FROM QUEEN LATIFAH, FLAVOR UNIT AND JERMAINE DUPRI, GET READY TO RHYME AND FLOW WITH SEASON TWO OF LIFETIME'S HIT SERIES, "THE RAP GAME," PREMIERING JULY 22

LOS ANGELES, CA (June 14, 2016) - School is out and summer is in full swing, but for seven aspiring artists, classes are just beginning! Learning from the best in the music industry, these young rappers have the opportunity to work with Grammy winner and producer Jermaine Dupri in an all-new season of The Rap Game (#TheRapGame), premiering on Friday, July 22, at 10pm ET/PT. To help mentor the young teens throughout the season, Dupri enlists the support from some of the most successful artists in the music industry including iconic singer Mariah Carey and legendary rappers Snoop Dogg, Timbaland, Nelly, Bow Wow, Monica, DaBrat, Flo Rida and producers, Bryan-Michael Cox, Zaytoven and Mike Kalombo. The winner will receive a recording contract with Dupri's label, So So Def Recordings. Grammy and Emmy award winner Queen Latifah and her partner Shakim Compere are executive producers under the Flavor Unit umbrella, alongside Mechelle Collins and Kevin Dill of Intuitive Entertainment and Dupri.

The first season finale of The Rap Game ended with series highs across all demos including 2.2 million Total Viewers (a +69% jump) based on L+7. The series propelled Lifetime to be the number one cable network among Women 18-49 and Women 25-54 in its Friday 10-11pm time period.

Artists include:

Jayla Marie, 12, Raleigh, NC - Jayla Marie first caught the attention rapper Nas who shared her YouTube video, "If I Ruled the World." With the support of her momager, Jayla believes that she is the complete package and her hardwork will lead her to be the next big thing.

J.I. aka The Prince of New York, 14, Brooklyn, NY - With three years of rapping under his belt, J.I. brings a level of lyrical genius that's on par with some of the biggest names in the industry. Influenced by Tupac and Nas, what The Prince of NY lacks in experience, he makes up for in impressive freestyles and a unique flow.

Lil' Key, 15, Baltimore, MD - Lil' Key started rapping at ten years old when he performed a gospel rap in a church talent show. An avid writer, Lil' Key writes his own music and is focused on finding a unique sound to stand out from his peers with his parents by his side.

Mani, 15, South Central LA, CA - Mani started spending time in the studio when he was six years old and released his first mixtape at twelve. He recently dropped his single, "I'm the Best," and has been making music with DJ Battlecat and Tha Dogg Pound, as well as opening for Mindless Behavior. Managing Mani's career is a family affair with his mom focusing on the business side of matters and his dad overseeing all things creative.

Mini Barbie, 12, Atlanta, GA - At the age of two, Mini Barbie impressed her mom by singing Beyonce's "Irreplaceable" verbatim and since then, has performed all over Atlanta. A fashion trendsetter with devoted fans, she idolizes Nicki Minaj and wants to be the last rapper standing.

Nia Kay, 14, Chicago, IL - Nia Kay began rapping at the age of eight and made her first music video by the time she was ten. With the encouragement from her parents, she uses rap as a platform to express herself, always pushing to be better and work harder. Inspired by Lil' Wayne and Nicki Minaj, working alongside Jermaine would mean everything for Nia Kay.

Tally, 16, Nashville, TN - Tally discovered her rapping abilities accidentally, rapping the hook to a song her sister was singing. The discovery led her dad to recording her rapping in their home studio. While acting was Tally's first passion, rapping has now taken over in hopes she can show other girls that regardless of their ethnicity or background, they too can rap.

Produced by Intuitive Entertainment, The Rap Game is executive produced Kevin Dill and Mechelle Collins (The Millionaire Matchmaker, Atlanta Plastic), Ted Iredell (Making the Band), Perry Dance (Making the Band) and co-executive produced by Adam Schor (The Biggest Loser). Lifetime's Mary Donahue and Mariana Flynn also executive produce in addition to Dupri, Latifah and Compere. Filmed in Atlanta, ten episodes have been ordered for this season.

ABOUT INTUITIVE ENTERTAINMENT

Intuitive Entertainment, LLC is a film and television production company dedicated to storytelling with style. Owners Mechelle Collins and Kevin Dill started Intuitive in 2006, and have produced hundreds of hours of television including eight seasons of Bravo's hit seriesThe Millionaire Matchmaker. Intuitive also created and produced Sunset Tan for E!, Pit Boss for Animal Planet, Rods and Wheels for Discovery Channel, Heartbreakers for Discovery ID, and Atlanta Plastic for Lifetime. Intuitive recently released the independent documentary See Me, narrated by Susan Sarandon. Other documentaries produced by Intuitive are Lifetime's Spotlight 25, and MTV's Yearbook Chronicles.

ABOUT FLAVOR UNIT ENTERTAINMENT

Flavor Unit Entertainment is a production company owned and operated by Queen Latifah and her partner, Shakim Compere and is quickly establishing itself as one of the most important production companies in the film industry. They began by executive producing Disney's box office # 1 hit Bringing Down the House and then continued with Beauty Shop for MGM and The Perfect Holiday for Paramount. They have also produced The Cookout with Lionsgate, as well as the film Just Wright with Fox Searchlight. On the small screen, they executive produced HBO's critically acclaimed film Life Support which garnered a number of awards including an Emmy nomination and Golden Globe win for Queen Latifah . Flavor Unit Entertainment made a multi-year deal with BET to create new original programming including the original movie The Cookout 2 and its first-ever scripted romantic comedy titled Let's Stay Together which premiered with 4.4 million viewers. In 2011, Flavor Unit Entertainment's original film Single Ladies, was expanded into VH1's first hour- long scripted series with approximately 3 million viewers throughout its two season run. Flavor Unit produced Latifah's film Joyful Noise. Most recently, Flavor Unit produced Lifetime's Original Movie, Steel Magnolias which stars Queen Latifah, Phylicia Rashad, Jill Scott and Alfre Woodard. The movie premiered in October 2012 as the third most-watched telecast ever on the network, averaging 6.5 million total viewers. Flavor Unit most recently struck a multi-year licensing deal with Netflix. Their first release includes the thriller, House of Bodies which stars Terrence Howard and Peter Fonda. Most recently, Flavor Unit co--produced HBO's original movie Bessie, which premiered on May 16th. Bessie stars Queen Latifah in the title role of Bessie Smith, who overcame her tempestuous personal life to become one of the most acclaimed performing and recording artists of the 1920s and '30s, earning the nickname "Empress of the Blues."

ABOUT LIFETIME

Lifetime is a premier entertainment destination for women dedicated to offering the highest quality original programming spanning scripted series, non-fiction series and movies. The critically acclaimed UnREAL, Devious Maids, Project Runway, Dance Moms, Bring It!, The Rap Game and Little Women franchises anchor the network's programming, in addition to its over 25 original movies annually that continue to define the TV movie genre. In 2015, Lifetime launched Broad Focus, a major global initiative dedicated to supporting and hiring female directors, writers and producers to make its content which totals over 450 original hours. Lifetime Television(R), LMN(R), Lifetime Real Women(R) and Lifetime Digital(TM) are part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, LLC, a subsidiary of A+E Networks. A+E Networks is a joint venture of the Disney-ABC Television Group and Hearst Corporation. #TheRapGame