Queen's Finest:
An In-Depth Interview with DJ Shine
By Elsa Rodriguez, Staff Writer

In the midst of Elmhurst, New York, lies Broadway Park, the area’s most popular hangout among youths. The kids are mostly middle class and come from many different backgrounds, despite the area’s heavily Asian theme. While some kids are playing handball, there’s a group of kids sitting on the steps talking about hip-hop or having a freestyle battle. Among these lyricists are a few Asians, hoping to drop an album one day. Most of them won’t be successful, but they remain hopeful simply because they remember the one Broadway Park Korean who did.

With Drunken Tiger’s recent success in Korea’s hip-hop industry, it’s hard to imagine that their lively leader figure, DJ Shine, was once one of the kids among the rapping crowd at Broadway Park. At an early age, Shine (real name Mark Yim) indulged himself in the hip-hop culture, doing everything from spinning turntables to writing rhymes. While many other artists claim to be the "realest" New York MC in the Korean industry, Shine outweighs all these artists, having the experience and upbringing necessary to truly claim that title. Despite the success and hype surrounding him and his co-member, Tiger JK, there are some aspects to Shine that still remain a mystery to the public. With Drunken Tiger’s 4th album booming in record sales, the highly respected artist sacrifices some time to speak to the public about himself, his group, and his record, the most anticipated Korean rap album of the year.

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