Hey there. It’s been a while..
Before you watch this video, I’d love to invite you into the mindset behind the song itself.
I can’t say I’ve shot many music videos in my lifetime but this experience will surely be one of the most memorable ones.
youtube
Back in February, in my first blog post on this site, I mentioned that I’d be releasing a track called “Brand New Me”.
Brothers and sisters, the time has arrived.
I typed a little rant on my twitter after uploading the song today sharing my thoughts regarding this particular track and it’s release. For those who missed it (and for my own future reference) I shall do a recap here as well.
Long story short..
Since a young age I’ve had the dream of becoming a world famous rap artist. My motivation?
Considering I once did a 50 show bar tour in Malaysia, it’s safe to say I have quite a special connection with the country and it’s people.
Still, those 50 shows combined wouldn’t add up to what an amazing experience this past Friday night was. Rightfully so, since it was my first ever solo concert in KL.
Per the organizers request, I performed a mostly Cantonese set with a few English tracks added as well. At the top of the show, I asked if there were any non-Cantonese speakers in the house and surprisingly, no one responded. This meant one of two things. Either everyone spoke Cantonese or the non-speakers didn’t want to be identified. Nonetheless, it sure felt like everyone spoke Cantonese cause even as I performed the Cantonese songs, everyone seemed to rock along cheerfully.
A few things I noticed about the audience that night..
- It was quite an eclectic mix in terms of age. Children. Teens. Adults. Everyone seemed to have a good time!
- To my knowledge, quite a few in attendance had never saw me perform live before or in some cases didn’t even know I did music! They mainly knew me from hosting or acting on TVB. That’s awesome!
- They were extremely lively! They responded to pretty much everything I said into the mic. They rocked along to every song with full on energy. One of the most amazing audiences I’ve ever had the honor of performing for!
(all photos courtesy of @CarlChoi)
Glory to God!
Cute girl but
Those of ya’ll that have noticed via pics and blogtv chats the new hairdo have been quick to comment and ask “What’s up with the hair?”
Meet Tim..
That’s the name of my character in the TVB drama I am currently filming.
As you can see in exhibit A above, he is definitely a character to say the least.
This is the second tv drama I have been given the opportunity to be a part of…Lives Of Omission being my first. The Chinese title is 雷霆掃毒 (don’t feel bad, I can’t read that either). The original English working title was Thunderous Drug Raid but from what I know, that’s now been changed to Highs and Lows.
Filming’s been pretty interesting and an awesome experience so far. My main interactions are with Kate and Raymond in the storyline. If you watch TVB dramas, you’re probably like “neat!”. If you don’t watch TVB dramas, it’s still all good!
We are scheduled to finish filming early May and the show is tentatively airing later in the year (Sept.-Oct.). Don’t mark my words.
I did do some Youtubing and came across this clip..
It looks like an event introducing the upcoming TVB programming and they do show a short trailer of what to expect from the final product..
Heads up. It’s in Cantonese.
It could possibly be because I’m a few months away from stepping into the world known as fatherhood, but this trailer won me over. Intensely.
Sadly, I don’t foresee this film releasing in Hong Kong theaters anytime soon..
Which is why I ordered the DVD already!
5-6 Business Days.. Wait for my full review.
I know it’s been quiet here on the blog front these past few days.. Took a much needed trip back to New York to visit the wife (+ our little champ in her tummy) and the rest of the family.
Needless to say, we cherished every second together as I was repeatedly reminded of how blessed I am.
Witnessing #Linsanity #Woodsanity live at the Garden as the Knicks broke their 6 (or 7?) game losing streak defeating the Pacers was definitely a highlight of the trip, but the most memorable moment of the evening was not even during the game. Instead, it occurred as I was exiting MSG…
That’s when I randomly (or not random at all) encountered Kervin.
The dialogue went something like this..
K: Yo.. Jin?
J: What’s good.
K: Say word! It is Jin. You mind if we take a quick picture?
J: No doubt.
Then what he said next is what made my night…
K: I checked out that Sincerely Yours EP. It’s dope.
J: WORD? Online?
K: Yeah, that Whatever It Takes joint is ill.
J: (lost for words & humbled)…what’s your name?
K: Kervin.
J: Brother, I appreciate that sincerely.
Why the hoopla you ask? Considering I’ve been in Hong Kong for the past 4 years and pretty much as far removed from “the game” as one can possibly be, it is quite encouraging to know that someone’slistening. Not to say the positive tweets and youtube comments aren’t uplifting but it just doesnt quite compare to random acknowledgment while out and about.
I’m not gonna assume that all of you have heard the Sincerely Yours EP. For those not in the loop, it’s a 5 track project that I released online for free months ago. Recently though, I re-recorded & revised the vocals as well as got it remastered… thus presenting: Sincerely Yours 2.0.
Here’s the title track..
You can DL the entire EP here http://www.mediafire.com/?574s2d1cyzq3xiz
I was a cocky, self absorbed 20 year old who liked to wear du-rags, Airforce 1s and (as you will see in the following clips) oversized Enyce sweatsuits.
