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Jin From Ruff Ryders Interview

You may remember rapper Jin from his ground breaking 7 week run on BET's 106 and Park Freestyle Friday competition several years ago. Jin flipped that experience into a record contract and the Chinese MC is now signed to Ruff Ryders records-the label that is the home to DMX, EVE, and Drag-On. Jin appeared in last summers hot flick 2 Fast 2 Furious and has made cameo appearances in several Ruff Ryder videos. The buzz on the street is that Jin is the next big thing as far as this rap game goes. The people have been waiting for his album to drop for a minute now and the airwaves have been granted a taste of what we can expect from Jin. His first single, "Learn Chinese" was produced by super producer Wyclef and the single and video are doing quite well. I had a chance to talk to Jin in late January. Hey--he even offered to teach me some Chinese. I was chicken and passed. Jin is a real cool dude and more than anything he wants everyone to know that his debut album The Rest Is History drops on March 23rd. Where are you from? Miami, Florida. Down South. Born & raised there. Tell me about the first single. "Learn Chinese." "Learn Chinese." Wyclef produced it. Its doing real good and getting a lot of love on radio. I can't complain What producers did you work with on the album? Wyclef, Swizz Beats, family, Kanye West, Bink (Jay Z, Mr Cheeks "Lights Camera,Action"), Tune Heads. I also worked with several new producers at Ruff Ryders, Elite, Devone, Neo. I promise hot beats. Do you have any collabos on the album? Not really, we were deciding a on a whole bunch of people, then we decided lets just keep it Jin. I think a lot of people might be surprised. It's coming crazy. What is the name of the album? The Rest is History March 23rd. We got "Learn Chinese" out now, we are putting out another record before the album comes out, something. You were in last summers 2 Fast 2 Furious any more movies in the future? Yeah I did that with John Singleton , Tyrese, Ludacris, Paul Walker. My main focus now is the album--it's coming March 23rd How did you go about getting on BET's 106 & Park Freestyle Friday Competition? I went about it like everybody else. I auditioned, I battled whoever I had to battle all the way and they called back, so I went on. I took it a week at a time for 7 weeks. They eventually retired you right? Yes, I was retired from 106 and Park, that was like 2001 and people talk about it like it was last Friday. I'm glad I made an impact. How did you hook up with Ruff Ryders? It was cool, we was real conscious in the decision there were a couple of labels interested, their couldn't be a better place, DMX, Eve and What not, this is the place we be need to be. Do you have any touring plans? Yeah, probably after the album, promotional tour, even after the album. What are you doing now as far as getting ready for the album to drop? I'm doing technical stuff prior to the album. I'm also doing little press stuff, staying busy every day. What do you do when you try to chill and relax? Go to the movies, try to hang out, chill with my family. It's so hectic sometimes, you don't get to see them for weeks months go by. Is your family happy about your career? They are now, initially not really. It's all good with my mom and dad. What was it like the first time you saw your video on TV? It was crazy, it was crazy I was able to go back on 106 and Park and sit on the couch. It was a beautiful thing.   Do you really speak Chinese? Yes, I do. Do you want me to teach you some? I'll pass. I probably couldn't even type it. Thanks though. (Of course I had to laugh). What are some of your favorite foods? Steak-Ums, baked potatos with sour cream and butter. I like Italian food, pasta and fettuccini alfredo with chicken and shrimp. What are some of your favorite travel spots? Canada, Toronto is always cool. I enjoy going out to the West Coast. I went to Hong Kong recently, it was quite an experience. You have a huge fan base. What would like to tell your fans? I appreciate all of the support. It's all about to pay off, the The Rest Is History, check for the album, I want to tell all the Jin fans that the album wont let them down, and the people who aren't Jin fans they will become fans. Jin's official website is www.jinsite.com. ©2004 Dorrie Williams-Wheeler & Thabiz.com. May not be reprinted. This interview was conducted by Dorrie Williams-Wheeler and previously appeared in her Rap column at Bellaonline.com.