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In putting together his latest LP, Jin clearly outlines his by naming the album ABC (American-Born Chinese) and dedicating it to “everybody (especially the young Chinese Americans) that are proud of their heritage and are comfortable with their own identity.” ABC is a collection of 10 songs that attempt to unpack the individual and overlapping identities among many of Jin’s generation of Chinese Americans (or perhaps more precisely, Cantonese Americans). Exclusively rapped in Cantonese, Jin makes a conscious and ambitious effort to capture not only the nuances and particularities of the Cantonese dialect but also the cultural signifiers in the experiences of many first- and second-generation, working class Chinese Americans.

In the title track, Jin declares himself as an ABC, an identity constructed within the community as displaced and lacking an essence. For Jin, ABC is comfortably negotiated in between their first-generation parents and the rest of America, and the track’s audience is clearly the elders who question the legitimacy with which ABCs embrace their heritage and culture. Even so, he acknowledges through “Speak Can’t Read” a narrative from his elders that speaks to the struggle for legitimacy within the Chinese American community because he lacks a complete lingual fluency. Jin almost makes up for this in “Yum Dom Cha,” an homage to dim sum. His mini-ethnography of dim sum is very sensitive and impressive, covering from the ambiance to the specific dishes (which become icons) to the relationships between waitstaff and customers and even between customers. Jin continues his use of icons in “Instant Noodle,” capturing the relationship he has with presumably a Chinese American girlfriend. Through this relationship, he reflects on the gendered experiences of heterosexual Chinese American young women and men with body image and intimacy. “Wai Wai Wun Bean Wai” is a more flirtatious reflection of the (heterosexual) sexualities of young Chinese Americans in relating to each other.

“Ape Shall Never” and “Wun Lern Chon” (featuring Ken Oak) are both calls for community building and unity. In “Ape Shall Never,” Jin dissects the differences that divides the community, and he simply concludes, “Ape shall never kill ape.” Jin most directly tackles class in “Wun Lern Chon,” in which he reminisces about his working class identity and traces his attitude toward his parents from indifference to appreciation for their struggles to earn a comfortable living, emphasizing the ways in which his class identity shapes who he is. From there, he also makes clear and bold connections, as a hip-hop artist, to other working class peoples, like taxi cab drivers. As a hip-hop artist, Jin does not forget to incorporate hip hop history into this rare collection. “It’s Hiphop” follows the development of hip-hop in New York with Cool Herk and the relationship that Jin develops with the genre. Here, Jin may be suggesting the potential role that Chinese Americans have in the hip hop scene, in affirming his famed reputation within the hip hop community as a freestyle champion on 106th and Park.

Lastly, most notable to scholars of Asian American studies may be his songs, “HK Superstar” (featuring Daniel Wu — yes, that hottie from Hong Kong cinema!) and “1997.” In these songs, he begins to re-conceptualize Asian American identity not as only rooted within the borders of the United States, but more as transnational, in constant (re)negotiation between his place in between the United States and Hong Kong. In the latter, Jin fantasizes about opportunities of stardom in Hong Kong, juxtaposed with the notorious fame that fellow ABC Daniel Wu has garnered. The background music of “1997″ is a remix of the theme to the Miss Hong Kong Pageants, and from there, he reflects on the political history of Hong Kong in explaining his own family’s history and his sentimental visit to Hong Kong (both as part of the diaspora). He ends the song with an oral history interview with his father, which poignantly illustrates an intergenerational connection that suggests a potential for a lesser turbulent negotiation of Chinese American identity.

Needless to say, listeners must be careful not to generalize, as Jin’s collection is an attempt to capture his own negotiation of his identities. All in all, Jin’s ABC is a strong attempt to unpack his loaded Chinese American identity.

Guest contributor Toby Wu writes from Swarthmore College.

Last 5 posts by guest

• "Red Light" by Geunjin - December 14th, 2009
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• Introducing Geunjin - September 11th, 2009
• Guest Blogger Kristen Sajonas on the APIA Spoken Word & Poetry Summit - August 31st, 2009
• Thumbs Up with "Up" - June 5th, 2009

Tags: Reviews.