What Would an Authentic Hip Hop Group Produced by YG Look Like? Check It Out on ‘MIX & MATCH’
[OSEN=김사라 기자] ‘MIX & MATCH,’ a survival program aired on Mnet designed to pick a new boy group of YG ENTERTAINMENT (YG) to make a debut, is scheduled to broadcast its second episode. The previous episode amounts to a prologue, and now the game is on. What an authentic hip hop group produced by YG would look like is much anticipated.
Six members of WIN B TEAM, who competed against WINNER on ‘WHO IS NEXT: WIN,’ and three new trainees are appearing on ‘MIX & MATCH.’ A new boy group ‘iKON,’ three of whose members have already been confirmed, namely B.I, BOBBY and KIM JIN HWAN, is to be formed by adding four out of the nine contestants to the mix. At the production report conference, YG’s main producer Yang Hyun Suk said, “Compared to WINNER, the members of iKON prefer hip hop more. They indeed characterize the spirit of YG.”
In the first episode broadcast on Sep. 11th, the main producer Yang introduced the members of WIN B TEAM to the trainees JUNG CHAN WOO and JUNG JIN HYEONG. “JUNG CHAN WOO and JUNG JIN HYEONG have been practicing in earnest for only about two months,” said Yang. “I’ve been watching them over the weeks, and they’re quickly making progress. What matters is how well they’re going to adjust to the new team and stay compatible with iKON.”
The third trainee YANG HONG SEOK is going to appear in the second episode of ‘MIX & MATCH.’ The nine candidates are evaluated in three rounds of matches. The first round will be judged by producers of YG, and the second round by judges from outside. But the first two rounds of the matches are just a warm-up for the last round: The final match accounts for 90 percent of the result.
B.I and BOBBY, the rappers, have already proven their talents when they appeared on ‘SHOW ME THE MONEY 3.’ The rest of the iKON members are to be filled with vocals, so the matches are essentially about picking the most skilled vocals. But what matters most is the kind of combination iKON is going to have and the level of chemistry among its members.
iKON is the third boy group produced by YG, following BIGBANG and WINNER. While WINNER appealed to its fans at home and abroad with lyrical and emotional music, rather than with intense hip hop sounds, iKON is expected to remind the early days of BIGBANG. Anticipation is rising for the kinds of music and performances that the contestants of ‘MIX & MATCH’ will deliver in their first round of match.
2014. 9. 18.
