Jessi has proved time and time again that she isn’t afraid to fight for her friends, but she also isn’t afraid to fight for herself.
Since the early 2000s, this hard-as-nails rapper has been making her own place in the Korean entertainment with her bold music and daring personality, and has faced plenty of opposition along the way.
Jessi’s battle with haters began long before she moved to Korea though.
On an episode of MBC‘s Radio Star, Jessi revealed that she was a victim of racism while living in the U.S.
She told the hosts that, at the time, there weren’t many Asians living where she grew up.
“There were hardly any Asians in the region where I lived in the U.S. I was alone.” — Jessi
Jessi was born in New York and spent her childhood in New Jersey before moving to Korea at the tender age of 15. During this time, she withstood racist bullying from one of her peers.
“A boy made fun of me for four years for me being an Asian.” — Jessi
After enduring the harassment for four years, Jessi finally fought back and ended it once and for all.
“After four years, I finally fought back, although I was aware that fighting against someone is not always right. He left me alone after that.” — Jessi
Jessi said that although violence is not the answer, it’s important for people to stand up for themselves.
“Violence is not the key, but we need to have our voice. In fact, I have been ‘noisy’ since I was born.” — Jessi
