Behind Karik's shock

Karik had four exciting matches in the Battle Round. Therefore, the fact that the coach's team had a low score was a shocking result not only for him but also for the audience.

The recently aired Breakthrough Round of Rap Viet consists of 6 groups, divided based on each team's points from the previous Battle Round. The team with the lowest score must select the first 3 names for groups A, B, and C respectively. This means that in those 3 groups, the coach with the lowest score is in a passive position, unable to arrange their team according to their desired strategy.

Before the results were announced, both Karik and BigDaddy were confident they would win. Even when JustaTee asked who would take first place, both coaches immediately named themselves. However, the results were not as they expected. Most disappointing was Karik's case. He had a captivating and intense Battle Round, true to the spirit of a rap and hip-hop show, but received the lowest score. So what was the reason?

Is Karik being treated unfairly?

The scores for the Battle Round were calculated based on the total points of the 6 winning contestants in each team. The audience in the studio after each performance contributed to these scores. Accordingly, Karik came last with 294 points. Following him were BigDaddy with 325 points, Suboi with 329, and the highest score was BRay with 330 points.

When JustaTee declared, "The person with the lowest score is the one who is most confident in themselves," Karik couldn't believe what he heard and shouted, "Is that me?"

That result was also unbelievable to the majority of viewers who had been following Rap Viet recently. On social media, viewers debated the show's scoring method and argued that it was unfair. Karik had an excellent Battle Round, at least in terms of the number of contestants he kept. Eight contestants entered the Battle Round with four performances, and the number of rappers who successfully advanced to the next round from his team was seven, the most among all the teams.

Karik's team has 7 contestants in the Breakthrough round, the highest number among the 4 coaches. Photo: FBNV.

Besides the 5 contestants who were kept thanks to winning 4 matches and the 8-Bar round, Karik also had 2 students, V# and Tieu Minh Phung, who were saved by BigDaddy and BRay respectively using their golden hats. For any coach in the Battle Round, the achievement Karik has attained is admirable.

That achievement was not only due to the contestants' abilities but also to a sound strategy from the coach. Karik paired contestants who were evenly matched, had similar energy, or lacked certain skills, allowing them to complement each other while also showcasing their individual strengths.

According to viewers, because the matches were all exciting and evenly matched, the scores of the two contestants in the same pair were almost identical. Aside from Billy100's relatively low score of 39, the remaining contestants from Karik's team who advanced to the Breakthrough Round – Mason Nguyen, Lower, Danmy, and Manbo – all had scores that weren't significantly different from their opponents. Therefore, using audience scores from the Battle Round to determine pairings in the Breakthrough Round was deemed unfair to Karik's team.

Karik's problem

From the very first rounds, Karik affirmed his spirit in coming to Rap Viet to "fight." Contestants strong in rap and hip hop, with a strong old-school style, a fighting spirit, powerful energy, and confidence, were more likely to catch his attention than rappers who could sing well. For example, Coolkid, a rapper with catchy music and a good singing voice, was chosen by all three coaches, and Karik was the only one who said "no." Karik explained: "Your rap part was very convincing. But the problem lies with me, not you. I lean more towards the old-school style and pure rap."

This was most evident in the four matches of his team in the Battle Round. Many viewers even expressed that it wasn't until episode 7, when Karik's team's Battle Round aired, that Rap Viet truly began for them. After many rounds where singing was more prominent than rapping, it was the free, explosive, uninhibited, and distinctly hip-hop spirit that Karik's team brought that allowed viewers to find what they needed in a rap show.

Even the two girls on his team, V# and Danmy, clearly conveyed that spirit. It was a captivating battle between V#, a gritty, pure hip-hop artist with a versatile flow and diverse delivery, and Danmy, who had a strong Kpop influence. But even Danmy, a girl who leans towards a more mainstream style with catchy hooks, had to put in the effort to rap under Karik's request. They delivered a winning rap performance, exactly as the male coach had hoped.

Karik's consistent emphasis on the spirit of hip hop is highly appreciated by the audience. Photo: Producer.

In the Breakthrough round, Karik continued to emphasize the path he was taking. Even judge Thai VG commented that Karik's team's music was authentic hip hop, with performances being "real music".

Karik introduced Mason Nguyen, Lower, and finally Queen B to the Rap Viet stage. As soon as Mason expressed his desire to make cute music, Karik immediately rejected it. “I reject cute music. People are used to Mason’s catchy music, so if you switch to cute music, it will disappoint both hip-hop fans and children. It also doesn’t fit the spirit of the show. You have to do something the audience has never seen Mason do before,” Karik emphasized.

All three performances from Mason Nguyen, Lower, and Queen B were purely rap, shining through their rap skills and captivating the audience with their rap. While additional elements like beat typing and stage presence might have been present, the music from Karik's team focused on rap skills rather than relying heavily on singing like many other performances.

Queen B, the girl who helped Karik secure his first victory in the Breakthrough round after defeating the versatile and unpredictable Saabirose. The challenge Karik gave Queen B was to maintain her existing energy and pure, intense rap style, but to diversify her delivery and performance elements. Karik's calculations proved correct.

Of course, making catchy music, focusing on catchy hooks, and even singing a lot, as some contestants from other coaches have their own choices, criteria, and target audience, isn't wrong. But at least in a rap competition, a spirit like Karik's is highly valued.

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/dang-sau-cu-soc-cua-karik-3331446.html