Once upon a time, before any and every song lyric was available at the click of a Google search.. I would be extra amped whenever I purchased a cd/cassette tape that had the lyrics included in the packaging. Then again.. That’s also when lyrics were still somewhat of a top priority. 
I just want to say thank you for taking the time to check out the demo.. and more so for all the feedback. Of course, there’s so much more to the story that I can elaborate on, but the song would probably end up being Avatar running time. When I was looking for beats, one of the first to pop into my mind was Em’s “Beautiful”. Once I sat down with it, right away I said to myself, “I have to write a story to this.” As I started, it was going pretty smoothly all the way up until about 60% near completion.. Then I caught the meanest case of writer block ever. Not that I couldn’t think of anything to write. The problem was it just wasn’t unfolding how I wanted to. I let it sit for a few days and went back to it. Still no luck. The moment before I recorded the video is when I literally just finished it.
Looking forward to going into the studio to record the actual thing. 
“Say Something” Mixtape – Coming Soon.
If you haven’t checked it out yet, see post below.
Working on a new mixtape called “Say Something”. Just finished writing one of the joints and thought I’d give you guys a preview.
I am honored, inspired and humbled by all of your enthusiasm.
Remember, I’ll be picking my top 5 and you all will be voting for the other top 5 for a total of 10 tracks to complete the 2010 Hiphop Census Mixtape: For the People By The People.
Here are all the submissions so far : http://www.youtube.com/video_response_view_all?v=qskn3eg7gTo
An all time fan fave.. as well as one of my personal faves.
You would’ve thought I had an endorsement deal with Enyce at the time. lol Hard to believe this was 9 years ago (I’ll probably do a grand 10 year anniversary post next year).. Look at the young, determined, fresh faced 19 year old in this video clip. He is oblivious to how his life will change forever in just a matter of weeks.
TRIH was released in 2004. The last time I checked (around ‘06-’07), it was at around 250,000+ copies sold worldwide.
It’s great to look back on these memories and reflect but I’m not one for living in the past.
At the end of the day, I’m just a young man who loves Hiphop. Fan first. Artist second.
Welcome to the first installment of my “I don’t wanna grow up” blog series. In this series, I’ll be sharing with you some of my childhood memories from favorite toys to childhood games. Basically anything that I grew up on will get spotlighted.
Without further or do.. What ‘chu now about “DUCKTALES”!!?
This definitely ranked in my all time top 10 favorite cartoons. Scrooge Mc Duck. Huey, Duey and Luey. Launchpad. Gizmo Duck. This was ill! Who wouldn’t wanna go swimming in a pool full of $$$!?
One of the main reasons I wanted to post about this show was also because I came across this super dope cover of the theme song.
“Ducktales! Woohooo!”
You’ve got the talent. You’ve got the drive. What now? Time to get yourself a manager! 1 part mentor, 1 part advisor and 1 part confidante’, this person’s overall responsibility is to make sure you are successful in the span of your career. How’s that for a job description!
Aside from God’s own guidance and insight, He has also blessed me with a very special individual as my earthly mentor and brother.
How I met my present manager is actually quite a tale in itself. The first time I ever performed in L.A. was in 2001 around the time I just freshly signed with RuffRyders. Upon coming out of the venue I performed at, I happened to find a Motorola Razor cell phone just laying on the floor. Naturally, I pick it up. Of course, it rings. I look at it and think, “answer it and see where’s the owner at?” or “ignore it and enjoy my brand new FREE Razor cell phone”.
I answer.
The voice on the other end is calm but stern. “Where are you? You have my phone.” I reply, “I’m still at the club. Meet you outside in the parking lot.” We meet and I give him his phone back. Come to find out, this guy is a hardcore party/club promoter in L.A. We keep in touch and over the years he has been an integral part of my career in terms of keeping shows lined up and just overall pushing for Jin whenever the chance presented itself. Around ‘07, we decided to make it official and legitimize our relationship as artist/manager.
Today, March 6th, I’d like to wish a very Healthy and Happy Birthday to Mr. Carl “Catch” Choi. May you continue to find clarity and wisdom in your journey!
(Taken when we climbed The Great Wall Of China.)
New photos from the most recent studio shoot I did. A few more at http://ayojin.com/pictures/official/.
All you graphic designers, have fun.
The group Whodini had a popular song in the early ’80s called Friends. In it, there’s a line that goes “Friends, how many of us have them?”…Good question.
Let’s first define exactly what is a “friend”? Is it someone you know? Someone you trust? Someone you’ve shared a memorable experience with? I’d like to think it’s a combination of all the above.
I have fond memories when I think about the guys I grew up with in Miami. Bryan. Jean. Cedric. Marcus. There was a group of us, but these guys were the main characters. These were the guys I went to jr. high and highschool with (some I’ve known since elementary school). When I say we grew up together, I mean we slept over at each other’s houses, played basketball together, went bike riding, hung out at the mall, etc. Of course, as we got older.. we got older. Drivers licenses. House parties. Roadtrips. Late nights out and about doing what 17-18 years old do whenever there out and about late at night. It was good times. No, I take that back. It was great times. We had our arguments here and there as all best friends do. Nothing that ever was so extreme that we couldn’t recover from.
After graduation, it wasn’t a drastic change.. but things changed.
Personal paths started to take us in different directions.
Then I left Miami in 2001 and that was a crucial point for me. While living in New York, we maintained contact for a bit.
I think the last time we all saw each other and hung out was about 3 years ago in’07.
These are the people that knew Jin before the world knew Jin. Priceless memories. Priceless friendships.
I pray they are all doing well and living healthy, happy, fruitful lives.
Come to think of it. In this day and age, it shouldn’t be too difficult to find an old friend.
 |