Jin is gearing up to take on a “new challenge” as he prepares to return to the Chinese rap competition series, The Rap Of China.

The former Freestyle Friday champ took to Instagram on Saturday (April 22) to open up about why he’s returning to the competition while also revisiting his first go round on the show.

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“In 2017, I joined the Rap of China competition with two clear goals,” Jin captioned his post. “One, I wanted to learn more about Chinese Hip-Hop. Two, after over two decades of rhyming in primarily English, and then later on Cantonese, I wanted to take on a new challenge: kickin’ some Mandarin bars.

“Saying it was a challenge is probably an understatement considering I went into the show with a total of probably 10-15 words in my Mandarin vocab. As the show progressed, I (slowly but surely) progressed in my Mandarin speaking and rhyming abilities.”

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The rapper, who went under the moniker “HipHopMan,” joined the show in 2017 for its first season, but “eventually got eliminated.” However, for Jin, that was the best thing that could have happened to him.

“It showed that the spirit of the competition was authentic,” Jin went on. “Even though ‘MC Jin’ was no longer in the running, the spirit of ‘HipHopMan’, which was an identity I introduced at the start of the show, remained imprinted in the hearts and minds of many viewers. Excited to be back six years later. This time with new goals, new challenges, but the same spirit. Most important of all, with a few more more words in my Mandarin vocab.”

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In other Jin news, the rapper recently made his return battle rap arena after nearly 17 years, in honor of late Canadian battle rap vet Pat Stay.

The battle took place at King Of The Dot Entertainment’s “Stay Forever’ weekend in Toronto this past February. KOTD returned to the city for the first time in five years in an effort to raise money for the Stay family and honor Pat’s life.

Jin & Wyclef Reunite To Encourage The World To ‘Learn Chinese’ Once Again
Jin & Wyclef Reunite To Encourage The World To ‘Learn Chinese’ Once Again

While Jin went up against fellow rap battle vet Illmac, other big names on the lineup included Hollow Da Don, Charlie Clips, Rone, Dumfounded and more.

“Battling again after a 17-year absence was not on my bingo card for 2023,” Jin said in an Instagram post with a photo of the stage. “And yet here we are. This was for Pat Stay. But in some serendipitous way, I can literally hear Pat saying to me right now, ‘This was also for you Jin. Now stop getting all watery eyed like a little girl as you type this.'”

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He continued: “Thank you @kotdtv @organikhiphop @ninobless for pulling this all together. Thank you @illmactv for bringing the class, skill and energy we needed to make this special for the people. Thank you @iamcarolcay for holding down the fort and your tireless efforts that went into making sure this could happen for me. Thank you to all my battle rap peers and family who continue to push this thing we love and cherish forward, while preserving the essence of it.”