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Def Jam scouts watch Rapstar game

Online hub could produce next star.

Karaoke game Def Jam: Rapstar will help up-and-coming rappers get their music in front of real Def Jam Records talent scouts.

Those professionals will regularly trawl the Def Jam: Rapstar online community hub, according to Kotaku, hoping users vote the best rhymes to prominence. There's even a meta-game for camera-shy fans, who can act as promoter or manager and scour the database themselves.

Def Jam: Rapstar - due this winter (likely Q1 2010) on PS3, Wii and Xbox 360 - uses a microphone and PlayStation Eye or Xbox Live Vision camera to record performances. Backing vocals, ad-libs and more can then be plastered on top using the game's editing suite.

There's a recording-length restriction of 30 seconds when using licensed music, whereas original creations know no bounds.

Those licensed tracks, by the way, include "Live Your Life" by TI, "Gold Digger" by Kanye West and "They Reminisce Over You" by Pete Rock & CL Smooth.

The Def Jam: Rapstar online community will also focus heavily on rap battles, with plenty of leagues to top. You can rap against other schools, for example, instead of playing them at, say, cricket or football.