Interview with Jin tha MC
February 7, 2003
Interviewed by Angela Kang and Hoon Yoo
Text Transcription done by Angela Kang and Mina Rimba


Angela: Jin, congratulations, we heard that you’ve signed with the music label, Ruff Ryders. We actually want to know when we can expect your album to come out.

Jin: This Summer, late May, early June probably.

Angela: How do you expect the American public to accept you as an Asian American rap artist in the western music industry? How do you feel they’ll respond to your music?

Jin: That was a big concern at first. Well, not really a concern, but one of the things we really thought about. But ultimately we’ll let the music speak for itself. The one thing about hip hop is that is has become something really diverse in every way and it’s visible through the media and everything else. Good music is good music. We just put a lot of hard work into the album and made sure it’s quality stuff, the best of our abilities. We’ll just let it go from there and let fate determine what happens.

Hoon: Jin, not only have you become a rap star, but you’re also in the movie, the Fast and the Furious 2.

Jin: Summer also – June 6th. So, it’s a big summer for me -- album, movie, birthday, all in June.

Hoon: So, many Asian Americans see you as a role model and a forerunner for the Asian American community. How do you feel about this statement and what kind of impact do you think you want to make?

Jin: It is an honor, first of all. I definitely love what I am doing and I have seen the feedback that I got from the Asian American community, especially the young ones, the teenagers. They might have wanted to pursue something in music, and they told me that through seeing me, it gave them more hope. It’s really a beautiful thing. I told them that I really appreciate it. I never take it for granted. As far as the role model thing, I don’t know if I can be a role model, but I can be Jin and hopefully that is good enough. Stay in school! That is my role model sentiment for the day.

Angela: These days in the music industry, the music is so vulgar – every other word is a cuss word. It’s almost to the point where it’s lacking any substance at all. How do you feel about this and do you think you will make your music different in any way?

Jin: The whole thing with vulgar or vulgarity, personally, if it is senseless cursing, then even me, I will be like, “Hey, yo, what’s going on?” But the beautiful thing about hip hop and MC-ing, is that it is about expressing yourself. Sometimes, if that is how you feel, then I will definitely feel on that note. If that is how you feel, say it, even if you want to say it fifty times in one verse. On a personal note, I can’t say that I don’t curse, but I don’t do it excessively for pointless reasons. I feel that cursing is not only in hip hop, it’s in movies too. Like how about when you watch movies? It gets cut slack, but when it’s in music, people think, well, hip hop’s bad, it has a lot of cursing. That is a double standard.

Angela: So do you base a lot of your music on personal stories?

Jin: Definitely, my music is more like the light-hearted, fun stuff because I’m young and I’m having fun in life right now. It definitely shows in the music. But there are times when I do get more personal, more in-depth, like about my child hood, growing up, and stuff like that.

Hoon: Jin, you’ve broken all stereotypes by having a career that most people only dream of having. For the young people out there watching, what advice would you give to those who want to follow in your footsteps and be half as successful as you are?

Jin: It was a lot of hard work. It was definitely not like an overnight thing, and there were no hand outs. That’s beyond being Asian or not. Just the industry itself, it is very complicated with a lot of business in the middle. Definitely I will say, go ahead, pursue your dream, but have something to fall back on. I know this may sound cliché, but it is true. The reality is that everybody wants to be a star, but the question is whether everyone can make it or not. Know the reality and master your craft. If you really want to pursue your dream, know what you are getting into.

Hoon: Since you’ve come out on Freestyle Fridays, a lot of people have compared you to Eminem, even in your songs. You said that they only compare you guys because you both aren’t Black.

Jin: I’ve got to stand true to that still. First of all, it is an honor. If you look at Em and what he’s done, you can see that lyrically he’s one of the best. He’s a genius. The way I see it, if I was “whack” and I wasn’t good, nobody would compare me to him. So, you know, at the end of the day, the music will speak for itself. People will see that Jin is Jin and Em is Em. That’s all.

Angela: Thank you so much for being a forerunner for this community. Many will see you and be inspired.

Jin: Thank you.