‘Rap Sh!t’ Season 2 Shows Viewers What Happens To Sustain Fame After You Go Viral

The seducing and scheming continue in the second season of the Issa Rae-created Max series Rap Sh!t. The show stars Aida Osman as Shawna Clark and KaMillion as Mia Knight who unintentionally start a rap group in Miami with ambitions of making it in the music industry.

In the first season, viewers saw the hoops Shawna and Mia went through to get their viral rap single off the ground, and in the second we see what it takes to stay on top. The second season premiered on  Thursday, November 9 with two episodes, “Yield” and “Heavy Traffic.” The first episode picked up where the finale of the first left off with the girls about to go on tour with rapper Reina Reign (Kat Cunning) and Lord AK (Jacob Romero) The girls are featured on Reina’s “Tongue” track and are set to perform the song with her on tour.

Reina Reign’s manager and Shawna’s college estranged friend Francois (Jaboukie Young-White) informs Mia, Shawna, and their manager Chastity (Jonica Booth) that they won’t be performing any of their songs because they are not big outside of Miami and they won’t get paid, but they still agree to tour which is puzzling to me. Chastity will tour along with the girls but leaving her pimp business behind is foreshadowing a mutiny with Deja (Pretty Vee) eyeing to take over.

(L-R) KaMillion as Mia Knight, Kat Cunning as Reina Reign, and Aida Osman as Shawna Clark in Rap Sh!t. Photo: Max

While they prep to hit the road more of Mia and Shawna’s personal life is shown. Mia is having trouble finding someone to watch her daughter Melissa (Frankie Love Knight) while away and her alcoholic mother (Bobbi Baker) isn’t a prime contender. Mia and her baby’s father Lamont ( RJ Cyler) aren’t on the best of terms but he agrees to watch after her, but like duh. He’s her dad why wasn’t he the FIRST and only option. Mia has a goodbye party that turns sour with her mom overindulging in drinks, Melissa acting out because Mia’s leaving, and she starts to feel guilty about pursuing her career.

KaMillion as Mia Knight and RJ Cyler as Lamont Diggs in Rap Sh!t. Photo: Max

Meanwhile, Shawna and her credit card scamming with Maurice (Daniel Augustin) led to a police investigation. Shawna and her family will be questioned, but nothing too serious is happening yet because she’s still able to leave the city and travel on tour. She has a link-up with Maurice before heading on the road and notices Maurice talking to some shady folks who promise to turn on her if it means keeping them out of trouble with the credit card scam.

In “Heavy Traffic” the tour has begun and Mia, Shawna, and Chastity are getting a quick taste of how messed up the rap industry is and are taking different approaches to dealing with it. Mia and Chastity are more willing to adapt while Shawna is noticing the misogyny and speaking up about it. In one instance backstage in Lord AK’s green room, the men in his camp are sorting women out like cattle allowing the fair-skinned women to stay in the room and forcing dark-skinned women out during a quiz game clearly meant to be biased. When Shawna calls the men out on it she gets grossly sprayed with champagne.

(L-R) KaMillion as Mia Knight, Jonica Booth as Chastity, and Aida Osman as Shawna Clark in Rap Sh!t. Photo: Max

Shawna is a better woman than me because after this happened along with Chastity yelling about Shawna playing her role, Mia skipping out on the tour experience getting flown to the next stop by her baller boo, not getting paid, AND not performing my own songs. What’s the point? I did enjoy these episodes though. It was an adequate start to a new season. I’m hoping the entire season won’t be the girls on tour because that can get a bit stale quick but more about them adjusting to the industry.

Season two is digging deeper into the development of the characters which I like, but I’m noticing something about the two leads. KaMillion is not an actress and her performance can be very cringe but her time rapping and performing is believable because that’s what she does. She’s a rapper first, while Aida is a writer and actress so she shines in the acting department and the awkwardness of taking the stage is believable because that’s not what she primarily does. If the first season showed what is takes to go viral then season two will have to show what happens after and what is takes to go beyond it. I’m curious to see where this season goes and how this show could evolve past a second season.

New episodes of Rap Sh!t air on Thursdays on Max.

Are you a Rap Sh!t fan? How did you like the first two episodes of season two? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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Photo: Max