VH1 and ego trip Search for Rap's Next Caucasian Sensation

NEW YORK, NY (VH1) - From the time the first rhymes flowed at the park jams of the South Bronx, most of rap's mega stars have been African- American or Latino. There have been a few notable exceptions: in the mid-'80s the Beastie Boys bridged rap's racial divide to great acclaim and commercial $ucce$$. Over a decade later, Marshall "Eminem" Mathers secured his spot amongst hip-hop's pantheon of all-time greats. Now in the year 2006 there are more vanilla-hued rap contenders, and pretenders, than ever before. But who, pray tell, will be hip-hop's next great white hope?

The quest commences with VH1's new sixty-minute, eight-episode comedic reality series "ego trip's The (White) Rapper Show" - premiering in early 2007. White rap legend Michael "MC Serch" Berrin (of the group 3rd Bass - the missing link between the Beasties and Eminem) serves as your guide through this exhaustive search for the lyrical Larry Bird. Set in the birthplace of hip-hop - the South Bronx - 12 contestants from across America will have their skills, knowledge, street cred, and preconceptions about race put to the test.

From freestyle battles in Harlem's Rucker Park, to selling sno-cones in a rowdy nightclub, our Caucasian contestants will be consumed by the culture they claim to love. But, as MC Serch asks, will they have what it takes to lead the culture? Or will they bleed the culture? Along the way, a rainbow coalition of hip-hop pioneers and respected professionals will help school and critique our eager competitors. Ultimately, "ego trip's The (White) Rapper Show" will leave one (white) man ... or (white) woman, standing alone ... victorious in the original hood of hip-hop with a $100,000 cash prize and a nation of millions of new fans.

The series is executive produced for VH1 in conjunction with Ken Mok along with Supervising Producers Paul Buscemi and Matt Cabral of 10x10 productions (the folks behind the series "America's Next Top Model"). Sacha Jenkins, Jeff Mao, Gabriel Alvarez, Brent Rollins, and Elliott Wilson of ego trip serve as Co-Executive Producers. Jim Ackerman and Michael Hirschorn serve as Executive Producers and Christian McLaughlin serves as Supervising Producer for VH1.