Kilometer-long queue for rap TV show casting call

Season 2 of Rap Viet kicked off in Ho Chi Minh City on April 13, attracting thousands of wannabe rappers.

By 8 a.m. Wednesday, hundreds of people were queuing for their registration numbers. District 1’s Do Quang Dau Street was filled with people waiting up to two hours to show off their talents in front of judges. Some sat in nearby coffee shops or on street corners practicing their rap skills to kill time.
"I’m worried after seeing the huge number of contestants, but told myself to finish my performance, focus on meaningful songs," said Dinh Thi Thanh Truc, 20.

Contestants, over 20 years old, hail from HCMC and nearby provinces like Dong Nai, Binh Duong, as well as central localities like Da Nang and Hue. Many try impressing others with their hip-hop garb and colorful hair. According to the rules, each must perform two original songs.
Nguyen Dang Hieu, 29, said he was anxious about attending a rap competition for the first time. The white collar worker from Da Nang discovered his love for rap in 2017, and chose to sing about the loneliness of women and yes persons in modern society.

Many new underground artists like Soc Nau and Pjpo have also joined the open call.
In the first season 36 contestants had been chosen from thousands, and the show went on to become a humongous hit on national television. On November 14, 2020, its finale attracted more than 1.2 million viewers, a record number for an entertainment show. Rap Viet’s Youtube channel has more than two million subscribers, and many videos get millions of views.

According to organizers, 2,000 people have attended the open call in the last two days. They will look for contestants in Hanoi on April 20-21, 2021. Rap, slow to become popular in Vietnam due to its often dark and violent content, has won over young music lovers and found its ways into the mainstream. In the last few years dozens of rap artists, mostly underground, have appeared and achieved success with their music videos getting millions of views and shows attracting tens of thousands of fans.
King Of Rap, another reality show on national television, also got millions of viewers when it debuted in 2020.