Ouyang Jing, yellow-skinned, Chinese, has an English name JIN, he is a rapper, and besides that - he is also a Ruff Ryder.
Yes, it’s Ruff Ryders. The next album released by this major rap label is a Chinese solo album: "The Rest Is History". As the title of the album states, JIN's ambition is clear: just like Big Pun brought the Latin world into the rap game, just like Eminem made white people really enter the rap game, behind JIN is the whole of China and the whole of Asia. Hip hop culture background. He is the spokesperson of the Asian Hip-Hop cultural circle. Just like Yao Ming playing in the NBA, JIN is a yellow bloodline of the black hip-hop culture in mainland America.
Once the door is opened a crack, it is not so easy to close it again. Perhaps, this 21-year-old Chinese young man named JIN can indeed make history in the world of hip-hop.
While the name JIN continues to gain popularity in the United States, there is such a popular post on major Internet forums in China on the other side of the ocean - a unclear video with a commentary: "This is China. A video of rap exchanges between people and black people. In a famous American TV show, a nigger who discriminated against China used rap to ridicule and ridicule the Chinese. As a result, the Chinese also used rap to retaliate against the nigger and defend the dignity of the Chinese people. !”. This is a post that makes hip-hop people laugh and cry, and the Chinese who "defended their dignity" is JIN.
“Freestyle” can be said to be one of the keywords of hip-hop culture. To explain it in its basic meaning of "improvisation", the four major elements of HipHop culture - rap, hip-hop, graffiti, DJ plus an important branch, street basketball - all five can be "Freestyled". The so-called "Freestyle Battle", as the name suggests, is a showdown with their own improvisational performances. Freestyle Battle in the field of rap takes the form of impromptu rap, with both sides singing improvised lyrics on the spot. Whether it is swearing or word games, in short, they must make the other party make a fool of themselves to prove that their rap skills are superior to others. As a competition, Freestyle Battle itself allows for a certain degree of personal attack with humorous and witty lyrics. This is just like the two parties punching each other in a boxing match who may be a pair of friends in life. In Freestyle Battle, The personal attacks in the lyrics lose their meaning immediately after the battle. Because of this, a rap battle that seems to be full of personal attacks will turn into a hysterical "crazy exchange" in the eyes of outsiders who don't know what's going on.
As long as you pay a little attention, you can find that JIN's "battle to defend the dignity of the Chinese people" has actually set a record of seven consecutive victories. In the "Freestyle Friday" rap battle show broadcast every Friday on BET (Black Entertainment TV, which has a profound influence in the field of hip-hop), JIN used his witty and spicy satire to make the defending champion Hassan sing for six consecutive weeks. After a few words, he was speechless while holding the microphone, completely defeated. In the next six weeks of the show, five black challengers and one white singer were mercilessly eliminated by JIN, becoming his sacrifice to enter the "Freestyle Friday" Hall of Fame. Seven weeks later, everyone knows that there is such a terrible Chinese rapper. No matter how much you laugh at him, all these remarks will backfire and become a weapon for JIN to fight back, and they will be fatal. His witty and witty lyrics, experienced and calm improvisation and adaptability surprised and amazed the Americans in front of the TV, and also excited Joaquin "Waah" Dean, the vice president of Ruff Ryders record label. After winning the seventh game, JIN, who was admitted to the Hall of Fame, took out the Bling Bling necklace hidden in his coat. The pendant was a thick and dazzling "R": JIN, who was wearing Ruff Ryders exclusive diamond jewelry, was no longer No longer a fan of "Double R" - but already one.
From a Cantonese expatriate with an American dream to a general manager of Ruff Ryders record company, you can call this guy lucky with disdain - this will not affect JIN's success in achieving higher success through his own efforts. Achievement. In fact, the Freestyle ability that is unanimously recognized as "talent" today completely begins with hard training and bit by bit accumulation. Starting in the eighth grade, this kid who wanted to change his life with HipHop started Freestyle with his classmates in the school cafeteria. Not long after, he began to participate in various battles and even performances in his birthplace of Miami. He is like an energetic and aggressive little beast, not letting go of every possible fighting opportunity. He even went to the theater to watch a movie and had to go to the bathroom to solve a problem - and ended up having a bloody fight with a strange theater employee in the bathroom. The desire for battle and constant training made him grow rapidly and become famous in the local hip-hop circle. He began to record rough music demos and sell himself around for about five dollars. The expanded influence has brought more challengers, making JIN more powerful and mature. However, Miami, which lacks a strong HipHop background, has been unable to retain JIN who aspires to the hip-hop music industry. With the rapid rise of new generation rappers such as Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, and Onyx in the 1990s, the status of New York, the birthplace of hip-hop, was once again consolidated, and JIN also identified a new battlefield for pursuing rap dreams.
In October 2001 after "9.11", in order to take more care of his grandparents, JIN, who graduated from North Miami Beach High School, moved to New York with his parents - this was tantamount to making him an adult. A tiger in the forest. From Times Square to the corner of 42nd Street, JIN can be found in every hip-hop stronghold where mini-"Jay-Z" and mini-"Fabolous" are everywhere, and he frequently competes with masters from all walks of life. The performance in front of the New York record store "Fat Beat" was one of the most ordinary days, but it made JIN meet Kamel Pratt, who later became his manager.
