Rhythm + Flow is finally back for its long-awaited second season on Netflix, and the new judges are using their expertise to prepare this set of burgeoning young rappers.

Latto, Ludacris and DJ Khaled are on the panel this year and mentoring the contestants as well. Not only is this a learning experience for those in the competition, but the judges say they are learning things too.

“What I learned is you have to be even more resilient,” said Ludacris said in a cast interview with Blavity’s Shadow and Act when asked about working with the competitors. “And I have nothing but respect for anybody that’s out there putting out [music]. You got a certain amount of people that are probably talented and superstars, but they don’t have the fearlessness of just being able to put something out knowing that they’re going to get criticized. I want everyone to push and be resilient and know that God is going to take care of you regardless. I got nothing but respect for the people that make it over that hump to say, ‘I don’t care what happens. I’m going to do this and I’m going to give it my all.’

DJ Khaled chimed in after Ludcaris’ thoughts, adding, “That’s important because you think about [if] you put a song out, somebody [will] tear you down and talk crazy, or if it’s bots or whatever, first of all, this is the young world. I want the young world to know [to] mute that out. Don’t let that distract your vision of being great and going for your goals, because that’s the problem. It’s too much going on. But we don’t want to tear people down. We want the kids to grow up knowing that they can be different. They can make music and they can learn.”

Latto, an alum of a reality television music competition herself, can relate to the contestants in a unique way based on her experience. Not only does she have the experience from being on The Rap Game, but she also knows what it is like to thrive– as well as have detractors– in the current industry.

“I think you just have to be so confident and secure in your own self [and] in your end goal,” she told us. “I was telling this funny story on my Snapchat the other day– I had dropped the song ‘Big Mama,’ right? And everyone was like, ‘Why the f**k she, she calling herself Big Mama? That’s an old auntie [or] grandma term.’ I’m like, b***h, first of all, if you get it, you get it. You don’t, whatever.’ But they was saying that the song was trash. I wanted to drop the song. I felt like it was so left field than what everybody else was doing at the time. I feel like it stood out, which I looked for throughout the season. Come to find out your girl is Grammy-nominated for the same song. I was like trending and some more s**t. Everybody was just riding d**k, just saying whatever. But I think you just got to be confident and secure in your end goal. You got to know where you’re going. I knew what I was trying to do with my sound and with my evolution as an artist.”

Rhythm + Flow Season 2 is currently streaming on Netflix.