The release of Jin's "The Rest is History" marked
a significant even in the hip hop world in 2004. Not only did it mark the first time an Asian
American rapper ever released a rap album on a major label, it also sparked the
minds of hundreds of thousands of Asians around the world to open there eyes to
the power music, particularly hip hop.
It marked a time when rap music's cement door was drilled through, and a
world of new faces entered the arena.
In the months following Jin's release of his first album for
the Ruff Ryders, he went on tour throughout Asia. He allowed one cameraman, director Todd
Angkusawan, to follow him on his tour.
Along for the ride was also producer Carl "Catch" Choi
(manager of the Far East Movement), Kamel (his manager) and a few others who
were part of the entourage. They toured
through a number of cities and countries, from China to Japan.
For those that have been following Jin's career, you will
immediately notice that the DVD is a bit outdated. The Rest is History tour went on in 2004, and
the DVD release is in 2007; a full three years later.
The DVD first lands in China where Jin deals with interviews
with the Chinese media, and answers the questions about how it feels to be
"the first Asian American rapper".
The question is raised, and will be raised, a number of times not only
throughout Jin's career, but also throughout the DVD.
The actual touring through the clubs is what you'd want to pick
up this DVD for. You'll see Jin rock the
mic in front of a variety of crowds; from rocking crowds that are feeling his
music, to rocking small venues where the crowd has no idea what he's saying. What's disappointing about the club
performances is the number of songs selected for the DVD. It seems as if every song that we see Jin
perform is "Learn Chinese".
To note, I've seen Jin perform “Learn Chinese” live many
times before and each time is a great experience, especially with the energy
and heart that he puts into it. But,
while watching it on DVD, it gets repetitive and quite boring. You'd wish he performed other songs off of
the album like "Hands Off" or Kanye West's "I Got a Love".
Seeing as Jin is most known as a battle rapper, viewers
would anticipate Jin picking up the mic for a great battle or two. Yet, the DVD fails to deliver in what was probably
one of the biggest aspects of Jin's career at that point in time. Understandably, if the tour was done today
we'd be more lenient on not seeing him battle, but this was 2002, where he was still
at his peak. Instead, what we get is one
battle where Jin freestyles against a relatively weak, unknown rapper.
The DVD does have its shining moments though. At moments, you do feel like you're on the
tour with Jin and his entourage as they go from city to city trying to catch
flights. By the movies end, you can feel
their exhaustion as all the flights start to take a toll on them.
Also, some humorous moments arise, like when Jin and company
find a go-cart at the airport to avoid walking the large airports, as well as
them constantly shopping for new shoes in wherever city they touch down.
In the end the, the DVD is good, but a few years
outdated. This DVD should have been released
when Jin's "The Rest is History" was still new and hot. The DVD does try to stay current by including
Jin’s “ABC” video as an extra feature, yet it’s not enough to make the DVD feel
fresh. If you don’t mind the fact that
this tour was done three years ago, then it may be for you.
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