"Show Me the Oldest Audition Series"..The pride of CP Choi Hyojin [★FULL Interview]

*This content was translated by AI.

• Mnet's "Show Me the Money 12" interview with CP Choi Hyo-jin

CP Choi Hyo-jin of "Show Me 12" shared his fear and thirst for freshness as a new season director.

CP Choi Hyo-jin, who recently directed Mnet's "Show Me the Money 12" (hereinafter referred to as "Show Me the Money 12"), met with Star News through an interview held at the CJ ENM Center in Sangam, Mapo-gu, Seoul.

"Show Me 12," which returned for the first time in about three years since "Show Me 11," which aired in 2022, is providing an expanded viewing experience through collaboration with the largest number of applicants, the largest number of episodes, and OTT platform TVING. The hidden league "Show Me the Money 12: The World of Yacha," which will be released on TVing after the main broadcast, is also gaining huge popularity.

"Show Me 12," which turned a turning point, has entered the long-awaited music mission. Twenty rappers who survived after a fierce team matching mission have completed the final team formation with four producers.

CP Choi said, "It's been a long time since the season came out, and in the meantime, the media environment has changed and many things have changed overall, including viewers' tastes, so I was deeply worried. While there is heritage because it is an old series, it is this season that I have been agonizing over how to take the familiarity and freshness compared to the previous seasons, he said.

He said, "In the meantime, the taste of hip-hop listeners seems to have changed a lot, and in fact, 'Show Me' is a popular content, so various opinions are being accepted. As a production team, there are some interesting and new points I learned," he said.

"I think it was a time to check the status of the hip-hop scene, which has changed from the trend until the preliminary match. If you could see the direction or the flow of the scene through the process of inferring many participants into 20, it is the time when producers and participants prepare for the stage with energy, and it feels like the second half. "I have high expectations because it is time to show quality music and performance."

CP Choi, who is directing the "Show Me" series for a long time, felt a different atmosphere from before, especially through this season. He said, "I've been directing the 'Show Me' series since the hip-hop scene was centered in Hongdae. As the view of the genre of hip-hop itself has changed over the past time, I have seen various things from various points. For example, hip-hop and rap are the oldest audition contents in Korea. I think there was a reaction to various attempts as well as unfamiliar charm. I'm always grateful to the viewers," he said.

He also said, "A variety of people gathered in this season's preliminary round," adding, "I think there were many people who came because they wanted to participate in the 'big event.' I've seen a lot of people of the same age hanging out with their parents who brought their children. I thought it was a kind of event, but it was also a strange experience for me," he said, smiling as he recalled the qualifying site.

As he said, the "Show Me the Money" series, which started in 2012, has left many meanings over 12 long seasons. When I was planning Season 12, which came back after about three years, I even felt scared.

CP Choi said, "Show Me 12 is the season with the most fear," but added, "Since we started recruiting applicants, the fear has disappeared. "I'm not worried because I think I can show you how the hip-hop scene is going just by showing various participants," he said, expressing confidence.

"However, it is a time when content is overflowing, and as I said earlier, it was a very big task for the production team to balance the sense of humor and freshness. Perhaps that's why the planning meeting was much longer than last seasons," he said.

The combination of global and domestic qualifiers is also a difference in this season. In the process, the most eye-catching person was Thai artist Milli (MILLI), who was the first Thai solo artist to appear on the Coachella stage and attracted a lot of attention as a "Show Me 12" participant. In addition, Kim Ha-on, the winner of "High School Rapper 2," is also receiving expectations from viewers.

CP Choi said, "All 20 participants who came to the music mission, including Millie and Kim Ha-on, are well-chosen participants," adding, "All producers are very satisfied with their team members."

"I think the team matching went well, too. Zico and Crush teams give participants delicate feedback and have a friendly relationship between producers and team members. Interpreters for Millie, a foreign participant, are also being meticulously conducted. The J-Tong and Hucky teams have distinct personalities and producers listen well to their team members. Park Jae-beom and Lil Moshpit teams also have great rappers, so it will be fun to watch and listen to them. The Loco and Gray teams stand out for their hooked hooks and theme consciousness," he hinted.

According to CP Choi, the strength of Hucki Shibaseki and J-Tong team, who newly joined as producers this season, is a clear team color. It is explained that popular and stylish music stands out. Zico and the Crush team, famous for being best friends in the entertainment industry, continue their delicate work through communication as much as their various stage experiences. It is said that the kitsch hook is also attractive.

Park Jae-beom and Lil Moschfit team have a very good direction with each other. It is rumored that the team members also have good beats and teamwork.

CP Choi said, "The Loco and Gray teams are friendly and delicate, so the production team has high expectations. It is no exaggeration to say that Loco knows all the winning formulas. When I heard the beat, I couldn't help but say, "Yes, this is the gray beat." All four teams have different personalities and are harmonious within the big framework of "Show Me 12." "You will feel pleasure when you listen to the four teams' music at the same time," he said, expressing confidence.

Producers are also working with a sense of duty. CP Choi said, "When producers and producers have meetings or meet, we talk a lot about current hip-hop. I can feel them doing their heart out. It also gives the production team a lot of feedback on how the series "Show Me" is connected to hip-hop and in which direction to go. I can feel everyone's worries," he said.

"As I have shared so many different contents with Park Jae-beom, I am not shy and see him often in private. He's a person who talks about his love for hip-hop. The Hucky and J-Tong teams give more raw feedback than other producers, and Zico and Crush can feel looking for information about "Show Me" as much as the production team. I think I see everything from the very small cardara to the overall flow. Loco and Gray are so popular in music. I feel like I'm giving feedback to the production team with a heart of gratitude and a warm heart," he explained.

On the other hand, there is also noise. Mr. A, who appeared as a participant, was indicted on charges of avoiding the military service law. Accordingly, the production team edited the amount of A's appearance.

In this regard, CP Choi said, "In fact, there are various issues of participants that the production team does not anticipate. (Mr. A's part editing) did not play a big role in storytelling."

"We are doing a lot of interviews (with participants) in advance or going through personal stages. "I think this opportunity made me think more about the need to check (about the cast) even though I have meetings at various levels," he said.

He carefully added, "There were many parts that were not clear for the production team to comment on that issue."

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*This content was translated by AI.