‘Rhythm + Flow’ freestyles back to Netflix for Season 2

By Lisa Respers France, CNN

(CNN) — Before she became a platinum-selling artist, rapper Latto was a contestant on the reality competition, “The Rap Game.”

Now she’s flipping the stage as a judge for the new season of Netflix’s hip-hop competition series, “Rhythm + Flow.”

“It was fun to be on the other end of the stick,” Latto told CNN. “At first I was nervous, ‘cause I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’ve been in their shoes.’ I know what that feels like when you’re put on the spot. So I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m gonna be too soft.’”

Viewers will be able to determine for themselves how tough as Netflix streams the second season of the series in which Latto, fellow rapper Ludacris and producer DJ Khaled are judges.

Contestants write new tracks, compete in battles and perform for a chance to win $250,000. They also get to interact with some heavy hitters in the industry.

Despite how incredibly competitive the show is, many of the contestants grew close.

“It is an experience that only we can understand,” said contestant Jaxs. “Nobody else can understand this experience, only the other competitors.”

Contestant Rhome said the production team did a good job of supporting them through the process.

“The biggest blessing about ‘Rhythm and Flow’ and Netflix is they stayed true to us,” he said. “They really were like, ‘We want to highlight the talent. We want to highlight the people that’s on the show.’”

That included sharing the sometimes painful backstories of contestants, like Detroit Diamond, who came to rap because of a tragedy.

She talked to CNN about her delight at participating in a competition with so many other talented women, in particular.

“Coming into the situation and then meeting all these different women, like in my mind I’m like, yeah, everybody that’s coming can rap. You expect them to know how to rap because they made it this far,” Detroit Diamond said. “But then once you got to actually see people perform and hear their songs and just see their personality as well, it was like, okay, yeah, in the next few years, we’re going to take off and it’s gonna be in great hands.”

Atlanta plays a big part in the show. Ludacris told CNN that tracks, given the history of the city and hip hop.

“Here in Atlanta, it’s just one of those melting pots where you just see so many different styles and people using their creativity to express themselves,” he said. “That’s truly what it’s about.”

DJ Khaled said he wanted to participate in the show “to hear something new.”

“Looking for that new person to break new barriers, you know what I’m saying?” he said. “I remember hearing Outkast for the very first time. I remember hearing UGK, I remember hearing Jay-Z, I remember hearing Luda for the first time.”

“Luda came out the first time he came out, you can have artists and boom like this, a short thumb sticking out in a great way. The man’s cadence, the man’s flow, the beat selection,” DJ Khaled added. “Not just ‘cause [Ludacris is] here, but that is a perfect example of something new. Luda’s the type of person that brought the visuals to it too. So I look for all that, with all these artists because it’s so much music coming out, which is a blessing.”

The second season of “Rhythm + Flow” is currently streaming on Netflix.

The-CNN-Wire
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