SMTM is about my favorite reality game show ever, pairing known hip hop artists with rookies or up and coming pro rappers for the title of best rapper. I started watching since Season 3 and am an avid fan of the personalities, dramas, and talents. While there have been some fun songs and performances in the past, notably by Bobby and Oltii, Season 5 has showcased a handful of truly notable stages where the producers really brought out the best in their contestants.

ONE - "Be Comfortable", SMTM5
Rapping about overcoming obstacles in a personal way is a staple K-pop trope and extremely effective with audiences, but, in a word, Boring. This performance was atypical in that the standard emotional rap was paired with a surprisingly sexy backing track and a breezy rather than tortured delivery. While this performance didn't bag One a win, the laid back combination of gentle beats, the producers' (Simon D!) r&b crooning, One hitting his stride finally without being outshone by Simon D (Simon D!), cleverly turned the anti-idol rapper bias on its head.


C Jamm and Reddy - "Wanted", SMTM5
To be frank, C Jamm was a solid contender during SMTM3, but he just wasn't that fun to watch - overly serious, closed off with harsh songs and a hard attitude. Not a lot to differentiate him from many other competent rappers flow-wise or visually. And Reddy, he's got a lot of style but a limited repertoire. Seeing C Jamm open up this time around feels like a gift. The pairing was a stroke of genius on the part of the producers. The beat is wicked and the rappers absolutely killed the performance like a pair of panthers.


BeWhy - "Forever", SMTM5
Compared to his previous appearance on SMTM, it is obvious that BeWhy has not only improved, but more importantly, found, committed and delivered his own voice. He adjusted his register and vocal tics to his advantage. He delivers shotgun style with a musicality that diversifies the monotone with layers of inflection. He uses complex time signature warps and shifts easily through difficult beats. He's cleaned up his mannerisms. BeWhy has got style now. Taking a notes from Kendrick, BeWhy served a rapper's rap performance that doesn't pander or alienate the audience. In "Forever" he moves progressively, effortlessly through cold and moody to jazzy freestyle - each zone a showcase of technique.


BeWhy - "Day Day", SMTM5
I didn't think anything could top BeWhy's "Forever" performance, but then THIS happened. In a similar way to One's "Be Comfortable" track,  "Day Day" subverts the oft told story of "overcoming/being true to oneself/making it" by taking elements that usually don't go together to re-frame familiar sentiments. Musically, the genre is unusual for the material (fun! funky! is usually reserved for party lyrics), but BeWhy didn't dumb down to cater to the happy vibe, nor did his flow take a backseat in delivering the emotions. To underscore the narrative, the arrangement and staging segued from BeWhy's typical introversion to an gregarious expression of joy - pure and celebratory and shared. I have "Day Day" on repeat in the car - a first for a song out of SMTM - because it feels inspirational. Preach to me BeWhy.