MC Jin has had some pretty high highs and some pretty low lows. He brings them all together in his latest album release, Roller Coaster. From his Instagram page, Jin describes Roller Coaster, “Not only do I incorporate English, Cantonese, and Mandarin into a project for the first time, but stylistically, I explore new sounds as well. In any case, in any language, whether Boom Bap or melodic vibes, it’s MC Jin. It’s my story. And it’s my honor to share it with you.”

When Jin exploded onto the scene 20-plus years ago with his freestyles on 106 and Park, not only did he blow people’s minds, but he also showed that Asians could belong in Hip Hop. He joined the Ruff Ryders with DMX and got a lot of love for his James Brown/Das EFX-sampling, ‘Learn Chinese’ in 2003.

Two decades later, we’re going through an MC Jinaissance. Jin is back and has been featured on The Rap of China and been putting out some dope videos and songs over the past few years. Even though he’s been rapping in Cantonese for a while, Jin is finally learning Mandarin and rapping on it for the first time on his album. He recently performed ‘Slow It Down’ on Rap Star Dream Factory, impressing the crowd with his Mandarin skills.

In a time when OGs like Nas are putting out some of their best work in decades, it’s great for pioneers like MC Jin to explain the ups and downs of the music industry to the young MCs who are just starting Roller Coaster rides of their own.

Check out MC Jin’s Roller Coaster below.