This month's cover star is considered by many a true OG's OG of Asian rappers, MC JIN. Although technically not the first, it’s fair to say that not one had set the Hip Hop world in a frenzy in the fashion he did when he hit the scene. JIN made his name known in 2002, when as a 19 year-old battle rapper from Miami, he dominated BET's 106th & Park Freestyle Friday competition. As his opponents would often use his culture as a point of attack, JIN creatively and wittily turned the tables, wearing his Asian heritage like a badge of honor. During his seventh and final week, he even mixed in a bit of Cantonese before being inducted into their Hall of Fame. That led to a high-profile record deal with the iconic Ruff Ryders. His album, The Rest is History came out in 2004, with production by Wyclef Jean and Kanye West, among others. His single 'Learn Chinese' was groundbreaking in its messaging and some would even argue ahead of its time.

Since that auspicious start, JIN has pretty much done everything everywhere all at once. He's expanded his acting resume in both film and TV, released an album in Cantonese, stole the show at 2017's culture-shifting Rap of China show as “Hip Hop Man”, started a career in stand-up comedy, and recently launched his own apparel line, Regular. With a resume like JIN's, there's a lot to get through, so let's do it.

Yo, thanks for having me!

I would never say it’s been a burden in any way, because I’ve essentially been fortunate enough to watch my childhood dream come true. And although I’ve been blessed in so many ways, beyond just career-wise, I will admit that the journey has certainly been filled with its fair share of challenges. Particularly when it comes to navigating uncharted territory in the music industry.

It was a roller coaster ride, as my whole career has been to be honest. Right after signing with Ruff Ryders, I was eager to get right to work. At the time, there was some major restructuring going on within the label. So as I was doing what I could to be productive on the creative side, I was also navigating the internal changes. What was also an unexpected turn was that I would be able to be touring and performing before I even released any music.

When I went to Hong Kong in 2008, there really was no decision to move there. It was a one-way ticket, only due to the uncertainty of how long I’d be there, promoting my first ever Cantonese album, ABC. Three weeks? Three months? I had no clue it would end up being an extremely fruitful and eye-opening four years until I finally decided to make my way back stateside.

The album, ABC, was created in such an organic way, it felt extremely fun and exciting. As opposed to creating from a place of obligation or expectation from anyone, I was able to tap into something that was very much a part of my identity and channel it into the project.

I’ve always been a fan of the art, but 2015 was when I took an initial curiosity into performing stand-up myself. This came in the form of checking out an open mic in NYC. At the time, you could say I was stuck in a creative rut. So I went up, did seven minutes, and it changed everything for me. I had not felt so nervous, excited, and alive in a while. It’s been somewhat one foot in/one foot out since then, but this year, it’s GO TIME!

I’m probably the only person in history to have the audacity to participate in a Mandarin-based Rap competition speaking next to zero Mandarin. To be honest, no part of me would have entertained the idea if it wasn’t for the fact that in my mind, this was what ‘HipHopMan’ represented: stepping into the unknown, challenging the unfamiliar, all in the spirit of Hip Hop.

If I were to rate my freestyling ability in English from 1-100, I’d confidently say I’m a 110. Exceedingly high. If I were to do the same assessment in Mandarin? From 1-100, I’d say I’m a strong 18. Yes, 18. Which is to say, it’s the bare minimum. Point being, in Mandarin, I would say that I still have ways to go before I can command the language enough to really excel in the area of freestyling.

I would say it’s constantly evolving and fluid. Depending on the project I may be on board for or what my vision is at any given moment, that’s what determines where my time is spent. I also think given the history of my career journey thus far, it’d be fair to say that there’s a potential audience wherever I decide to invest my energy and efforts.

ComplexCon Hong Kong was such an incredible experience, and getting to soft launch my brand was an added bonus. At its core, Regular came to life as a brand because in my mind, it represents more than that. In a society where we are constantly told to stand out, I wanted to highlight and celebrate all things Regular. This may mean something different for each person, so it's up to you to ‘Define your Regular.’

First of all, I’m extremely grateful to still be doing this thing I love so much. Creating, performing, and just connecting with people. With that said, I’m planning to drop some new music, ramp things up in the stand-up comedy space, and just continue to expand the MC Jin universe!