Rap Sh!t season 2 review: A tour that's more grit than glamor
In its sophomore outing, Issa Rae’s comedy moves away from Miami
The season-one finale of Rap Sh!t, creator Issa Rae’s follow-up to Insecure, demanded a second season. Its stellar final moments left viewers with the promise of a tour for fledgling Miami rap duo Shawna (Aida Osman) and Mia (KaMillion) and their hustling manager Chastity (Jonica Booth), a tease that was immediately knocked over by the Feds showing up to interrogate Shawna about her alleged involvement in Maurice’s (Daniel Augustin) credit-card fraud ring. Don’t worry, the tour is still happening, but that raises another question for season two, which premieres November 9 on Max: Would the series be able to recreate the spark of the first installment while both literally and figuratively moving the trio to new places?
The goal of any sophomore season is to expand upon everything that made the first installment a fan favorite without losing the show’s overall vibe and identity. And surprisingly, Rap Sh!t is able to pull this feat off even as it leaves a lot from its first chapter behind. Miami is no longer the central setting, though the spirit of the city remains in the DNA of the entire endeavor. Social media and video chats are still an important part of the story, but they’ve largely decreased as framing devices, with a higher ratio of scenes happening in traditional multi-cam setups. The new episodes’ more naturalistic tone allows for a “back to basics” focus on how these characters move through the world, and it makes the season overall a more settled, confident watch.
Rap Sh!t remains adept at peeling back whatever glitz and glamor the idea of the rap game brings to mind, showing how the come-up requires constantly compromising and selling out bit by bit. See, for example, the tour: It quickly becomes clear that Shawna and Mia are just supporting acts for the Reina Reign (Kat Cunning) show, though Francois Boom (Jaboukie Young-White) promises that the low-shine gig is the prime stepping stone for the rap duo to get the attention of record labels. The series plays up the absurdity of Reina’s “outrage marketing” (in Francois’ words) to hilarious effect, while also using the situation to highlight the contrasting mindsets that made the Miami natives’ growing friendship come to a halt last season. Shawna, understandably, is conflicted about co-signing Reina’s “outrage marketing” and being treated like a second-class artist, while Mia is determined to use any moment she must spend away from her daughter to her full advantage.
Anyone who has watched a Behind The Music episode knows that even the most tight-knit groups have to deal with the members’ different motivations, and it fits that Rap Sh!t would explore Shawna and Mia’s challenges. But this also means that the show loses the sheer electricity of Osman and KaMillion’s chemistry when their characters are in sync. Their rift is more pronounced as the plot keeps them separate for the first few episodes, even to the point that Mia jets off for a quick sojourn with her new suitor Cash in between tour dates. The loss of those dazzling moments where Shawna and Mia perform as a united team is pronounced in those first installments, especially during a standout scene where they step onstage with Reina for the first time. Thankfully, as the pair works back toward a better place as the season progresses, that levity returns.