‘Hip Pop Princess’ has announced the birth of a talented Korea-Japan collaboration girl group.
On the morning of the 15th at 10:30 AM, the production presentation for Mnet’s ‘Unpretty Rapstar: Hip Pop Princess’ (hereafter ‘Hip Pop Princess’) was held at the Eliena Hotel in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam, Seoul, with the production team, MC and main producer (G)I-DLE's So-yeon, main producers Gaeko, Rie Hata, and Iwata Takanori in attendance.
‘Hip Pop Princess’ is a new project by Mnet aimed at creating a Korea-Japan collaboration hip-hop girl group. With the goal of birthing a new global hip-hop girl group, 40 participants will directly engage in all processes, including music, choreography, styling, and video production, to showcase their unique colors.
Producer Jung Min-seok introduced ‘Hip Pop Princess’ as “a program that aims to create a girl group in a new genre called ‘Hip Pop’, which combines hip-hop and pop.” He added, “I hope the skill-centered competition that female rappers had in the past on ‘Unpretty Rapstar’ is reflected in our project, which is why we named the program ‘Unpretty Rapstar: Hip Pop Princess’.”
So-yeon returned as the MC and main producer of ‘Hip Pop Princess’ after being the youngest participant on ‘Unpretty Rapstar’ nine years ago. She expressed, “I feel good that ‘Unpretty Rapstar’ has been reborn as ‘Hip Pop Princess’. I was a high school student back then, and now, nine years later, I’m an adult and can participate in the program again.”
Rie Hata, who transitioned from a participant on Mnet’s ‘World of Street Woman Fighter’ (hereafter ‘Street Woman Fighter 3’) to a producer on ‘Hip Pop Princess’, shared, “Since I was in a judging position during ‘Street Woman Fighter 3’, I understand the feelings of the participants. I wanted to play a role in motivating them to compete and grow in a harsh environment. The participants, who all love rap and dance, should enjoy this together.”
So, what was the recording scene like with the 40 participants from Korea and Japan?
Gaeko mentioned, “I was in charge of producing the title track and directed the recording of the participants. At first, I was worried about whether I could focus on directing the raps of 40 participants until the end, but once we started recording, their skills were so good. There weren’t many parts that needed special direction, so it went smoothly.”
He continued, “I’ve worked with many hip-hop artists, but it was my first time participating from the beginning with the participants, so I was really excited. I was surprised to see how capable they were at such a young age. There were more friends who were new to rap than I expected, and it was fascinating to see the potential they have. Watching them find and challenge what they want at that age was very inspiring.”
Iwata Takanori added, “We have 40 talented participants gathered, and you will be able to see not only the competition but also the drama of each moment. The Korean participants showed a lot of scale, while the Japanese participants had some rough edges but grew every time we met. Please watch as these 40 participants diligently chase their dreams.”
We also got to hear about the judging criteria.
When asked what aspects So-yeon emphasizes for the participants, she replied, “This isn’t my first time judging an audition program. I used to emphasize charm and star quality, but this program is different from existing auditions because it’s called ‘Unpretty Rapstar’. Of course, appearance is important, but this time we are continuously talking about ‘skill’.”
Participants selected through the program will be active as the hip-hop girl group Chapter I.
The representative for the golden group Chapter I stated, “Our goal is to create a group that can perform live while doing performances, and we are currently considering the number of members. The debut team will sign a contract with Chapter I in 2026 and will receive generous support through CJ’s capabilities and Japanese advertising agencies.”
Finally, Gaeko remarked, “I enjoyed hearing the raps of the 40 participants in both Korean and Japanese while doing ‘Hip Pop Princess’. Although they compete in different languages, I believe that growth is essential in the end. How they compete, grow, and harmonize will be the key points to watch in this show.”
Meanwhile, ‘Hip Pop Princess’ will premiere on the 16th at 9:50 PM on Mnet and will be broadcast simultaneously in Japan through U-NEXT.
[Lee Da-kyum, Star Today Reporter]
