Becoming the champion of Rap Viet 2024, Robber couldn't help but feel awkward when surrounded by reporters for the first time. He carelessly put the championship trophy aside during the interview even though he was reminded many times to hold it in his hand, or at other times he was confused about how to pose to be "photogenic". Coming from street hip hop and having worked in the underground for decades, clearly, what happened after the final night was somewhat unfamiliar to the male rapper.

And conversely, for those who have followed Robber's rap journey for decades, the way he answered interviews, perhaps, also made them unable to immediately recognize - this used to be one of the most unique names in Vietnamese Rap.

“The failures and mistakes of the past made me who I am today,” he said.

'I don't care about the acclaim'

The outcome of Rap Viet 2024 is actually not too difficult to predict. Since the start of the competition, Robber has always been considered one of the strongest candidates. Everything became even clearer after the final night 1. Team B contestant Ray, with a performance that was called one of the 10 best performances in Asia by famous rapper Changmo, made the audience believe that the championship would be difficult to slip away from his hands.

But for Robber, the Rap Viet journey is not that simple. Despite being constantly praised, the male rapper said he couldn't help but feel worried. "I'm just a 'mortal' person, when I compete I have to worry, afraid that I won't do well. I don't care much about people's praise, I just try to do the best I can," Robber said.

Explaining his anxiety, he said that 3 years ago he failed the casting for Rap Viet season 2. That caused the male rapper to fall into a severe crisis. It was his mother's trust and his will to not give up that helped him overcome that difficult time.

“In season 2, I stopped at the casting round. I thought a lot during those 2 years, wondering if I should continue competing or not, and even thought about not competing many times. But I was still here and conquered myself, conquered my long-standing anxiety. The more achievements I reaped, the more confident I became. That created the energy of Robber today,” he confided.

Robber's victory was predictable.

Robber mentioned his mother many times. The rapper is grateful to his mother for always supporting him on his career journey, even when he had not achieved any results.

“My family only has two mothers, so when I went to Ho Chi Minh City to work in the arts, my mother was home alone. It takes a lot of strength to endure that feeling. My mother always believed that one day I would succeed. Right now, I think of my mother. Thank you for believing in me. Without you, this journey would not have happened,” Robber confided.

The male rapper also added that what happened at Rap Viet changed his life a lot. The adults and neighbors around him also had a better view of him. "I really want to become the Rap Viet champion, but if I don't achieve it today, I will have another victory, which is making my mother proud when meeting the people around me," he concluded.

'I will break the champion curse'

When asked about the “championship curse” of Rap Viet, when many champions have had less than successful careers, Robber confidently said: “I will break that curse. Currently, I am not only nurturing one but many other music projects. I think that is what people expect from me. If I stop at this trophy, I am clearly not worthy.”

Besides, many audiences are worried that Robber's strong personality will make it difficult for him to go far in the future. Balancing between his own style and the tastes of the general audience is not an easy problem. Not only Robber, many other rappers who have come from underground also face similar problems. However, the Rap Viet 2024 champion said that only amateurs let their emotions control them, he is a professional and knows how to control his ego to serve the audience.

The winner of Robber and the runner-up GILL are both members of Team B Ray.

“Amateurs are still good and have skills, but professionals know how to control some things, like emotions, to be able to complete their goals. I can control them. Sometimes, we are the ones who hold ourselves back,” the rapper affirmed.

In addition, he also added that street material actually has its good points and can completely reach the majority. “As you can see, I was more like a naughty child. And when I grew up, I realized what my mother had gone through. I think the street showed me the hardships my mother had to endure,” he expressed.

However, he also said that thanks to coach B Ray and the judges in the show, he was able to balance the two extremes of the market and underground as he is now.

The Rap Viet champion said: “I can bring what the audience wants to the show, in a balanced way, thanks to the people here. When I came to Rap Viet, Tee told B Ray, ‘try to put pressure on this guy’. I don’t know about other people, but for me, pressure creates diamonds.”

Source: https://znews.vn/quan-quan-rap-viet-2024-toi-tung-vap-nga-sai-sot-va-khung-hoang-post1518169.html