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7/25/2005 How have you been lately? I've been doing all right man. I'm re-evaluating everything. Not only the music, but life in general. I'm re-evaluating what are the things I want out of it, what are the things that make me content, and the more basic stuff like family and just waking up healthy every day. Did something happen to make you change your outlook? Not really. I mean, if anything happened, it's just growing up, life. Sometimes, it's not necessarily a specific incident that happens that makes you change your outlook on things. It's hard to describe. It's just like, one morning you wake up and see clearly and decide what you want to do with yourself. What is it that you want to do with yourself? Like I said, there are different levels. If you're talking about just in general, I'm very content. I ain't filthy rich, but I'm maintaining. My bills are paid on time, my family's healthy, I'm healthy, and that's all I really ask for. On a music level, I'm just aiming to put out something that I can say "that's me, and I'm completely proud of that." Of course, everybody has a different idea of what success is. The idea most heads have is to be worldwide on the cover of every magazine. That's good to have grand ambitions, but I'm a realist, and that's probably the latest development I've had, is to be a realistic person. If I could come out on my own at the grassroots level and do 35,000 copies, do you know how good that is in comparison to if I had to turn around and get a real job? No disrespect to people with real, hard-working nine-to-fives out there, but to be able to do what you love and live off of that, that's a beautiful thing. Money isn't the primary thing. It's really about having a real clear idea about what you want to do with your music. I put out what I put out regardless of the responses, and that's me. There are no types of influence from any other outlet. You know how I felt about "Senorita…" Yeah. To talk about "Senorita" real quick, I look back on it, and it's not like I regret doing the song. I had fun in the studio doing that. But I look at it like this: if I hadn't been influenced in any way, would that have been a song that I would have done on my own? It's all about trial and error. And looking at "Learn Chinese," first you said you weren't a gimmick and then there was that… It's interesting…I don't ever regret doing anything that I do. It's sort of like, I did it because I felt it was something I had to do. It wasn't the labels being like "yo Jin you have to do 'Learn Chinese.'" I went in the studio with Wyclef and that's what came out. I'm proud of that. I think that looking back now, maybe it was the timing of when that record came out that made people say "we already know he's Chinese, why's he doing that record?" No matter what anybody says, I'll always be proud of that record for two reasons: It is a Hip Hop record no matter how you cut it, and it is a first of its kind in that particular genre. It was played on national television and radio, and it's promoting the Asian culture. Like I said though, everybody has different opinions on it. I agree though, strategically, that it maybe wasn't the best record to come out the gate with. But it's never a win-win situation. If I didn't do a record like that, I'd also get slapped with "that guy doesn't know who he is, he thinks he's something else." I just had to follow my own heart and that's what ended up happening. How much control did you have with your music when you were a Ruff Ryder? I had a lot of control. They told me they wanted me to be myself. There was really no conflict, ever, with them saying "you have to do a certain type of record." I think I just had to learn about myself and find my own identity. Can you talk about the "Bridging the Gap" record and what your motivation was for that record? Honestly, I'd rather focus on right now and moving forward, but I'll answer that one though. Nas has always been an inspiration to me, and to me, it was just like, "yo, let me get my pops in the studio just to have some fun." If you actually listen to what I'm spitting, those lyrics aren't watered-down or corny. Plus, that's really my pops singing on it. I know my pops ain't no Olu Dara but he held is own! Haha. What did the "I Quit" statement mean? I'm going to be honest with you Brian, I saw that as a big metaphor. It was like, I quit because I'm sick of certain elements of what was in my life, which was the whole concept of "being in the rap game and being in the industry." So many people want to be involved because they get the wrong idea of what it is. The industry is like poison. It's like a catch-22. The industry has been great in making Hip Hop a worldwide thing and it's great that it's provided so many people with jobs but, there's also so many aspects of the industry that have nothing to do with Hip Hop that corrupt it, which I couldn't deal with. So what happened is that all of that frustration came out on that "I Quit" track, which is me saying "I'm sick of this." Since then, I've been finding my passion for rhyming even more. That's also what led me to this whole "The Emcee" thing. People are saying that Jin is losing his mind and he's a schizophrenic, and that Jin is The Emcee and what is he talking about? You're right, Jin is an MC. But what's going to happen is that as Jin quits and falls back, The Emcee is going to come to the forefront. To sum it all up, I got sick of all the politricks. Utilizing the independent route I will truly show what my potential is and deliver that raw that is expected of me from my fans. So Jin is done? Yeah, basically, because I think that's the only way I could have done it for myself to start from the ground up again. What's your state-of-mind like today? From every aspect, it's positive. I'll