That is also the philosophy of the rapper Jin, who already has a name in hip-hop circles but is still aiming for the hit song that will propel him into the stratosphere. A 24-year-old who gained fame about five years ago by winning freestyle rap battles on BET. Jin (whose full name is Au-Yeung Jin) was signed to the label Ruff Ryders but his album did not sell well. So he went back to basics, growing his fan base through the Internet and his own label. Recently, he released an album in Cantonese, ABC, in which he raps about being an American-born Chinese man.
"I just need to prove 'This guy is hot,'" Jin, who lives in New York, said during a stopover in Los Angeles on his way to Beijing for a Chinese New Year's performance last month. "If the music is incredible, it's not tough to market it."
Lee, who has found success elusive for more than 20 years even though he won Fame, is also hopeful. He still gets fan mail and takes dance classes three hours a day. "I'm just one story," he said. "We need to keep knocking on those doors."
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