DJ Khaled: If you make that raw shit and the shit go “pop,” that’s how you make music.
Latto: I was a little nervous walkin’ on stage for Rhythm + Flow.
Ludacris: Everything is on the line. Even though times have changed, the fundamentals of tryin’ to make it has not.
[hip hop beat playing]
Ludacris: What’s goin’ on. This is Ludacris.
Latto: Whassup? I’m Latto.
DJ Khaled: What? There’s only one DJ Khaled.
Ludacris: I’m a judge on Rhythm + Flow, Season 2.
Latto: I’m one of the big dogs on Rhythm + Flow. I’m sittin’ on the judge panel.
DJ Khaled: Bein’ a judge, if it’s makin’ music, or if it’s talkin’ music or if it’s just a lifestyle of hip-hop, because, you know, we live, we eat this, we breathe this, so I-I’m enjoying every moment of it.
[CLIP] Ludacris: We gotta keep it real.
[CLIP] Latto: We gotta keep it real.
[CLIP] Ludacris: Especially on Netflix. It ain’t no sugar coatin’ on Netflix.
[CLIP] Big Sean: Talk yo’ shit on Netflix.
[bass-heavy beat playing]
Ludacris: Auditions are a process where you get to see the artist for the first time come out.
Latto: We see a lot of talent. We see a lot of bullshit.
[CLIP] Ludacris: You not gon’ make it today, I’mma tell you right now.
Ludacris: We started with 60 artists and had to cut it down to 22 artists.
Latto: But eventually, we do find the talent.
[CLIP] Detroit Diamond:♪ Pretty face Cold when the beat go ♪ ♪ D-Girl Raised with a street flow ♪
[CLIP] K’alley:♪ Benjamin Franklin had slaves technically Ain’t we still working for slave masters ♪
[CLIP] Latto: I’mma say “Yes.”
DJ Khaled: Man, besides the talent, there’s a thing called “The glow.” Just look at me. The room could be dark and I walk in and it’s light. Some people are just stars.
[CLIP] Ludacris: You got the potential to be a star. It’s all about you.
Latto: Versatility definitely makes a superstar. You can brand yourself, but you can also get lost in your brand. and become boring, like, flatline.
DJ Khaled: And then work ethic is important for me. I know what it takes to get to a certain level. Even when you have the talent, even when you got the support, it’s still a work ethic.
Ludacris: When everything is on the line, I wanna know how they perform under pressure. In my opinion, that’s the biggest factor.
[CLIP] Ludacris: The cypher’s gonna make it break people.
[CLIP] Latto: Yeah.
Latto: I love cyphers. You know I get down on them cyphers.
Ludacris: The cypher is like a group of four or five, and they would basically just givin’ us their best rhymes they have.
Latto: It can be nerve-wracking though. Havin’ competition go, like, right before you, right after you. It put it that hunger back into me. Like, I remember bein’ in their shoes, and just wantin’ it so bad. Like, “Somebody give me a shot, dammit.”
[CLIP] DJ Khaled: I couldn’t go to bed at night if I couldn’t keep it real with y’all. I wasn’t in love with it at all. If you really want this shit, you gotta get busy.
DJ Khaled: This show gives you a chance to give you all categories and it’s on you to tell us who you are.
Ludacris: Hip-hop is always about bringing people to your neighborhood and bringing people to your life.
DJ Khaled: Different regions, cities, different States, different hoods. We all have different slangs, we all have different styles.
[CLIP] DreTL:♪ Clean-ass But forever that dirty South ♪
DJ Khaled: Sometimes when you think globally you might run into a brick wall. The way I make music, I stick to the block and the street. Some people go into the studio and make a pop tune, and usually those are the ones that run into the wall, or be a one-hit wonder. If you make that raw shit, and the shit go “Pop,” that’s how you supposed to make music.
Ludacris: The rap battles, that’s the cutthroat. That’s where hip-hop started goin’ one-on-one, at each other’s throats.
Latto: Oh my God, Luda and Khalid left me to go holla down in Detroit. But thank God, I had my friend Eminem pull up.
Ludacris: Competition at its rawest level. That’s what that was.
Latto: I had to make some tough decisions.
[CLIP] Rhome:♪ Jay Taj… Jay died! ♪ ♪ Everybody say hi to Gerard From the wayside ♪ ♪ Ten minutes up from Disney Blowing straight fires ♪ ♪ I hope your ass is ready For the same life ♪
[CLIP] Jay Taj:♪ So he cried in his audition tapes He shed a tear ♪ ♪ The only motherfucking reason That you made it here ♪ ♪ While he was growing up In the comforts of middle class ♪ ♪ I was crying talking To my mama through a prison glass ♪
DJ Khaled: Where is the future of hip-hop headed? It’s just gonna get bigger and bigger.
Ludacris: Man, the future of hip-hop is bright. I just see it continuing to evolve. And I think evolution is a great thing.
DJ Khaled: And I think our jobs is just to bring the greatness and make sure we continue that “pure.” And when I say “pure,” just bein’ authentic.
Ludacris: I like to hear when people, like goin’ outside the box of the norm is just now they’re mixing genres to a degree, or they’re something from the past and doing it in a new way which is the basis of what hip-hop is built off. Sampling, DJ-ing, on the block, you know, battles. All of these different things, and all of these are in the show.
[CLIP] Ludacris: Life and whatever you want to do is all about who the fuck wants it the most. She wants to fucking compete. This is what stars are made of today.
Ludacris: The importance of Rhythm + Flow and finding that next hip-hop superstar, is very integral because this particular show you get to take the wall down, you get to see what happens behind the scenes.
DJ Khaled: That raw uncut… I keep forgettin’ the cameras are on ’cause it’s so uncut and raw, meaning representing hip-hop but also just being original.
Latto: There is nobody feeding us. No lines, or like… “Y’all need to choose this person.” No, this real life. Me, Luda, and Khaled coming up with these decisions based off our experiences in the real music industry.
[CLIP] DJ Khaled: I was locked in for real, though, like… You know, you got somebody locked in the first 10 seconds of a record, you got ’em!
Ludacris: As time goes on, we have a different and even more evolved definition of what hip-hop is from when it first started. I feel like it is the most relatable. It comes from a place of struggle and that doesn’t necessarily mean of poverty, because a lot of it comes from poverty. I think it’s about turning trauma to treasure. Everybody can relate turning trauma to treasure in some shape, form, or fashion.
DJ Khaled: [chuckling] Yo! Rhythm + Flow! Just know! You were sayin’, like…
[Latto laughing]
Ludacris: Just use that. Fuck the last 10 minutes. Goddammit!
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