The TOP 2 who will advance to the final block match of the TVING original entertainment show ‘Rap: Public’ have been selected.

In the 11th episode of ‘Rap: Public’, which was released on the 4th, the 2nd and 3rd blocks won and advanced to the finals after a splendid competition of ‘Crew Battle’.

The second round of ‘Crew Battle’, the last gateway to the finals, featured songs by Cha Cha Malone, who produced many of MC Park Jae-beom‘s hit albums. Block 3, Reddy, Cha Boom, and Noh Yoon-ha, who opened the round, left a deep impression with a stage completed with Cha Boom’s ideas and hook. The perfect performances of Reddy, Cha Boom, and Noh Yoon-ha also drew a rave response. “The stage was flawless and solid”””The song composition and the performances on stage were well-organized”””They are just one team. They prepared flawlessly””The chemistry between the three was greatly praised.

The second stage was filled with Block 6‘s GaoGai, Jiguin, and Kohway. The stage, which started with Block 6’s signature witty text messages, enthralled the audience with its addictive hook that caused them to sing along. The featuring of ‘Goddess of Voice’ Yuju also heightened the perfection of the stage. Block 6‘s leader GaoGai expressed his confidence by saying, “I was happy to see the audience happy when they made eye contact. I am proud and happy that the block members did well too.””Block 2’s ShyboyToby and FoggyAtTheBottom garnered sympathy with their sincere lyrics and immersive stage, and the emotional vocals of the featuring BigNaty were moving. The rappers praised the appealing stage of the two, saying, “It‘s the most touching stage I’ve ever seen on TV” and “It felt comforting.”

The final round of ‘Crew Battle’ was a competition with a song by producer Hucky Shibaseki, who executive produced E SENS‘s third album ‘Savings Bank’ and won the ‘2024 Korea Hip Hop Awards’ Hip Hop Track of the Year. The first stage featured 6 Block MacDaddy, Hash Swan, and Jo Gwang-il. The stage, created with the determination to ‘show what rap can do’, was powerful in itself. ‘Rap: Public’ provided a thrilling pleasure with various elements such as group costumes and masks, a magnificent flag, and intense tiki-taka.

The second stage was decorated by Block 2’s Loopy, JP, and OSUN, who showed fantastic chemistry. The stage of the three people who made the other blocks nervous since the rehearsal, the audience erupted in cheers from the start. Loopy‘s unique flow and JP and OSUN’s deep voices created a colorful synergy. The cheers from the audience continued even after the three rappers‘ stages were over. OSUN said, “The three of us have different colors. I think we shined when we came together in the end,” and JP expressed his determination toward the finals by saying, “I thought we could do well.”


The last stage of the Hucky Shibaseki round was decorated by Block 3’s Kim Haon, Yang Kayle, and James Ahn, who were united by their strong teamwork. As this crew includes Kim Ha-on, who has proven his skills in all matches and received enthusiastic responses, there was a lot of attention from other rappers. In particular, the perfect chemistry of the three rappers who showed their true worth on the stage themed ‘3’ left a deep impression. The audience also enjoyed the stage by jumping together, and Block 3 was proud, saying, “We won without a doubt” ... Leader GaoGai said, “All the matches were so intense that I couldn‘t work any harder. It’s a shame, but I have no regrets,” expressing his final thoughts.

There is only one match left until the final block that will win ‘Rap:Public’ is born. Blocks 2 and 3, who fought an unyielding rivalry in ‘Block Breaking’ and ‘Block Tournament’, will face off again in the final match. Block 3‘s Kim Haon expressed his aspiration, saying, “Our goal is still to win. We will fight for that goal.” Block 2’s Luffy raised expectations by expressing his determination, saying, “We will win on a stage worthy of the name ‘Rap:Public’.” All eyes are on the highly anticipated final block match to see who will be the final block of ‘Rap:Public’.

Meanwhile, the second sound source of the fifth block match ‘Crew Battle’ was released on the 4th. A total of 6 songs were released and garnered much attention, including ‘Truth hurts (Feat. Big Naughty)’ by Block 2 Shyboy Toby and Foggy at the Bottom, ‘Teabagging’ by Block 3 Ready, Chaboom and Noh Yoon-ha, ‘Sweat Bagging (Feat. Yuju)’ by Block 6 GaoGai, Jiguin and Kohway, ‘OTL (OFF THE LEASH)’ by Block 2 Loopy, OSUN and JP, ‘3’ by Block 3 Kim Ha-on, Yang Kaye and James Ahn, and ‘Saturation’ by Block 6 Mac Daddy, Hash Swan and Jo Gwang-il. All of the ‘Crew Battle’ sound sources can be enjoyed on domestic and foreign music streaming sites.

‘Lab:Public’ Episode 12 will be released on the 11th.

Hong Se-young, Donga.com Reporter projecthong@donga.com