MC Jin is an artist that has taken the road less traveled throughout his storied career. After having tremendous initial success on 106 & Park with Freestyle Fridays and gaining national superstardom after signing to Ruff Ryders, Jin’s momentum slowed down. After moving to Hong Kong to help reenergize his career, Jin came back in furious fashion as he became an icon. Although his journey has not been linear, the zig zags and pitfalls actually resulted in learning experiences. Humbled and appreciative, Jin is now seizing his second chance by the horns and looking to make as much of an impact as possible. The emcee checked in with ViewHipHop.com for an exclusive interview. You should pay attention, considering this special talent has a lot of knowledge to pass along and it’s not just about the music industry. (full interview below)
ViewHipHop: In a recent interview you said you were the Justin Bieber of Hong Kong. What did you mean by that?
Jin: Without a doubt, of course, that’s a super exaggerated statement. I think the intentions of that statement were most importantly to convey the following thing, and Vlad was real gracious in letting me share. The purpose of the extravagant statement was to convey just how much progress I had made and truthfully how mind blowing it was that it was even possible. If you had asked me how I got it poppin’ like that, I have no clue. Bu it had to be one thing only; the grace, favor, and love of God. The key thing to point out is guys not just hooking me up and opening doors, but me seeing that. It might not be for anyone else. Just to put me in a mindset where everyday now I can’t help but be thankful. Not to be thankful that God put me in Justin Bieber type space, but thankful that I can see that it’s his work. To put one last drop on top of the Justin Bieber thing, I rock with Bieber. I don’t know him, but I rock with him. His story is incredible. He’s super talented, living his life, and going through his journey. It wasn’t a shot or I wouldn’t want to be like him. I wasn’t literally Justin Bieber out there. It was just referencing the presence and being productive…being highly visible. For the first time ever in Hong Kong I end up in Gossip Magazine. That didn’t happen in the states. Hong Kong was unique in that way.
VHH: Why do you think the reception was so different?
Jin: The truth of the matter is there’s no saying what happened to me in the state won’t happen in Hong Kong either. It’s perspective, man. In the turn of events, everything was falling apart in the states in that sense. Who’s to say that won’t happen in Hong Kong. I don’t know that, no one knows that. There’s no guarantee.
I think also if I did have to make that comparison, between the experience in Hong Kong and with the R in the states, without a doubt, just the length of gratitude. When I signed with the R and doing whatever it was I was doing, it was definitely a lot of like “I did this, I got this”…not a lot of appreciation for it. It was like, I finally grinded for so many years and now I’m getting somewhere. With Hong Kong, though, it was really being grateful for my accomplishments and what I was getting. In the states, there wasn’t true gratitude. If it was, it was shallow. In Hong Kong, that’s a major shift. The first year or so it went by in a whirl. It crept up on me, like whoa. I’m busting my butt out there. I’m pouring my heart and effort into everything that I’m doing including the music and acting front. That speaks to like, I saw this is a second opportunity. Not even trying to blow up. Just to survive man, just to survive. I was approaching everything like I don’t even deserve this. By the 2nd and 3rd year, that indescribable feeling of, “God you are just hooking me up way beyond what I deserve and way beyond my understanding”. My purpose isn’t necessarily to rock stages and make money; there must be something deeper going on here. Whether it’s just a transformation for me or to share your love and glory among Hong Kong.
Once that crept up on me that I was making traction in Hong Kong, there was buzz, even minimal, back in the states. At one point it was gone in the states. So it was minimal – we don’t know what he’s doing, but we know he’s in China doing something out there. For the most part, with the Vlad interview, people were like, “He’s still alive?”
My thing is, I truly believe it when I say every small thing and every great thing is a blessing and an opportunity. I can’t explain how my mind got to that space and works, but it just does. It’s more than just a career shift; it’s really just a mental switch.
VHH: What did your journey teach you?
Jin: That’s a pretty broad question …it’s a big question but for some reason I know the answer right away out of my heart. All of this, everything, is so temporary. More temporary than we realize. I’m talking about life in general. At most, let’s say you get 100 years. In the perspective of infinite time, what is 100 years? I’m not saying don’t maximize time because it’s only 100 years, not at all. Just the opposite. Everything is temporary, everything is passing with every second.
I’m talking about life but boil it down to everything we treasure in life. You, me, our families, jobs, loved ones, finances. Without it, none of the other stuff matters. You could have a million dollars in the bank account but if you find out tomorrow you only have 2 weeks left, those million dollars lose value. That’s the perspective. Everything is temporary.
For me, that comes with this intimate growth that I’m experiencing with my faith. In growing and understanding the lord’s plan for me. The word. The gospel. What the meaning of life is. People find a million ways to try and figure it out. To me, it’s there. It’s in why did Jesus died for my sins. I’m getting real explicit right now. (Laughs) In that regard, sometimes I can’t even water it down or sugarcoat it. Or not bring it up. At the end of the day, what do you take away? It’s life changing.
VHH: August 27th was a big day for you.
Jin: The compilation. Yeah man, it’s a big day for everyone involved. I’m excited. I’m very thankful for being able to be a part of it and be able to contribute to a project that has that type of meaning. With this compilation, to know at the heart of it that there’s a message for a cause we want to raise awareness for is dope. The song I submitted, “Over the Edge” is pretty special and heartfelt for me too. It came from a place that was very honest and sincere. (DOWNLOAD LINK HERE)
VHH: What do you think of battle rap nowadays? Can an artist in battle rap nowadays have the same impact you had back in your time?
Jin: They can go even farther. They can go way farther, man. I don’t even think my impact was that impactful. Maybe at the time it was the impression it made and that’s cool. I think its perspective. At that time, it was exciting and groundbreaking. I would never compare what I did then to what these guys are doing now. Right now the platforms have so much more visibility obviously with the development of internet. When I was doing 106 & Park and Freestyle Friday, people on the internet could only watch it by sending files to each other. No YouTube or anything. Even shifting the gears and removing myself from the equation, I think battle rap today is amazing. I think the talent and skill has increased. I think it’s evolved into something it may not have been 8-10 years ago. I think it’s a lot more intricate now and there are so many more layers and levels to the platform known as freestyle battling and rap battling. I may not be involved and my heart may not be participating but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate what they do. I think it’s amazing actually.
Written by: Mike Epstein (@michaelaepstein)