I had been living in New York for about 6 months, leaving my hometown of Miami following 9/11. Primarily to stay close to my family who had all migrated up north as well, the move to the Big Apple was also a great opportunity for me to further pursue a fledgling rap career, ultimately in hopes of securing a record deal.
I hit the ground running. Battling any and everywhere. Open mics. Showcases. A majority of my time was spent roaming the streets of Time Square and East Village making ends meet the most traditional of Hiphop ways.. selling mix tapes out of my book bag. Technically, they weren’t tapes but CDRs burned with a collection of audios from past battles of mine collected thru out the years.
If you were in Manhattan in between October of 2002 to around March of 2002, I may have very well approached you and asked, “Yo, you listen to Hiphop? Check out this CD I got.”
It was around February of 2001 that I got word there would be an open casting call in Harlem (106th Street & Park Ave) looking for contestants to be on Freestyle Friday. Now, anyone who had even the slightest of interest or involvement in the battle scene knew about FF at the time mainly because it was the only platform for the sport on a nationally televised scale.
Needless to say, I didn’t think twice before deciding to attend…
I remember walking from the 6 train to the BET studio and as I approached the block that it was on all I saw was a sea of rappers. I’m thinking at least 20-30 from each borough. 20-30 multiplied by 5.. you do the math. Aside from the rappers themselves, most of them also had their crews and neighborhood block associates with them.
The formula isn’t too complicated. A bunch of rappers (battle rappers at that) and their crews + the confines of one NY city block = recipe for chaos.
In the midst of the madness, you have me… Florida boy with my book bag on.. one man army style.
One would either assume I was born with Rambo like DNA or I was just totally naive to what was going on.
Either way, thank God I made it out of there alive.
The audition process wasn’t too complex. Two rappers at a time would battle in front of a panel of about 5 judges (the programs producers, writers, etc.). Each would have 30 seconds exactly like how it is on the actual show. The only difference is, afterwards, as opposed to deciding on a winner/loser, both contestants receive the same “We’ll give you a call if you’re selected” farewell and sent on their way.
I left feeling confident about my performance but unsure of what to make of it all. I don’t even remember if I went off the top of the head or if I kicked a written during my 30 seconds. I guess it didn’t matter cause about 3 weeks laters I got a call out of the blue and the voice on the other end said, “Hey Jin, this coming week you’ll be the challenger on Freestyle Friday.”
March 2012 marks 10 years since I received that phone call so I
It all started with an email I got from my wife recommending this video.. http://youtu.be/1Ibi3df2MzE I would embed it for your viewing pleasure but it’s been disabled. You should definitely check it out! You’ll be blown away for sure. Two amazingly talented singers performing a duet of a beautiful song on The Voice (I’m so out of the loop..when did this show start?).
She asked me in the email, ”Who would you pick as the winner?”
Tough call for sure, but Jesse Campbell won me over just a slight bit. They were both incredibly awesome though. Glad I wasn’t one of the judges..
Anyhow, from there I started searching for other performances of Jesse’s and of course tons of his competition videos popped up. They were all just equally as incredible. Then I came across this…
I literally broke down in tears about 1/2 way thru the song, as I was flooded with emotions of thankfulness, unworthiness and God’s amazingly perfect love. Holy spirit hit me hard!
If having an amazing voice wasn’t enough, he also possesses the heart and kindness so needed into today’s lost world.
“Don’t be attached to the outcome of anything.. You aim high.. you do your part and in doing your best.. let it go.”
Brother Jesse, God has blessed you with an amazing talent and He is using you in a magnificent way.
Love & Light
That is definitely one of the several FAQs I get asked regularly.
To the masses, I pretty much vanished off the face of the earth not too long after the release of my first album (The Rest Is History) in 2004.
Only the handful of individuals who were actually keeping tabs of me know that in 2008, I took a trip to Hong Kong for the release of an all Cantonese album, my first ever actually. I figured I’d do some album promotions and hopefully land a few gigs before returning back to the states. At most, I anticipated the stay to be 3-4 months.
Apparently, God had other plans in mind.. I’ve been here ever since.
Since the release of the first album in 2008, I’ve also released two more projects; one collaborative effort with a local producer and my second solo album. Both were in Cantonese. Unintentionally, my output of English material was slowly decreasing.
Sometime in early 2010, I released a mix tape online called Say Something. It was 8 tracks of me rhyming on various beats from other artists. One of the tracks off that project was Angels.
This track represents something really special to me for two main reasons. One, this is the first track I’ve ever written/released that really reflected the work that God was doing in my life at the time. Prior to this, I may have mentioned the word God or Jesus in my raps thru out the years, but never had I so boldly based my content solely on my faith. The second reason this track is dear to me is because it remains my wife’s favorite track of mine. Ever.
The above video was shot in Hong Kong and fascinatingly enough,
Recent Comments