Hip-hop version of ‘Idols’ on way

WITH every new season of a talent show there could be a simultaneous campaign: “#find our Idol”.

Next month DStv channel Vuzu Amp will introduce audiences to its own version of Idols, this time with a local hip-hop twist, called The Hustle.

It will boast similar features as Idols SA: three judges, thousands of hopefuls and an opulent house that 20 contestants will get to stay at. But the show is not the music industry’s version of Big Brother, there will be no shower hour or shenanigans.

According to the shows host, radio DJ Sam Lehoko who is also known as Sammy Sosa, The Hustle is not just a show looking for the next hip-hop lyricist.

She said: “We are not just trying to find the next MC but are also trying to teach people how the industry works . . . as an artist it’s not just about your raps, its about the business and how well you are able to market yourself.”

Sosa was tight-lipped about how participants would progress through the rounds but did not rule out the possibility of the audience casting votes.

But she did say for the most part a three-person judging panel made up of hip-hop royalty Khuli Chana, Tumi Molekane and rapper AKA will decide who progresses.

The yet-to-be-revealed contestants were selected based on 15-second clips of them rhyming.

But is there room for another hip-hop king or queen and how long could they dominate the industry?

If Idols is any indication, the winners’ shine could very quickly become susceptible to a form of audience “load-shedding”.