The battle is on to separate two-bit rappers from the next 50 Cent.

Showtime and Interscope Records have teamed to produce a six-part series designed to discover the hottest new prospect in hip-hop. Interscope Presents The Next, which is expected to begin airing in October, is part talent contest and part documentary, with each episode culminating in one-on-one rap battles. Though clearly part of the reality-show stampede, The Next is less inspired by American Idol than by 8 Mile, the Eminem movie that unveiled Detroit's scrappy rap underground.

The show starts with 10 semifinalists, two each from New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Detroit. They were selected by a screening committee of hip-hop experts from a pool of hundreds recommended by local labels, DJs and producers. In each of the first five one-hour episodes, competitors wrestle for the city crown and a shot at the finale in Los Angeles.

Unlike Idol, the rap race boasts no celebrity judges, phone-in votes or glitzy stages (Detroit's showdown was staged in a junkyard). Winners will be determined by audience hysteria. And, in an effort to keep the reality real, rappers are granted full poetic license in Showtime's bleep-free climate.