Chinese-American Rapper MC Jin Discovers God

Since he has started rapping in Cantonese, he says, he has encountered Chinese fans who have followed him since 2001 but add that they didn't have a clue what he was rapping about.

"Whereas now, (they say,) while you're rapping in Chinese, I actually know what you're talking about. I feel closer to you now because at least I can grasp the message that you're trying to convey in your raps, even if it's very simple."

There's a curious flipside to that linguistic divide, though.

'I also encounter Cantonese speakers who will tell me 'Jin, I don't really like your Cantonese raps.' They know what I'm saying, but they'll say 'I don't really like it, it doesn't have that intensity, I just don't feel it, whereas I love your English stuff,'' Jin says. 'But then you ask this same person who just gave me that critique, 'Do you know what my English [stuff is] about?' They may not. That's a mindbender."

Jin hasn't given up on rapping in English-in the spring he released a free mixtape of English tracks "Say Something." It was made to keep" the sword sharp," he says, but the lyrics also reflect a fresh sense of purpose and a spiritual awakening that Hong Kong has aroused in him.

As Jin reflects on his songwriting and the direction of his career, the conversation drifts inexorably toward his religious growth-"the power of the Holy Spirit," as he puts it.

He attributes this tilt toward Christianity to a religious community in the city that he has joined, including a weekly bible study group with others in the entertainment industry.

"God is so dope and he's done so many awesome things in my life,"he says. "I'm a workhorse now. What is driving me? This newfound responsibility."

read more here.........http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2010/09/02/chinese-american-rapper-mc-jin-discovers-god-cantonese/

"Lauren Hill Performs Live At Rock The Bells Festival NYC"

Rock The Bells festival on New York's Governors Island saw a compendium of legendary hip-hop acts -- including A Tribe Called Quest, Wu-Tang Clan and Snoop Dogg -- performing their respective landmark albums. But for the nearly 20,000 people who paid $100 or more for the festival, a rare appearance by Lauryn Hill, erstwhile Fugee and the force behind the celebrated 1998 hip-hop classic 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,' was a bigger incentive than any classic album.

Despite -- or maybe because of -- a 45-minute delay, crowd anticipation was palpable when Hill took the stage Saturday evening. For many, though, expectation trumped memory and experience, as Hill rendered her classic tracks nearly unrecognizable, injecting most tracks with an aggressive veneer that stripped away any soulful capital she's earned over the past decade.

E-DUBB STEPPING STONES **VIDEO** + RAINBOOTS MOVEMENT

The artists known as Almighty Dolla, Johnny BOI and Nem collectively make up the group EDUBB (pronounced E-Dubb). With more than 4 million views on-line from their hugely popular inter-net buzz worthy single and video "Whooty," the guys even garnered mentions of their work on TMZ. The Atlanta natives are currently setting their hometown a blaze and are breaking through Atlanta Top station Hot 107.9, as well as other stations throughout the southeast region, with their shockingly, amusing up tempo club smash "Rain Boots". "For the first time in our career we have one of the hottest records in the streets of Atlanta! The public is actually demanding it to be played on the radio and every major club!" says a confident Nem.

It all began in a free-style session in Atlanta, Georgia when cousins Nem and Dolla produced their first recording on a 4 track. Excited about their newly found music career they reached out to Dolla's brother, Johnny BOI, who had been sent to the Military Academy. Growing up around a musical family, witnessing the development of groups like the Ying Yang Twins and the early 90’s gangster rap group, the Hard Boys, allowed firsthand knowledge of what to expect as an artist and configure what was missing within the music industry. "At one time, music had stopped being fun and simply got really violent or extremely x-rated. We knew there was a gap and our goal is to seal it," says Johnny BOI.

With a distinct Southern drawl, a knack for catchy Pop hooks, and a hint of R&B and Alternative elements, EDUBB calls their style Hip-Hop Fusion. As they set out to brand their independent movement, EDUBB identified one of the fastest growing conversations "white girls with a booty". The group swiftly decided to lay this topic of conversation down into music and create a song. Luckily for them, this new term "Whooty", created by EDUBB has since threaded itself throughout the entertainment industry, embedding itself as new “slang” in pop culture, as it continues to be a trending topic on TWITTER.

Without being signed to a major label, the group has since received airplay on MTV Jams, Music Choice, Sirius, XM Satellite as well as many major reporting Top 40, Rhythm and Hip Hop stations across the U.S. EDUBB has also completed songs with multi-platinum producers and artists such as Lloyd, George Clinton, John Boy On Da Track (Young Jeezy, Soulja Boy), Drumma Boy and Jazze Pha. Drawing stark comparisons from "off the wall" acts such as, The 2 Live Crew and even Outkast, from their wild antics on stage, creative song concepts, and distinct appearance, "We aim to be hip-hop's version of the Rolling Stones. Longevity and building a catalogue full of hits is our key," says member Almighty Dolla. Welcome to the EDUBB EXPERIENCE.

If you would like more info about EDUBB or would like interview EDUBB, please call Johnathan Wright at 404/925-7572 or email at digitalagemusic@gmail.com

(watch the rain drop movement on video)