tell you that much. From a music standpoint, I've never felt more clear about what it is I want to say and do. I'll give you an example with the album "The Rest is History." I'd always be proud of it because that's my first album ever, but I know there was no direction on that album. The best thing that came out of the recording process of that album was learning about myself which allows me to mold The Emcee exactly how I want him to be. The mistakes Jin made, The Emcee won't make. Do you have any regrets from the Ruff Ryder situation? No regrets Brian, no regrets. I'm certain that everything happens for a reason. If anything, it might have took what I went through to put me in the state-of-mind that I'm in now. I've always been The Emcee since day one. When people saw 106 and Park, that was The Emcee. These past four years kind of went by in a blur. I was just happy to be here. I was performing all over the world and then the whole movie thing. Just soaking up all the love and exposure I was getting. So much was going on that I sort of lost track of what I was really about, which was emceeing. I've done so much in my short career and now it's just about channeling all my energy into the music. Like those two joints that I've sent you, it's going that way. In the "100 Thousand Sold" joint you said "I took the stupid route first." Do you feel like what you're doing now is what you should have been doing all along? At the end of the day, you can't really regret anything because it all happens for a reason. It took me going that route first for me to realize what it is I need to do. I think even with the title of that joint, "100 Thousand Sold", it holds a lot of meaning. A lot of people have different interpretations of what success is. Some people want to go diamond and sell 10 million records but, what they fail to realize is that before you reach that level you have to sell 100,000, 50,000 or even 10,000 first! I want to do this and make a living off of it…Who doesn't want 3 mansions and six cars? But if I don't acquire those things and I'm just able to buy one house for my mother, I'm good. That's why I be like "y'all chase your 10 million records, if I come out and sell 100,000 out of my trunk, I'm good." Before 106 and Park, did you ever picture all of this happening? Yes and no. Yes, I did see something happening. No, because I didn't see it happening in this course of events I did see that I would make noise and that someone would notice me for it. What have you been doing recently? I've been in the studio pretty much non-stop. I want to shout out Golden Child, I've been working a lot with him. He did the "I Quit" joint and also the "Top 5" joint. You know I'm going to send everything I do to HipHopGame first. I'm shooting a little independent video for the "Top 5" joint. Heads should look out for that. Looking at that song, and rap in general, how important is it to respect and know Hip Hop's history? I think that's the number one reason people say Hip Hop is dying. If you look at Fabolous and Jadakiss, those are some of the MC's who I listen to, but you have to know who they listened to. And if you ask a lot of the kids today, they think Hip Hop started with Wu-Tang. You have to know the history, because if you don't, it's just going to keep getting pushed to the back. We living in a time where everyone wants a piece of Hip Hop. I mean, they're selling cheeseburgers with Hip Hop. It's cool in the sense that it helps promote the culture, but at the same time, you can't keep raping it without acknowledging how it got to be where its at. I think that's the biggest issue. It seems like there's less fans everyday…and that's another thing that's missing. Everybody can rhyme, manage…which just fucks my head up. Everybody's making music but nobody wants to buy it. I'm always saying to kids "chase your dream." I mean that too, but I think there has to be a realization between what you can do and what you can't do. Any Joe Schmo can say "yeah, I rhyme, my man got a label." That takes away from people who really have a passion for it. It seems like all you have to do now to be an established rapper is to have a little web page with a couple of mp3's on it. Are you looking for a label right now? Entrepreneurship seems to be the latest trend which is dope. Heads is starting to realize that you don't have to go to a major anymore. If you have a strong following and your music is good enough, you can sign a deal with let's say HipHopGame Distribution. As long as HipHopGame Distribution has the ability to get it in the mom-and-pops and the Tower Records, you could come out the gate and be good. People think they have to sign to a major, but you sign there and you could get caught up in the system. You could get a good distribution deal through a Koch. The machine might not be as powerful as a Def Jam, but if you're willing to put in the groundwork and do some promo, doing 50,000 is not impossible. On that note, I definitely see myself going that route. I'm not saying I'm going to Koch. Everybody's on Koch right now. If you're willing to do the research, there's plenty of distributors out there. You've always been a grassroots MC, from selling CD's at Fat Beats… Yeah, and that's what I'm back to right now, the grassroots movement…the other day I was at S.O.B.'s and Sean Price was headlining there, shout out to him and the whole Boot Camp matter of fact…I went through and it was love. Shout out to the Plague/MCMI. I even performed. I wasn't on the flyer and I didn't get paid, but you have to be in the zone to just do shit like that for the love. That's the first time I performed the "Top 5" joint actually. So what's been the response to The Emcee? It's mixed. Even when "Jin" announced that he quit, I did it for myself. I didn't think XXL would interview me on the strength