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Just who the heck is Jin Hackman? The question likely to pop up when the uninitiated hears of the name, it registers yet the exact details are vague. Who is Jin Hackman?
Jin is your regular 20-something guy – goes to college, pines for the unattainable girl, hangs out with friends at the nearest mamak joint, broke most of the time and like everyday folks, petrol price pisses him off. But Jin is also one of brightest shining stars of Malaysia's fledgling hip hop scene, a best kept secret only privy to those involved. He might not rock chains, expensive sneaks and the trendiest threads but challenge him on the mic and he'll leave lesser rappers with broken egos.
A member of the hip hop collective Rogue Squadron (which underground champions The Rebel Scum is a part of), Jin Hackman has steadily build up a name for himself in the independent circuit for some 4 odd years now. Having had multiple gigs under his name, spewed killer punchlines at rap battles and established presence on the internet music community, Jin garnered accolades that made him the envy of his peers. Local underground music expert-cum-journo Adly Syairi Ramly said “I came close to giving up on the local hip hop scene, that was until I came across Jin Hackman." (The Malay Mail) and JUICE Magazine not only inducted Jin Hackman into their Cool List of 2008 but invited him as a performer for the Cool List Reveal Party as well.
Early March 2009 marks the release of Jin Hackman's debut album Jinius At Work, a microcosm of who Jin Hackman is; from songs about childhood experiences, hip-hop verité to heartbreak, and yes lots of witty verbal put downs and braggadocio. The 14-track opus is a labour of love built on the DIY ethos that would even rival the indie bands name-dropped in the hit single Heezy Rock, which along with Still Hip Hop have been regularly played by radio stations Hitz FM, Fly FM and Xfresh FM. The song MC was the favourite track of 2008 of famed hip-hop producer Qumran (Too Phat), whom had praised the album for its “insane punchlines with days of throwback styles” as well as for marking “the fresh end of new money in MY hip-hop.” (1AsiaHipHop.com)
Entirely self-financed and distributed without a record label, Jin Hackman would go as far as selling the album from the boot of his car, thus espousing what hip-hop, or rather indie music in general, is all about – the passion, the hustle and the talent to back it all up.
Jinius At Work is produced by fellow Rogue Squadron members Phrozt, Skware-1 and MicWrecka, as well as outside producers Funktionz and Decipher. Mastered by Mark Dorc at Banging Masters, Toronto, the album features guest appearances by fellow Rogue Squadron members NBE, Phalanx, HQA, WordsManifest and Proximas plus international acts Kryptik (Netherlands) and Ndeesaster (Indonesia).
Jin Hackman in print (click to enlarge):
(Malay Mail, June 2008)
(Juice Magazine, Coollist Ed. Dec 2008)
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