Rhymes aside, white rapper series seems reasonable

There's something to be said for good timing. A week before the "American Idol" juggernaut begins, VH1 offers a far-less-mainstream antidote: a different promise of unlikely fame, open only to white rappers.

That's the premise and the joke, and it threatens to be the whole of it: Hear the title "The (White) Rapper Show" and you wonder how much more needs to be said. In this eight-part contest, which premieres at 10:30 tonight, the winner gets $100,000 and bragging rights. And yes, this is, in many ways, a long and varied white-people joke.

To help them get in touch with hip-hop roots, the rappers live in a South Bronx tenement with concrete floors and graffiti on the walls. Eliminations take place on a symbolic sidewalk stoop. Naturally, a big sign outside labels the building "Tha White House."

The contestants are sort of in on the joke, and sort of not. Some of them try to capitalize on their novelty-act status: One oddball Californian calls himself "King of the ' Burbs ," and a Toledo, Ohio , native, who goes by "Dasit," dresses as if he's just climbed out of a Dilbert cartoon. In this world, there are points to be won for being uncool; "G-Child ," a 21-year-old Pennsylvanian, gets respect from the hosts for admitting that Vanilla Ice is her inspiration. Boston's contribution is "Sullee ," a.k.a. "Young Heff ," a 21-year-old Irish rapper who apparently chafes at living in Yankee territory.

In all, they're a typically colorful group of loudmouths, with the typical TV confidence that's egged on by reality crews and fueled, from time to time, by alcohol. For a long shot at fame, they're willing to submit themselves to the expected cheap shots; in the premiere, they're sent through the neighborhood to hand out "I (heart) White Rappers" T-shirts. But they also show signs of promise; "Persia ," a 25-year-old from Far Rockaway, Queens, trades rhymes with her black neighbors and starts to earn their respect.

One flaw, thus far, is that we don't get to hear much actual rapping; this either gives the contestants a gift or does them a disservice, but it would be nice to know which. Odds are, some of these folks are actually pretty good; it's not as if white people haven't proven their industry cred, and there's mild inspiration in co-host MC Serch , who made his name with the 1980s hip-hop group 3rd Bass .

But by focusing on the culture, not the music, the show proves that it really intends to be something else: a study of the perks and perils of white folks acting black. Last year's FX series "Black.White . " took the subject on straightforwardly; here, VH1 does it sideways. That's a trademark of the co-producer, ego trip, a former hip-hop magazine turned multimedia outfit. (The group's previous VH1 collaboration was a series called "ego trip's Race-o-Rama.")

As anthropology, this is an idea with potential -- provided the tone stays acceptably skewered, which seems pretty much inevitable. When Persia overdrinks one night and starts throwing around the N-word, she gets an uncomfortable penance and has an apparent on-camera catharsis. In heavier hands, it would feel forced. But coated in thick enough irony, it comes across just about right.

Joanna Weiss can be reached at weiss@globe.com. For more on TV, go to boston.com/ae/tv/blog.