of that. I didn't think HipHopGame was going to put it up and have people respond the way they did. Then you have your diehard fans out there who will always support whether it "Jin or the Emcee as long as the music is hot." That's who I'm doing it for, the people that want to hear the music. The main reason I'm going with "The Emcee" is because that's what I want to represent. Plain and simple. Does that title add pressure to you? Not really, because I've been holding it down for four years already. At the same time, no matter what anybody says, the fact that I'm still here and relevant says a lot. At the end of the day, even if you have a gimmick, if you don't have any talent, you won't survive in the rap industry, or entertainment period. Do you get tired of being known as "The Asian MC?" There is definitely too much focus on that. That shit is wack to me, now that I look back on it. If you're good enough, you don't have to claim to be anything. I hear it so much these days. Artists claiming to be the one to spark "the next Asian movement…" If you're going to do it, do it. You're not really accomplishing nothing until everybody says "yo, this is the shit." Let's say you do come out and you have 6,000 Asian fans…That is not starting a movement. Look at "The Rest is History." Its currently sold 100,000 copies and some change. If 80,000 of them were Chinese people, what have I really accomplished in the big picture? Nothing. The goal is to appeal to everyone. Don't get me wrong. I'm all for uplifting my people, which is why I started YOFAM! (Youth Organization For Asian Minorities) www.yofam.net In regards to the "Asian movement" in Hip Hop, everyone should just focus on making hot music and let it speak for itself. What is The Emcee capable of accomplishing? Oh man, the sky's the limit. If I had to sum it up, The Emcee is a representation of how Hip Hop is not dying. The Emcee represents the element of emceeing. You've always been known for battling… That was The Emcee. All of that. 106 and Park, Fight Klub in Puerto Rico, Smack DVD. Not to mention all the underground joints I did back in the days. I want to say that the Mixshow Power Summit is coming up and Jin won't be there, but The Emcee will. Jin won 50 grand last year. This year, The Emcee plans on taking it. It's a whole new beast. How important is battling to you now? To me, battling is everything. I love making records and I feel like I'm still growing. The Emcee is still developing and learning about himself, he's just getting started. As far as battling, that's always going to be there. I've never stopped battling. Would The Emcee collaborate with Jin? Oh nah, nah. That's just too much. How are DJ's that supported Jin now supporting The Emcee? I think it's going to be interesting. Right now, we're at the ground level of things. What I want to do with him is start from the ground up. I just want to let the music speak for itself. All the DJ's at the Power Summit will see what The Emcee can do. Once they get an understanding of things, who ever believes and sees the vision will support it. What do you want fans to know about you today? If you listen to the"100 Thousand Sold" joint, that's all from my heart. The last two lines where I'm like "bottom line, my music ain't for the simple mind / so if you're an idiot, keep your $12.99" sums it up pretty much. I don't expect that everybody will want to rock with The Emcee. What I'm trying to do for Hip Hop and what I'm bringing to the table, it is another way of thinking. Even just this whole transformation, I don't think a lot of people really understand what I'm trying to do. People are saying "Jin's retiring and coming back as The Emcee?! That's some publicity stunt shit.", which is not the case at all. Realistically, what I was saying is that "Jin is done, he's sick of it, he quits. Now witness the birth of The Emcee." What can we expect from you in the next couple of months? I'm finishing up the album. Heads should definitely check for that. I'll be leaking some more joints just so folks can get a feel for what The Emcee is bringing to the table. www.TheEmcee.com will be launching soon. Like I said before, my music is not for idiots. It's time people start understanding and respecting the foundation. Look at Kool Herc, without him you could forget about the billions of dollars people are making with Hip Hop. If not for him out there rocking records in the park, none of this would exist. The message The Emcee wants to convey is that you always have to remember and pay homage to that, whether you're 40 years old or 4 years old. If you're talking about you're a Hip Hop artist and you do this, you have to acknowledge. At the end of the day, I'm just another Hip Hop Head. What do you want to say to everyone? To all my true fans out there that's been holding me down, thank you. I'm getting a lot of people e-mailing me saying "I'm gonna be honest, that 'Learn Chinese' shit was corny, but I'm feeling these new joints." I appreciate the honesty. The one thing I always did was respect everyone's opinion. Even you. You said you thought "Senorita" was corny. I can respect that. All I can do now is move forward and really concentrate on what I'm doing with my music. I don't think there's any one artist that hasn't put out a joint that someone didn't like, but that doesn't take away from the classics they might've done. That's the beauty of music. What's ill to you is ill to you. I respect everybody's opinion and all I ask is that you give The Emcee a fair listen and then make judgement. A big shout out to the Rock Steady Crew. They're having their 28th Anniversary celebration and The Emcee will be there. Big ups to Kamel and the whole CraftyPlugz camp. HipHopGame got shit on smash. What's good 730!? By Brian Kayser

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