Instigated by Kamel's "Crafty Plugz" agency, JIN participated in the "Freestye Friday" column of BET TV's "106 & Park" program - but failed and failed to achieve the expected results. good results in. Kamel, who was full of confidence in JIN, instead of being discouraged, encouraged JIN to try again. He knew that as long as the kid performed at a normal level, he could easily win. The disastrous defeat of the defending champion Hassan six weeks later confirmed Pratt's vision.
The black origin of hip-hop culture does not affect this Chinese person from playing the game to a better level. In countless battles, black people with pure blood have used JIN's Chinese nationality as an attack point. As a result, JIN, who has always been proud of his Chinese heritage, can always respond cleverly with witty and humorous lyrics: "If you want to accuse me of being Chinese, then I have to Remind you/I’m afraid the Timberland boots on your feet say Made in China.” Similar statements are not uncommon in JIN's battles. The first single released by JIN after signing with Ruff Ryders in 2003 was called "Learn Chinese". Repeatedly chanting "Y`all gonna learn chinese" at the climax of the song was not enough, so JIN simply used a series of Cantonese in it, which caused an uproar in the Chinese American hip-hop circle. Due to the previous experience in BET, "Learn Chinese" and its MV received considerable expectations and attention, but the results were not satisfactory. As a rapper who is good at lyrics, JIN, who lost seven consecutive contestants on the BET competition show, had high expectations. However, the first single failed to let fans hear the gorgeous and exquisite lyrics as they expected. The whole song had no profound meaning. The ideological nature can be explored, and there is no word game that makes people appreciate it. It is as bland as boiled water. To make matters worse, the music given to Wyclef Jean to produce was only average at best, and could not drive the already weak lyrics of "Learn Chinese" at all. Fans were generally disappointed with the performance of the song and criticized it endlessly. Even the actress in the MV was criticized for having "a disgusting figure".
"Learn Chinese" became a complete failure.
Ruff Ryders certainly won’t give up easily just because one song fails. Not long after "Learn Chinese", an exciting news came out: "JIN's next song will be a collaboration with Kanye West!" As one of Jay-Z's regular producers, Kanye West's production is almost equal to a hit single, and the 2004 solo album "College Dropout", which he handled from lyrics to production, was even more popular and sold like crazy. Is Ruff Ryders really willing to spend money to ask Kanye to support JIN? The subsequent single "I Got a Love" gave a definite answer. After all, it was Kanye West who helped out. The performance of the new single was obviously better than "Learn Chinese" and it was also widely recognized. However, JIN still failed to turn this Kanye-produced song into a hit as people expected. A huge hit song. Although much improved compared to the previous work, JIN's lyrics are still far from the level expected by people. Fans expect JIN's singles to be as full of witty words as his Freestyle, but every time, JIN always seems to be so disappointed.
The first single suffered a heavy setback, and the follow-up singles supported by big names were still tepid. Ruff Ryders began to lose confidence, and the entire promotion plan for JIN seemed to be finalized. After two attempts, the third single has yet to be released, and the album originally scheduled to be released in the spring of 2003 has been delayed again and again. For more than half a year, there is almost only one official news about JIN: " The release of the new album has been postponed to X, October X." The name JIN began to fade away from people's eyes.
In fact, JIN has not been idle during this period of time. In addition to performing a series of performances in bars and pubs all over the United States and Asia, including China, JIN also released three mixtape albums (mixtape albums are mostly semi-underground in nature), which included many of his finished freestyles (using other artists) Songs recorded in a cover-like manner are also called Freestyle, but they are two completely different concepts from live improvisation Freestyle). At this time, JIN, especially in the eyes of many hip-hop fans, has basically returned to its original underground state. Some fans even speculated that Ruff Ryders had regrets after being frustrated twice in his efforts and had no intention of continuing to promote JIN.
The situation is desperate. JIN, who has been forgotten by the mainstream, no longer carries the ardent expectations of hip-hop fans, especially Asians. He is not even a so-called "singer". He has not released an album yet. This figure who came to make history has unfortunately become history. .
In the late summer of 2004, a rap song called "Senorita" began to circulate on the Internet - this song had never been released on JIN's Mixtape album or any other channel, and had not been released on any occasion before. JIN performed in public, which immediately attracted a lot of discussion. Shortly after, Ruff Ryders released official news: JIN launched a new single "Senorita" and confirmed that JIN's debut album "The Rest Is History" would be officially released on October 19, 2004.
After a long period of silence, with the official release of the new single, JIN finally became a topic of conversation again, and MTV also took the initiative to invite him to a large-scale battle held at the Fight Club in Puerto Rico. . In front of Game, Cassidy, Alchemist, Swizz Beats, Cuban Link, Nick Cannon and other important figures in the industry, JIN ruthlessly defeated Wreckonize and Shells and won the championship. In the first round, JIN's performance was so eye-catching that even Wreckonize, his opponent, repeatedly drew boos from the audience when he fought back.
