Mnet has brought back its iconic female rapper competition series “Unpretty Rapstar” (2015-) after a nine-year hiatus with the fourth and latest installment, “Unpretty Rapstar: Hip Pop Princess.”

And no, that’s not a typo: The new season of the show aims to blend hip-hop and pop to debut a hip-hop-focused girl group from its 40 contestants, half of who are from Korea, and the other half from Japan.


The concept marks a sharp departure from the show’s original format, which centered on fierce competition among female rappers. Yet the essence remains the same, according to girl group i-dle's Soyeon, who returns to the series as a host and judge after competing as a contestant in its third season in 2016.

“It’s a very different show from the previous seasons of ‘Unpretty Rapstar,’” noted the singer-producer during a press conference in southern Seoul on Wednesday, ahead of the show’s premiere on Thursday. “But the core characteristics of the show remain similar.”

Soyeon pointed out that while “Unpretty Rapstar: Hip Pop Princess” follows an idol-audition format unlike the previous seasons, the dynamics and characteristics of the contestants are notably different from other typical K-pop audition programs.

The difference mainly comes from the fact that the contestants are required to actively take part in the creative process, from writing their own rap verses and styling themselves to crafting choreography.

Such a format reflects the original mission of the series, as in its initial concept, the show aimed to put a spotlight on the skills and musicianship of female rappers rather than their appearances — hence the title.

“In other audition programs I took part in as a judge, I used to put a lot of stress on charms and star qualities,” Soyeon said. “But this time, since it’s ‘Unpretty Rapstar,’ I’ve been telling the contestants that their skill will be the first and most important factor.”

“Our ultimate goal is to debut a group that merges hip-hop and pop,” said the show’s main producer Jeong Min-seok. “The title reflects our hope to have the skill-driven competitions and displays of honesty and confidence from participants that defined ‘Unpretty Rapstar’ in previous seasons.”

Soyeon will mentor the contestants as one of the four judges of the show, alongside Dynamic Duo’s Gaeko, Japanese choreographer Riehata and actor-singer Takanori Iwata.

“Unpretty Rapstar: Hip Pop Princess” is a Korea-Japan joint project between CJ ENM, which operates Mnet, and Japan’s PR agency Hakuhodo. The two companies co-founded a joint venture, Chapter-I, with the upcoming show serving as the company’s inaugural project.

The showrunners stressed that the resulting group will be quite different from what the industry has seen before.

“It will be integral [for contestants] to be able to tell a story that can resonate with young audiences from both Korea and Japan,” said Hwang Geum-san, who oversees the “Unpretty Rapstar” project in Chapter-I.

“So we're seeking to launch a group that can tell its own story in its own voices, capable of producing its own music and choreography with live performance capabilities.”

The number of members who will make up the final group is yet to be decided. Global fan votes, which opened on Monday, will be reflected in the show starting from the third episode, according to Mnet.

“Unpretty Rapstar: Hip Pop Princess” will premiere at 9:50 p.m. on Thursday on Mnet in Korea and the streaming platform U-Next in Japan.

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]