Jin's "The A List" Inspired by Soompi "Top Ten Rappers" Article

Apr 27, 2010

The article I wrote, “The Top Ten Asian American Rappers of All
Time“, stirred up a buzz on Soompi that rapidly spread
around the net on online communities and blogs. Feedback has been
overwhelmingly positive, showing that there is a demand for pieces that
highlight talented Asian American hip-hop artists and the desire for a
community to support them. If anything, I had hoped it would spark
discussion and debate where there was none before. I even got to hear
the reaction from several of the artists featured on the list through
Twitter. Many were appreciative (even if they were caught off-guard),
and Jin said he had never heard his career summed up so well in a single
sentence.

Inspired by the article, Jin left a simple tweet on the 23rd, “Studio…
making history. Stay tuned.” On the 25th he released a soaring
freestyle over Drake’s “Over” beat giving props to every rapper in the
article as well as other notable Asian American MCs.
It’s one of my favorite Jin tracks ever. By paying tribute to everyone
in the song, he’s emphasizing unity as Asian American rap artists and
fans.

Rap is competitive by nature, but we shouldn’t let that hold us
back from coming together to support Asian rappers as a whole, because
what’s good for one is ultimately good for all. Jin ended his description of the new track with some great words of encouragement: “Keep making moves!
Let’s keep building!”

With that being said, here’s the video for Jin’s “The A List”! (Check out the Soompi screenshot at 1:34!)