Grannies grab the mic on ‘Tribe of Hiphop’

A group of elderly women with an average age of 65 are transformed into hip-hop rappers. This is the premise of JTBC‘s new hip-hop competition show “Tribe of Hip-hop.”

In the latest television show banking on the growing popularity of the genre, older celebrity women will be paired with well-known hip-hop artists and engage in rap battles. The elder rappers will deliver the stories of their lives with the help of their young mentors, explained show producer Song Kwang-jong at a press conference at JTBC Digital Theater on Tuesday.

The competition will include five “missions,” and the winner will be awarded a one-carat diamond, Song added.

For the women taking part in the hip-hop competition, challenging themselves seemed to mean more than the precious gem.

“I used to be the last one to sing or groove, and I thought this could be a turning point in my career,” said actress Lee Kyung-jin.

“As a gugak singer, I want to grab the chance to introduce gugak to the youths as well as to present the idea that a gugak musician could get along with the youth,” said a master singer of the Korean traditional music style, Kim Young-im.

The elder contestants confessed the challenge was a difficult one, but they were passionate about taking it on.

“I could feel the difference day by day as I practiced, which gave me the positive mindset that there is nothing that is impossible,” said actress Moon Hie-kyung.

The show is expected to encourage communication between old and young by introducing the wholly new concept of collaboration between young hip-hop musicians and elderly women.

“I wish we could give a message to the old to open up their minds to youth culture,” said actress Yang Hee-kyung.

Hip-hop musician San E, the show’s host, expressed similar expectation for the show. “I believe it will show the elderly challenging themselves as well as the harmony between the old and the new,“ he said.

The elderly crew includes actresses Lee Kyung-jin, Kim young-ok, Yang Hee-kyung, Moon Hie-kyung and Lee Yong-nyeo and aerobics instructor Yum Jung-in, gugak singer Kim Young-im and Choi Byung-ju, a former contestant of KBS1’s “National Singing Contest” show.

The producers include hip-hop stars P-type, Jooheon, Lil Boi, KittiB, Cheetah, DinDin, Hanhae and MC Sniper.

The first episode will air at 9:40 p.m. on Friday, featuring the elderly crew and producer crew forming hip-hop duos.

By Jung Eun-jin (jej2403@heraldcorp.com)