Jin Au-Yeung (traditional Chinese: 歐陽靖; simplified Chinese: 欧阳靖; pinyin: Ōuyáng Jìng; Cantonese Yale: Āu Yèuhng Jihng) was born in Miami, Florida and was raised in Miami by his Chinese immigrant parents who ran their own restaurant. In junior high, he became fascinated with hip-hop music and dreamed of becoming a professional rapper. He was inspired by artists such as 2Pac, Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, The Notorious B.I.G., LL Cool J, Big L and other well-known rappers from the early 1990s. When first taking up rapping, he struggled with the form of music but with much practice he realized he had a talent for freestyle rap. He soon began performing for his classmates, co-workers and whoever would listen. Jin began entering freestyle battles in local hip-hop clubs where he was usually the only Asian around. He was often underestimated due to his ethnicity. Jin’s talent won crowds over, and he went on to win many battles. His big break came when the BET program 106 & Park began inviting local rappers to hold battles in a segment known as Freestyle Friday. Ready for the national exposure, he auditioned and again was underestimated due to his ethnic background. After winning for seven weeks straight, Jin was inducted into the show’s Hall of Fame. That same night of his Hall of Fame induction, he announced that he had signed a deal with the Ruff Ryders. His first single under Ruff Ryders was titled “Learn Chinese”. The album was originally scheduled to be released in the summer of 2003, but was delayed for over a year by the label. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.