Atlanta Rapper DreTL Wins Netflix's 'Rhythm+Flow'

ATLANTA, GA — With his hit performance "Nobody," Dre "DreTL" Jones beat out top competitors to claim the No. 1 spot on Netflix's "Rhythm+Flow."

The final four episodes of the Season 2 contest premiered Wednesday, showcasing judges Latto, Ludacris and DJ Khaled. Latto and Ludacris call Atlanta home, while DJ Khaled is a Miami native.

The famed musicians were tasked with selecting a winner between Jones and rappers Jasx, Jay Taj and Sura Ali.

Ultimately, they chose Jones - a Georgia State University senior. The university held a watch party for Jones on Wednesday amid special guests, including DJ Holiday, the show's guest DJ.

“It was his heart, man,” Ludacris said in an interview with Netflix's Tudum. “You know how in school there’s that kid that just does well and does everything good, and then you have that kid that is the most improved? For me, that’s what did it. Just getting better and working [on your craft] consistently every day is going to be better than just perfection. Perfectionists may be stagnant and stable and doing the same thing over and over again. Those that are consistently trying to do better every single day, you’re going to get a little something different. And as humans, we want a little bit of imperfection. That’s who we latch on to.”

According to GSU, Jones is an Atlanta native who utilizes music as a creative outlet. The storytelling in his music centers on "survival, ambition and the fight to rise above," GSU said.

A common theme in Jones' narrative on "Rhythm+Flow" was his mother, who is currently incarcerated in prison. As part of his final song, Jones had his mother call him so he could feature her voice on the song - which was produced by mega-producer Hitmaka.

But while working with Hitmaka may have been a feat for Jones, he was super excited to perform a rap battle in front of his favorite rapper, Eminem. The contestants battle rapped at Saint Andrews Hall in Detroit, the same setting of Eminem's hit movie, "8 Mile."

Jones' opponent was K'Alley, a Griffin resident and GSU graduate.

“Once I was able to perform in front of him (Eminem), I felt like I was going to win, because nothing was tougher than that,” DreTL told Tudum. “The finale wasn’t as hard because of what it meant to me. This is the Eminem, and if I could do this right there in front of him, I can do anything in the world. I can fly.”

During the show, Jones said he was jeopardizing his academic career because he was away from school.

He plans to graduate from Georgia State this month, earning a bachelor's of science degree in music industry with a concentration in music production and recording.