Jermaine Dupri’s The Rap Game crowned a season 5 winner on Thursday night, and fans had a lot to say.
Los Angeles rapper Tyeler Reign, 16, took home the chain and a contract with Dupri’s So So Def Records.
“She has the total package,” the hip-hop mogul said about Reign, whose fierce lyrics, energetic performances and positive attitude carried her over the finish line.
“This is so exciting,” Reign said on the show. “I can’t believe I won.”
The teen was almost eliminated in the first week. But she continued to show improvement over ten weeks of competition and ranked number one more than anyone else in the game.
With Miami rapper, Queen Amaya, and Chattanooga’s Eli Triplett sent home over the past couple of weeks, that left Nya Kasan and Sire in the house.
Atlanta’s Sire came in second place. The 14-year-old and his fast-talking, race-baiting momager, Brandi, left the competition heartbroken after missing out on the contract they desperately wanted to help lift their family out of poverty and a cramped trailer.
Dupri told Sire he’s incredibly talented, but warned the teen to stop with the “antics.”
Nya, 16, took third place. The stunned Detroit rapper thought she had the win “in the bag,” but when Dupri told her she’d be leaving without the chain, she refused to shake his hand. Fans were divided over the outcome and lit up Twitter.
One person thought Nya should have gotten the recording contract, tweeting: “I need my girl Nya to win.”
But others thought the Motor City rapper lacked humility.
“Nya didn’t even respectfully thank JD for the opportunity… bye girl that’s why you didn’t win. ATTITUDE,” one person tweeted.
Several others criticized Brandi for putting too much weight on 14-year-old Sire’s shoulders as the family deals with financial problems.
“I feel for Sire. That’s a lot of pressure to put on that CHILD. It’s not his responsibility to get y’all out the trailer,” someone wrote.
“I hate the pressure this kid lives under. He had to console his mom and not the other was around,” another person added.
Still, someone else thought all three finalists were incredible and tweeted: “I think all three kids did amazing.”
The Rap Game premiered on Lifetime in 2016, and follows aspiring rappers between ages 12 and 16 as they compete for a chance to sign a record deal.
Winners on the previous seasons were Latto, Mani, Nova, and Street Bud.
The music competitipn series is executive produced by Intuitive Entertainment’s Kevin Dill, Mechelle Collins, Ilia Saddler-Flagg and Angela Chiu.
Additional executive producers include Lifetime’s Gena McCarthy, Brie Miranda Bryant, Shura Davison, Queen Latifah, Shakim Compere, and Elizabeth Polans from Flavor Unit, as well as host Jermaine Dupri.
Showrunners are Adam Schor and Bob Schermerhorn.
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