During the early 2000s, Jin's freestyling ability earned him street-celebrity status and a record deal with Ruff Ryders. Born Jin Au-Yeung in Miami, Florida, the rapper grew up far from the streets of N.Y.C. yet nonetheless reveled in East Coast rap. As an aspiring teenage MC, his initial influences were early to mid-'90s New York rappers like Jay-Z, Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, and Mobb Deep. It was no surprise, then, when he jumped at the opportunity to relocate from Florida to Manhattan when his family decided to move to Chinatown. He immediately engaged himself in the city's hip-ho...