After the success of American Idol and 8 Mile, it was only a matter of time before reality TV and hip-hop came together. Interscope Records, the label behind Eminem, 50 Cent and Dr. Dre, has teamed with Showtime to produce Interscope Presents The Next, a six-part series spotlighting young MCs in New York, Atlanta, Detroit, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, with each episode culminating in a rap battle. In the final episode, the winners from each city will face off against one another.

Big-time rappers will host their hometown battles, including Cee-Lo in Atlanta and D12's Proof in Detroit. (Proof was the model for Mekhi Phifer's battle-rap promoter in 8 Mile.) The Next also taps stars such as 50 Cent, Wyclef, Warren G and Jermaine Dupri to tell the history of hip-hop in their cities.

Eminem's manager, Paul Rosenberg, one of the producers of The Next, says the audition process was done mostly by word of mouth. "We reached out to DJs, producers and record stores in each city to find out who had buzz, who was hot on local mix tapes," says Rosenberg. Proof says the show perfectly captures the Detroit underground. "We had two great MCs," he says. "In Quest N.C.O.D.Y, you got a little witty-style MC, and in J. Hill you got the ghetto-ass drug dealer with skills -- and they both have the potential to be something big."

One problem with bringing hip-hop to television is the limits on language and behavior, which The Next skirts by airing on premium cable. "We can show motherfuckers smoking a blunt or drinking a forty," says Todd 1, a coordinating producer.

Whether hip-hop battles make for good TV remains to be seen. Anthony Zuiker, the creator of CSI, television's top-rated program, is currently developing his own rap show, Ruckus, a hip-hop extravaganza featuring break dancing, DJs, graffiti and MCs. "If The Next hits over at Showtime, it's going to open a lot of doors," says Zuiker. "Hip-hop is the pulse for this generation. TV hasn't embraced it."

DAVID SWANSON
(September 16, 2003)