As attention increased and the release date approached, various versions of "album track lists" began to appear. Several songs such as "Get Your Handz Off", "So Afraid", and "C'Mon" were rumored to be "album tracks". Songs "leaked from the new album" have also been widely shared. AOL made him a home page character and kindly invited him to perform a solo performance; major music and entertainment magazines began to conduct exclusive interviews with him again; "XXL" magazine simply listened first and published a music review before the album was released. , and gave it considerable praise. A week before the album's release, some fans' reviews based on the leaked version of the album even appeared on the Internet.
October 19, 2004. JIN. "The Rest Is History".
Just like Ruff Ryders’ slogan “Ryde Or Die”, whether to make history or become history is indeed a question for JIN. He is an anomaly in the rap industry, and he is Chinese. But the fiasco of "Learn Chinese" obviously did not weaken JIN's pride in its Chinese origins. The album cover's unique design with traditional Chinese characteristics and the large Chinese character "Jing" clearly convey his attitude. In the album, he did not shy away from expressing his full pride. In "Here Now", JIN said frankly: "I am only five feet and six inches tall but I stand tall and proud. I was born to fight, just like the Great Wall of China. Listen to my solid footsteps, just like Yao Ming is behind you." At the beginning of "The Good, The Bad & The Ugly", the Cantonese-born Ruff Ryder once again boasts that he doesn't care about Cantonese, just like the straight-to-the-point sentence of "Learn Chinese": "Yeah I`m" Chinese, and what?" (Yes, I am Chinese, how about it?) So proud and domineering.
JIN does need such domineering and self-confidence. In fact, this alien character in the rap circle is still an anomaly even within his own record company, Ruff Ryders. This rap label that holds high the banner of "Ryde Or Die" has produced super gangster rap tough guys like DMX, and East Coast gangsta rap flagship groups like "The Lox", and the successor "D-Block" also The tough gangster style has not changed. As for Drag-On, who released an album before JIN, when talking about the new album, he also has a tough look, "This is a hardcore album. I grew up in the streets, so of course I only talk about the streets." Even the female singer of the year EVE is also all about "Gangsta Luvin" (her hit single "Gangsta Love").
It is under such an East Coast gangster rap label that JIN frankly admitted in the album that he "does not touch guns or drugs" - this is what everyone wants to prove that he is It is almost unimaginable today to be a real gangster. "JIN you are a Ruff Ryder, show your gun and shoot!" - "I can't sing these things." JIN reproduced such a life scene with a clear attitude in the song "Cold Outside". In fact, JIN experienced a shooting when his friend LS, another Asian rapper, took a bullet for him and was admitted to the hospital. Afterwards, JIN did not use this to brag about his so-called gang background. Instead, he explored the nature of gangster life and his consistent attitude more deeply in "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly".
If JIN's album is indeed not as full of gorgeous word games as people expect, then truth is the biggest highlight of "The Rest Is History". This is an album that is truly sung from the heart, this is a true HipHop CD. There are no mainstream rappers bragging about women, money, or drugs in the entire album, but there are songs like "So Afraid" that criticize the current impetuous environment: "Bring your beautiful cars and diamonds, you sound like all A virtue. Don’t you know that everything will be changed? What are you afraid of?” In the second section of the song, JIN became more straightforward: “Although I want to make money, I would rather be true to myself than blindly. Chasing royalties”.
In "Club Song" produced by Just Blaze, JIN's honesty is almost surprising and shocking. If you want to be popular, you need party songs. This has almost become an ironclad rule in the hip-hop circle. So JIN simply said it bluntly in the climax of this "Party Song": "This is my party song. If you want to be popular, you must sing it." A party song; it’s my party song and everyone has one, so I have a party song too”. These few words are really incredible. On the other hand, JIN is by no means a purist who doesn’t eat fireworks from the world. The innocent love between a Chinese boy and a black girl was eventually broken due to the stubbornness and conservativeness of the boy's parents. While JIN in "Love Story" was sad and regretful, he did not deny that all this was the true story of what happened to him.
Other songs in the album, such as "Get Your Handz Off" and "C'Mon", with more aggressive rhythms, show another side of JIN's personality. Faced with all kinds of ridicule and abuse as well as the difficulties and pressure in life, JIN showed his sharp spearhead without giving in to fight against it. In "Karaoke Nite" with the support of Style P, this talented rapper is confident about turning "karaoke night into a rap show", and his deep love for hip-hop itself is clearly visible between the lines. At the end of the album, JIN did not forget to express his gratitude to all the friends who have supported and helped him. He sang a simple and sincere "Thank You" and said "Even if some people hate me, I still thank you because you made me Work harder." His sincere gratitude was fully expressed.
JIN brought a good album, a real album. Just as many fans expect, JIN can do better. His amazing freestyle improvisational ability may one day become a clever word play in lyrics; his grasp of rhythm may become as skillful and changeable as Rakim's; his name may eventually become One day he will become a legend...
Ryde Or Die - Can this Chinese Ruff Ryder, who is fighting in the rap circle, make history?
But now, what JIN, a rap artist who truly loves hip-hop and the Chinese representative on the rap map, has to do is just continue to make history