J-Me

J-Me (Burmese: ဂျေမီ, also spelt J Me; born Khant Zin Ko on 9 September 1985) is a prominent Burmese hip hop singer-songwriter and rapper who began his musical career in the 2000s. He has been dubbed as the "Myanmar's Underground Hip Hop Legend" for his hip hop works and successful music career.[2][3][4][5]

For other uses, see JME (disambiguation).

J-Me
ဂျေမီ
Birth nameKhant Zin Ko
Born (1985-09-09) 9 September 1985
Yangon, Myanmar
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • Beatboxer
  • Singer
  • Songwriter
  • Film Producer
  • Columnist
  • Revivalist
InstrumentsVocals
Years active2000–present
Associated acts
Khant Zin Ko
Personal
ReligionChristianity evangelical
Home townYangon, Myanmar
Spouse
Jungmaw Mary
​
​
(m. 2011)​
Children3, Valentina, Elijah, and Agape

Career

J-Me began his career in 2000. Around the age of 13 to 18, he attended frequent rap group shows held in parks, including Myaw Sin Kyun in Kandawgyi Lake. He featured alongside rapper Ye Lay and began rising to fame. His first hit song "Burn Em’ Up" caused him to gain popularity. His subsequent hit song "Hallelujah" is known as one of his most popular rap songs.[6]

Influence

J-Me has been rapping and beat-boxing for almost 10 years. He has tread carefully with his lyrics, and avoids directly criticizing the government in his lyrics.[1] In addition to his work in the pop-culture field, his older sister used to break dance back in the 1990s. It was through her that J-Me first heard hip hop in the 1990s, when they would both listen to her MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice records.[7] J-Me, Zayar Thaw, and other members of Myanmar's first hip-hop group, Acid, have been considered inspirational because of their social activism– marrying traditionally Western hip-hop beats with issues close to the hearts of people in Myanmar.[6]

Notable work

He became one of the leaders of the growing underground subculture of Myanmar, including graffiti artists and political activists. One of J-Me's English-language songs, titled "Burn ’Em Up", gives a shout-out not only to US artists Fabolous, Ryan Leslie and Nas but also to the city of Bangkok, a growing centre in Southeast Asia that promotes international hip-hop.[6]

Departure and comeback

In 2014, J-Me took a break form the hip hop scene. He was struggling with addiction and cycling through relapses and rehab.[6] In an interview with the Myanmar Times in 2018, J-Me, then 33, discussed his absence and changes in his lifestyle. During his retreat, he had given up using, drinking, and smoking, and became an born-again Christian.[6]

J-Me's album A Mwe Sar A Mwe Khan, which means "Inheritance", is about his personal story and transformation. It was produced by Sun Music Production and released across Myanmar on 26 May 2018.[6]

Other Work

In addition to his music career, J-Me has produced films and worked as a columnist for the Myanmar Times, a job he began in 2013 and held for several years.[7]

SEA Games

One of his songs, "Born to Win," was chosen as the anthem for Myanmar athletes at the 2013 Southeast Asian Games, held in Myanmar on 22 December 2013. The song, performed with the singer Zara Hnin Thwin on vocals, has J-Me rapping about "persistence" in a dedication to the young athletes and their fans.[8]

Personal life

He is the son of Aung Ko Latt, a film director, and a half-Irish mother,[1] J-Me married Jungmaw Mary on 7 September 2011.[9] He was raised a Roman Catholic, but now identifies as a born-again Christian in his music.[10]

Discography

Single albums
  • Ko Bawa Nae Ko ကိုယ့်ဘဝနဲ့ကိုယ် (2007)
  • Bawa Ye Neibban ဘဝရဲ့နိဗ္ဗာန် (2012)
  • A Mwe Sar A Mwe Khan အမွေစားအမွေခံ (2018)

See also

References
  1. Hammer, Joshua. "Myanmar's Young Artists and Activists". Smithsonianmag.com. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  2. "A Master of Hip Hop" (PDF). InDepth Magazine. 9 May 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  3. "Myanmar's Young Artists and Activists". Smithsonianmag.com. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  4. "This Burmese rapper sounds straight outta Compton, with a swagger to match". Pri. 18 December 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  5. "J Me family". Alodaw. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  6. Nandar Aung (4 May 2018). "Return of the J". The Myanmar Times. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  7. "This Burmese rapper sounds straight outta Compton, with a swagger to match". Pri. 18 December 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  8. "Myanmar hip-hop meets the world". The Myanmar Times. 4 December 2017. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  9. Times, The Myanmar. "Celebrities join the workforce". The Myanmar Times. Archived from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  10. "J-Me : A Master of Ceremonies – MYANMORE Yangon". myanmore.com. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
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