The dudes at Scion may have watched 8 Mile a few too many times–but that’s going to be a great thing for one lucky MC who deserves to blow up. Instead of plotting corny commercials and ad campaigns that promote wild, four-wheel drive trips through mountain passes, or a roomy backseats for the kids, Scion, it seems, prefers to hook up a talented rapper with a bunch of money and a marketing contract. Take that Ford.

Scion’s The Prospect is a pretty straightforward competition. Contestants send or upload their demos, images, lyrics, and bios to the competition’s website, where they’ll be judged by Talib Kweli’s production machine Hi-Tek , Lenny S. (VP A&R Def Jam/Roc-A-Fella), and Ryan Ford (Executive Editor, The Source). The winner receives a $75,000 marketing deal, including $5,000, a track produced by Hi-Tek, a fully produced music video, the “opportunity” to perform live, and other promotional prizes.

The Prospect submissions are due by May 21, 2007, and a winner will be announced on July 30. While entering the competition isn’t quite as compelling as 8 Mile, it sure as hell beats trying to sell your busted CDR demos on the street.