Peter, Paul and Mary were an American folk-singing trio who ultimately became one of the biggest acts of the 1960s. The trio was composed of Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey, and Mary Travers.
I remember in elementary school, our music teacher, Ms. Traeger would teach us how to sing Peter, Paul and Mary’s songs. The fondest memories arise when I think back on those childhood days as we would sing along to all their classic tunes. I listen to those same songs now as an adult and I finally realize that the messages they conveyed were incredibly meaningful, yet done in a simple manner.
About 3 months ago, I started hosting a music program on television in Hong Kong called Jade Solid Gold (JSG). Guess who were the guests recently?
Although sadly, Mary passed away in 2009, your legacy will live on forever thru your music and voice.
Peter, Paul and Mary, thank you for your dedication to making this world a happier place for us all.
I leave you with a few of my personal fave PPM selections..
Just a song about a magical dragon? Or a reminder to keep hold of our childlike innocence?
A Bob Dylan classic covered beautifully by the PPM trio.
O.G. Bruce!
Intelligent, charismatic and an overall cool dude.
Bruce Lee 27 November 1940 – 20 July 1973
Today marks the 37th year passing of a truly unique individual. It’s amazing that even though he’s been gone for over 3 decades, the impact that he made on martial arts, pop culture and the legacy he leaves behind is still just as relevant. Mr. Lee, you are my hero.
In my hands, I hold a script for an upcoming movie based on the teenage years of the legend himself.
Guess who’s playing Bruce?…
You can never have too many indidviduals bringing laughter and joy to the world.
I recently got the chance to meet one of my current favorite comedians (w/ potential to make it into the all time greats list), Joe Wong.
By any chance you haven’t heard of him..
Here he is making his network television debut on Letterman…
Doin’ his thing on Ellen…
..and if you really have leisurely time, check out his set at the Annual Radio & Television Correspondents’ Dinner (pts. 1 and 2)
Joe Wong, you are my hero.
It is human nature to want to be acknowledged.
I think what defines character is when someone does receive that acknowledgement, in what manner does that person respond? Here is my response.
Thank you.
On one of the blogs, I even read something along the lines of “Jin’s making a comeback”. Mind you, that’s the opinion of one individual. To know someone feels that way and is rooting for me is flattering, yet that’s far from my agenda.
I just wanna grow.
I am beyond inspired by so many of the comments, emails and feedback that you have all given me pertaining to the new direction I am going with my music. Let’s all walk this journey of growth and evolution together.
Thank you all for the overwhelmingly positive feedback.
The video is making it’s rounds on various web platforms.. here are a few..
http://www.sphereofhiphop.com/rap/2010/07/jin-drops-new-music-video-for-angels/
http://www.dasouth.com/videos/3577-jin-qangelsq
http://realtalkny.uproxx.com/2010/07/topic/topic/news/jin-angels-official-music-video/#comments
Yes, I may have been living in Hong Kong for the last two years but that doesn’t change the facts.
Fact is, I was born and raised in the US of A.
Fact is, there are flaws in the system at times and injustices may occur but this country is still a place that upholds it’s human rights.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
On that note, I wish all my fellow Americans a Happy Independence Day.
In the end, isn’t that all we want as people? Happiness.
Where can happiness come from? Money? Fame? Power? I guess it all depends on who you ask..
Here’s my testimony. I’ve never wanted less.. and never have I been more blessed. God, You are truly a loving Father. Thank You for showing me The Way.
“All I hear is ‘Jin, what happened to the old you?’…see I could explain, but I would rather show you.”
I’d like to say a special thanks to director extraordinaire Hosanna Wong, Kiki and the rest of the production team for helping with this project.
I present to you the official “Angels” music video.
I am not referring to the classic movie starring Nicholas Cage and Meg Ryan. Great movie by the way..
I am referring to Hong Kong. A unique city full of history and culture.
The Angels are here.
The track “Angels” off the Say Something Mixtape is more than just a rap verse.. it’s my personal testimony.
Shot entirely in Hong Kong, the official music video directed by Hosanna Wong coming soon.
Who doesn’t love a good deal? I sure do, but I also know it’s a thin line between being a smart shopper and outright stingy.
It’d be safe to assume that the phrase “Buy 1 Get 1 Free” is probably just as common as “Hi” and “Bye” no matter what part of the world you’re in. The phrase also happens to be the name of the upcoming collaborative album I am releasing with Hanjin. Get it? Buy 1 Jin.. get another Jin. Jin.. Hanjin. You get it.
Who is Hanjin?
Those of you who have any interests in the world of Chinese Canto-pop most likely know him from his multiple production credits for some of the genre’s top artists. Beyond that, we are talking about a world-class musician here. In a nutshell, Hanjin is an established producer, singer, song-writer and overall unique fellow. Prior to working on this project together, we hardly knew each other. So the story goes.. Hanjin had this idea to do a “shotgun” album with someone. He thought of me. He invited me out to lunch. That was the first time we met. Aside from enjoying the meal, we chatted for about 2 hours. He asked if I would be interested in doing a “shotgun” album with him. He paid for lunch. I said “sure”.
Now we have an album dropping on July 13th in Hong Kong. “Buy 1 Get 1 Free”.
..and we stuck with the initial “shotgun” album plan. 10 songs in 10 days. 1 song a day. The album is a collective of songs about whatever we happened to have on our mind that day. He would sing about in Mandarin. I would rhyme about it in Cantonese.
A few weeks ago, we did a mini unplugged style concert where we performed all of the songs off the upcoming album. The CD release will include a DVD containing the entire concert. Truly “buy 1 get 1 free”!
Here’s two clips from the show that night, which happened on June 4th.. aka my birthday.
When I say “you”, I’m referring to my blog.. as if it was a person. Technically, I guess it is a person. Better yet, a collective of people. Either way, pardon my neglect. To say it’s been hectic in Hong Kong would be an understatement. A few weeks ago, (June 10th to be exact) marked the exact 2 years of my arriving in Hong Kong. As some of you know, I’ve been here ever since. It’s funny reading some of the different stories I come across online. Ranging from “Jin moved to Hong Kong for his career and now he’s a millionaire” to “Jin flopped in America and now he’s back in his motherland selling bootleg Jordans”, I must say it’s neither of the two extremes. It’d be safe to say the actual reality lies somewhere in between those two versions.
One day, I’ll get around to telling the entire story of what brought me to Hong Kong in the first place. In the meantime, I can only describe what it’s been like since I’ve been here in two words: life changing. Two more words: eye opening. Okay.. three more words: truly a blessing.
Back to my neglect..
It just occurred to me how dope this website is and how much time and effort the team puts into it. Thanks to my CADV/PlanC/CMG family.
I think this whole time I was caught up in the mentality of “man, where on earth can I find the time to write and blog? I’m smashed with a massive workload already!” When in reality, I should be using this platform as a source to release and unwind. More importantly, a great way for those of you who are interested to see what is going on in my world.
In closing, to make up for my neglect, here’s the first two tracks I wrote and recorded to (no particular order) from the final Hiphop Census Mixtape selections. I wish I could find the time to write and record all of them in one shot, but that’s just not realistic. Do check them out and leave some feedback.
Thank you for your patience.
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