This was originally posted Saturday, April 8, 2017 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com for his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
Nova took home the third season crown of Lifetime's "The Rap Game," guaranteeing a contract with So So Def Records.
Atlanta producer Jermaine Dupri is showing a pattern in the kids he's picking, including Miss Mulatto and Mani from the first two seasons. They are older, more polished and ready to be packaged as artists. During Friday night's finale, he chose a Pennsylvania 16 year old who possessed good looks. amazing rapping skills and a good attitude. Nova was the easy choice after the most mesmerizing of final performances.
"You had stage presence, that swag," said Dupri to Nova during the episode."The girls going crazy. You brought everything you had to that final performance."
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Nova will join Miss Mulatto and Mani on a "Rap Game"-oriented So So Def summer tour, stopping at Wolf Creek Amphitheatre June 22.
King Roscoe would have been a riskier but more intriguing choice. He is only 13 and started out slow but came into his own near the end, even beating Nova in the rap battle week 12. He brought signature swagger and command to his last performance but is still developing as an artist, Dupri noted.
Deetranada also had issues early on. She had never performed in front of a big crowd and got angry with herself at the Sweet Auburn Festival when she forgot her lyrics. By the time week 8 came along, she had blossomed and broken out of her shell. During that final concert at the Buckhead Theatre, she even used that as a metaphor, hiding under a sheet with a question mark embossed on it when she started rapping, then opening up, exuding huge amounts of energy and flair.
Both she and Nova, being older, were better lyricists than Flau'Jae and King Roscoe, the two Atlanta representative. Tally, the Iggy Azalea look a like and most divisive figure in the house, had her moments but inexplicably quit near the end of the competition before the rap battle. Just 12, Flau'Jae had the sloppiest final performance of the four but held her own and didn't embarrass herself.
The episode was stretched out to 75 minutes but without any real off-stage drama, it seemed unnecessary to do so. The final four kids got along well and so did their guardians.
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
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