Chinese-American Jin makes Hong Kong debut
But Universal faces the challenge of promoting a largely unknown rapper in a Hong Kong industry dominated by clean-cut pop idols and sappy ballads.
"In Hong Kong, he's starting from scratch," Ho said.
Jin, who is based in New York, has been in Hong Kong for the past two months promoting the album, also appearing on a radio show in which he competes in a freestyle rap competition with local competition.
The Chinese-American rapper first made his name by outlasting rivals on Black Entertainment Television's "106th & Park" rap freestyle competition for seven consecutive weeks.
Universal is setting a modest sales target.
Ho declined to reveal sales figures for "ABC" but said a rap album would be considered a success in a depressed Hong Kong market if it sold 8,000 to 10,000 copies.
There's also the issue of whether Jin has lost his edge, pitching an uncontroversial album in an overwhelmingly mainstream and sanitized Chinese industry.
"ABC," which features a playful conversation between Jin and his father, is a far cry from "The Rest is History." Bursting with racial pride, Jin lashes out at his doubters and compares himself to the Great Wall and Yao Ming in his U.S. debut. He also mourns victims in China's brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989.
Jin, who's tattooed the Chinese character of his name on his neck, says he's merely matured.
"You get older. Your thought process changes. Your views on what's important to you changes. And the way I almost look at my career now is, I'm rolling with the punches as well as just maximizing on whatever opportunities are in front of me," he said.
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