INTERVIEW::
conducted
by
JiZO Jewles
JIZO: WASSSAP Shin-B?
Thanks for accepting to do this interview for our
very humble website. Can you please introduce
yourself to our readers?
SHIN-B: What's goin' on
Jizo. Thank you. The name is Shin-B straight out of
LA. If you're fiending for a new hybrid of old
school + new school + fusion, search no more. I'm
exactly that. www.myspace.com/shinb
JIZO: What is the
meaning of your stage name?
SHIN-B: Basically it
means "mystery" in Korean. It was given to me by my
peers/friends. When you see me off stage, I appear
to be conservative, BUT once I get on stage and I've
got a mic at hand, I become this alter ego. They
would ask where this came from and say it was a
"mystery."
JIZO: Do you speak
fluent Korean?
SHIN-B: Yes, I speak
fluent Korean. I even rhyme in Korean as well. I
think that's part of my intrigue. Most often, you
won't see a lot of Asian Americans spitting in their
ancestral tongue. I think it takes more skill to be
able to flip it in a language other than English.
JIZO: How would you
describe your music?
SHIN-B: It's old school
meets new school plus fusion. I like to take it back
to the boom bap, the golden age of hip hop. BUT, I
also like to flip it and add a modern twist to it.
I'm also an avid fan of all genres of music ranging
from rock to jazz to even movie scores. I try to
step outside the box and rhyme over all genres. On
my upcoming album, you'll see that I've got tracks
ranging from rock to even house. I think it's
important to be diverse. You don't want to come out
with the same cookie cutter mold or else you'll get
lost amongst the millions.
JIZO: Who or what has
influenced your musical career?
SHIN-B: A Tribe Called
Quest, The Roots, Stetsasonic, Braille, The
Procussions, De La Soul, Eric B and Rakim,
Jamiroquai, and Nujabes. I'm a sucker for live
instrumentation and smooth flows. God has also
influenced me in a huge way. I used to rhyme
half-hearted, empty lyrics just for the sake of
rhyming something, but now... I've found a new me
and I try to provide lyrics that honestly reflect me
and positivity. I want to inspire and uplift. I want
people to hear my vulnerability.
JIZO: Where do you find
your inspiration to write your songs?
SHIN-B: Life, other
artists, music, and God. Basically, all of that
inspires me to write music. If I'm going through a
rough patch, I'll write as therapy. I don't want to
hide anything or keep any of it bottled up anymore.
If I hear a dope song, I'll get inspired to write. I
get hugely inspired when I'm out on the road.
Something about driving on an open road surrounded
by farm land really does it for me. I also get
really inspired with ideas whenever I drink green
tea. Yeah, it's one of my weird quirks.
JIZO: How do you go
about promoting your music?
SHIN-B: I perform a
whole lot whenever and wherever I can. I think
performing is key if you wanna blow up locally. You
have to start at a base and then work your way out.
I also try to utilize the internet to spread my
music. The internet can be your best friend this day
and age. You can expose yourself to the entire world
for free.
JIZO: What views do you
have on the current state of the music industry?
Based on your own experience/opinion, what's
preventing Asian Americans artists in general to
make it mainstream?
SHIN-B: I'm not going to
sit here and hate. I appreciate anyone who's on the
hustle and doing their thang. I used to say the
music industry now is all garbage and I was really
anti, but I've realized that's just all part of the
shift. Hip Hop now has just evolved to a different
side of the spectrum. It's always changing because
music itself is ever changing. Soon, there will be a
new shade of hip hop that'll be introduced and
spread like wildfire. I'm not concerned with what's
hip and in now. I just do music that I feel is good
listening. And that's why I like to go back to old
school where the music was just that, good music.
Unlike the Latin movement and hip hop, Asian
Americans have it hard because we all don't speak
ONE language. We have your Chinese, Japanese,
Korean, Vietnamese, etc. And each is SO culturally
different that it's hard to come together as ONE.
When you see a Chinese listening to Korean music, we
still find that odd and we don't embrace it. So
until we can find some way to bring all these
culturally diverse and unique cultures together,
it's going to be hard to unite. But, once we're
united, I think it'll then fall into place. You need
to have your own movement in order to start an even
bigger movement.
JIZO: You album is
coming out very soon. Why did you title it "Outside
The Box"?
SHIN-B: December 7th,
2007 is the tentative schedule. I titled it "Outside
The Box" because that's exactly what I represent and
what this album represents. It's totally not what
you'd expect from a typical hip hop album. I have a
different style and flow to every single record and
they're not all hip hop sounding records. I have a
song where I'm rhyming over a rock beat, reminiscent
to Fall Out Boy/Gym Class Heroes style. I then have
another song where I'm rhyming over a house beat.
I'm trying to take it to another level. I'm trying
to stand out amongst the crowd. I don't want to be a
case of the "Where's Waldo?"
JIZO: Are you working on
any official music video?
SHIN-B: Yes, I am
working on a music video for the single off "Outside
The Box." We haven't decided yet on the single, but
we have a few strong candidates. Once it's decided,
then we will begin shooting.
JIZO: Elections 2008 are
coming very soon... so are you gonna go for Obama,
Hillary or do you have someone else in mind?
SHIN-B: I have to
definitely go for Hillary Clinton. I'm biased. I
want women to shine in fields where it's
predominantly males. I really admire her as an
individual as well. I think she'd do a wonderful
job. I just don't think she'd win though because a
majority of America would still want to see a male
as president. And that's just how it is. But, I do
admire her stance.
JIZO: Is there anything
you would like our readers to know about you?
SHIN-B: I am what I am.
I don't really try to portray myself as anything
huge. I try to remain humble and genuine. Fans are
real savvy these days. They can smell a phony from
miles away. I'm not gangster. I'm not hard. I'm just
a girl that genuinely loves music and I do it for
the love. I'm hungry and it is this passion that
drives me each and every single day. If I was doing
it for the money, I would've threw in the towel
years ago. I do it because this is what I think of
the minute I wake up until the minute I sleep. I'm
very down to earth so if you want to holler, don't
hesitate.
JIZO: Thanks again
Shin-B. PEACE OUT! KEEP ON DOING YOUR THANG GIRL!
SHIN-B: Thank you Jizo.
I appreciate it. Best wishes. God Bless.
