For the first time in sixteen seasons, The Voice has let through a rapper to the next stage of the competition. Albeit a little late to the party, The Voice Australia has finally bitten the bullet, choosing to turn their chairs around for 20-year-old Denzel M Akuma.
As reported by XXL, the rapper wowed the judges with his lyrical flows and hard-hitting demeanour, proving to be something that the country could be missing in their music scene. Being exposed to a worldwide audience will help the artist reach new heights in his career and after performing his own song and making it through to the next round of the show, he's bound to see his streaming numbers go up.
Kelly Rowland, who is a judge on the show, was the most impressed by his skills, saying that Denzel is somebody that she just needed on her team. She ended up winning the bid, giving him some high praise along the way. Akuma said after the performance that he's trying to "make a revolution happen," and Kelly agreed that he's got major potential, saying, "Yes, you are something that Australia has never seen before, and yes, this is the story of the new generation that you must tell for them. And I know I can help you tell that story."
As you would expect, the decision to air his audition and the subsequent move to push him forward was met with skepticism by the show's loyal viewers but hopefully, it becomes the norm for these types of musical competitions to let through rappers. Hip-hop is one of, if not the, most popular genre in the entire world. It's about time a show like The Voice accepts a rapper.