Entertainment
The moment we've all been waiting for in Season 3 of The Rap Game is finally upon us. The Rap Game kids will all have their final performance to determine who will win a recording contract with Jermaine Dupri's label, So So Def Recordings, in the Season 3 finale on Friday, April 7 at 10 p.m. ET on Lifetime. But will that be the last we hear of this rap competition series, or does The Rap Game have a chance of returning for Season 4?
You might want to put the first three seasons of The Rap Game on repeat, because it's unclear if there will be any more of the reality competition series in the future. Lifetime has yet to officially announce whether or not The Rap Game will return for Season 4.
But The Rap Game's ratings have remained strong throughout its first three seasons with the series even gaining viewers during its most recent episode on March 31, according to data from the Nielsen Company, as reported by Screener, so it would be surprising if Lifetime let The Rap Game go at this stage. What's more, The Rap Game executive producer, host, and judge Dupri has posted some pretty curious Instagram photos lately, seeming to be taken on the set of Season 4 of The Rap Game.
He also appears to have invited his Instagram followers to the filming of Season 4's final performance. And there could even be more of The Rap Game on the way beyond Season 4. This video from what appears to be the wrap party on Season 4 of The Rap Game features Dupri exclaiming, "We will be making more TV!"
If Season 4 does, in fact, get the green light from Lifetime, it might not be long before the show is back on our TV screens. Its past three seasons have bowed in January 2016, July 2016, and January 2017, respectively, so it's certainly possible that a fourth season could premiere in the summer, especially since the principal filming on it seems to have already taken place.
In the meantime, you can catch your favorite artists from the first three seasons of The Rap Game on tour this summer. The Jermaine Dupri Presents SoSoSUMMER 17 Tour will be dropping some sick rhymes all over the country featuring Miss Mulatto, Mani, Nova, Deetranada, Supa Peach, Prince of NY, Lil Key, King Roscoe, Nia Kay, and more. The tour is slated to kick off on May 25 in Louisville, Kentucky and end on June 25 in Dallas.
Our time without new episodes of The Rap Game should go fast now that reality music competitions seem to be going through a bit of a renaissance these days. Sure, the most famous singing competition of them all, American Idol, may have sung its swan song in April 2016, but thanks to The Rap Game and some other series currently on the air and coming to a TV screen near you, getting acquainted with the next big stars in music has never been better.
'The Pop Game'
If you like The Rap Game, you'll probably love The Pop Game, which was also executive produced by Dupri and Queen Latifah. Every Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET on Lifetime, you'll see five young aspiring singers hone their crafts and receive mentoring from mega-producer and artist in his own right, Timbaland. In the end, only one will walk away with a record contract with Timbaland's label, Mosely Music Group, and wouldn't that be a great start to a career in music?
'The Voice'
The Voice, which airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, is as buzzy as ever these days, thanks to the phenomenal undiscovered talent that steps onto its stage and its always-entertaining lineup of superstar artists who serve as coaches. This season, Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, and Alicia Keys are looking for the next big artist in America, and it's sure to be another amazing ride.
'America's Got Talent'
As the biggest talent show on TV, many a talented singer has stepped onto the America's Got Talent stage over the years. Michael Grimm, Jackie Evancho, and Grace VanderWaal are just a few of the best-known crooners that have gone on to have some noteworthy music careers following their time on the reality competition. America's Got Talent will return for Season 12 on May 30 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
'The Stream'
NBC announced in October 2016 that it had greenlit a new music competition with a social media twist called The Stream, Variety reported at the time. Contestants will upload their auditions online for the public to stream and share. The 100 most-streamed artists will move on to a showcase where they will perform in front of to-be-announced industry professionals who will then choose 30 artists to work with for one week. At the end of the week, the industry titan will then sign three of his or her favorite contestants who will compete in a live weekly show. The winner of the competition will be determined by who has the most streams. The Internet has become a major platform to find the next big thing in music, so The Stream is sure to be music to our contemporary ears.
'Boy Band'
For those like me still looking to fill the void left by Making the Band, ABC will have a series just for you. The network has ordered 10 episodes of a new singing competition called Boy Band, which is set to premiere this summer, Deadline reported in March. In the series, contestants will battle it out for one of five spots in a new music group, which will be voted for by viewers, and a recording contract with Hollywood Records. And if they just want to bring back O-Town, I'd be OK with that, too.
But the next great music superstars are out there, and I'm excited to see their first moments in the spotlight on TV, be it on The Rap Game or another incredibly entertaining series in the future.
