. Zuo Dao said: "If we don't do a good job of being a 'sower', but just continue to consume the culture of this circle, over time it will give people the feeling of 'cutting leeks'." Because of this, injecting fresh blood into this IP has become an urgent thing. The emergence of "Junior Rap Project" is not only a continuation of the rap IP, but also takes into account certain social responsibilities, gives teenagers the opportunity, and trains these teenagers to become Rappers (rappers) in the true sense, which is the biggest original intention of doing this show.
On the other hand, the innovation in the form of the program is also the biggest highlight that distinguishes "Junior Rap Planning" from the previous rap music variety shows. The nearly 40 Rappers we saw on the show were concentrated in the base to systematically learn vocal music, lyrics, and the entire rap culture in a form that no rap ensemble could have. There are both boss groups and rap mentor groups in the program, and this configuration is also the result of the team's careful consideration. Zuo Jin admitted frankly, "The BOSS group is biased towards the operation of the label, and will comprehensively consider the multiple potentials of the contestants, such as appearance and musicality, while the rap mentor group focuses on the work." The cooperation between the two camps is to provide a comprehensive development direction for the teenagers.
It can be said that "Junior Rap Project" is to serve the audience, but also to serve the teenagers. The blood and sincerity of the rap teenagers themselves and the desire to chase their dreams are very attractive, we can see the silent efforts of many cool and dragging contestants in the back, and we can also feel the warmth of their mutual growth and mutual support from the show. The rap teenagers are a microcosm of the teenagers in the new era, and the spirit they convey is more easily accepted by the teenagers in the new era. The original intention of the program is to give full play to the spirit of the post-00s, let the public discover the shining point of this group, and at the same time cultivate a fearless spirit of enthusiastic Rapper, show a positive youth culture group portrait for the society, so that young people have a sense of substitution, and find their own shadow from the rapper in the new era.
"RapStar Director of Instruction"
As the general director of "Junior Rap Project", Zuo Jin's responsibility is not only to do a good show, her identity is like the "teaching director" of a group of teenagers Rapper, responsible for their future growth and development, and is the key figure to help Rapper grow into RapStar. For these problems, Zuo Jin has already made a good plan: "First, through a season of the program, let them become qualified Rappers with musical ability and unique style; then, our operation as a label will continue to provide them with a high-quality environment and exposure; when they become qualified Rappers, we will make a long-term plan to work hard for them to form their own unique style." ”
When talking about the difficulties encountered in doing the program, Zuo Jin also had a lot of feelings, "On the one hand, we want to show these shining points of these young people to everyone, but as a rap program, we also require everyone to constantly output works in the process, plus the intensive curriculum set up in the process, for these children, it is actually a very high-pressure environment." In the tugging with them, I really felt a feeling of being a teaching director. ”
It can be said that in the context of the rap theme with natural male audience attributes, the director Zuo Jin injected fresh blood into the rap IP with a delicate and unique perspective and led a new trend of rap, which is really courageous. She admits, "From her own point of view, I prefer to explore the interesting side of teenagers, such as things other than rap elements such as personality and appearance." As the general director, she grasped this point and effectively presented the things other than technology and temperament of the Rappers in the program, making these young Rappers more vivid and closer to the character status of young people, which is why "Junior Rap Project" is so different.
Rap new track "All STAR"
Since the moment iQiyi's "China New Rap" IP was born 4 years ago, rap culture has risen rapidly. Nowadays, it has gradually become a representative of a trend culture in the young culture of China, and even many rappers have a grand situation where tickets for performances are difficult to find. However, starting from the transformation of the IP model of "Junior Rap Project", iQiyi, as the leader of the rap track, also realized that in order for the rap IP to continue, it must maintain continuous innovation.
For the current ecological development of the domestic rap market, director Zuo Jin also has a keen insight into the situation, "The various forms of expression of rap culture have become one of the inherent lifestyles of young people, which is not only a rap music synthesis, but also many large-scale music festivals and group performances." Such a huge market focuses on the trendy purchasing power of young people, and capital inflows are also taken for granted. "But how to explore this market in a more innovative way is the most important problem in front of us."
In this regard, Zuo Jin plans, "In 2022, iQiyi's rap variety IP will launch the concept of 'All-STAR All-Star Season'". This S+ grade "super network roundup" launched in 2022 will bring together popular rappers and well-known rappers in the industry in the past programs, take the audience to a deeper understanding of the rap culture system, and show the charm of rap and the potential of rappers. Such an "All-Star League" form will surely add many unexpected points of view, such as joining the form of rap stars competing on the same stage, so that many RapStar strong people can compete on the same stage. In any case, the quality of stage works is the biggest focus, and iQiyi has made great efforts to expand the RAP variety IP.
Zuo Jin said that with the end of iQiyi's "Junior Rap Project", the experiment of "Can RapStar be cultivated" proposed this summer has also reached the moment of testing the results. In the careful cultivation of the whole season, "we use rap as a medium to witness and portray the enthusiastic dream group portrait of the positive energy of young people in the new era." Through the narration of the director Zuo Jin, the details of an innovative program from the establishment of the project to the display in front of the audience are also revealed one by one. Looking back at the front and back of the entire "Junior Rap Project", it is obvious that the initial standards and expectations have been completed, and iQiyi has always occupied a leading position in the rap track and youth culture.
Text/Beijing Youth Daily reporter Wang Lei
Editor/Cui Wei