The main artery of New York City's Chinatown neighborhood is Canal Street, and on a sweltering summer day like this, it's easy to lose yourself in the constant traffic of bodies pushing their way along the sidewalk. There are longtime Chinatown merchants alongside newly immigrated ones, each looking for their piece of the American Dream. There are wide-eyed tourists craning their necks to see the tips of the city's skyscrapers, thinking privately of their own high hopes. There are also tough young New Yorkers from every borough who have come for cheap eats and electronics. And, somewhere in the mix, bubbling up from the underground, there is a 21-year-old Ruff Ryder named Jin. In a sense, he is all of these people, but clearly stands out among them.

Jin's rise in music circles are part of hip-hop lore: an unknown Chinese-American kid with a cocky smirk and nasty rhyme skills blazes through the competition on a series of weekly battles on cable channel BET, earning himself a record deal and a spot on the Ruff Ryders squad. But what distinguishes Jin as an MC isn't his fast ascent to the top. It isn't the fact he was the only Asian-American out of hundreds of would-be MCs vying for a spot on the show. Rather, it's Jin's spirited creativity and unique experiences he brings to the mic. Simply put, Jin's got skills. If you don't believe it, just witness his Ruff Ryders/Virgin debut album, THE REST IS HISTORY.