The Indonesian-born Rapper You Should Pay Attention To
Rich Brian has been making big moves in the rap scene in 2020, but you might not know of him. This asian rapper from Indonesia has earned support from artists like Ghostface Killah, Offset of Migos and even RZA.
Born Brian Imanuel Soewarno, Rich is a rapper and singer from West Jakarta, Indonesia. He burst onto the rap scene back in 2015 after going viral with the track ‘Dat $tick,’ under the name ‘Rich Chigga.’
He claims to have learned to speak English by watching American music videos by artists like Macklemore and Drake.
Brian later changed his name to Rich Brian after receiving backlash for the insensitive connotations behind the word ‘Chigga.’ It didn’t help that the music video for Dat $tick played off offensive hip-hop stereotypes.
After the name change and signing to 88Rising, a label comprised of upcoming asian artists, such as Joji, Rich Brian became the first asian rapper to top the hip-hop charts on iTunes. This came following the release of his album, Amen.
Amen featured a collaborations with the likes of XXXtentacion and 21 Savage.
Brian continued his rise through 2019 with the release of the album Sailor and in 2020 he dropped the single Bali — a certified banger!
Rich Brian currently lives in Los Angeles as he continues working on music and dabbling in acting. The music video for Bali even features Tiny Meat Gang members Noel Miller and Cody Ko!
Check out his latest single, Love In My Pocket, which was released in June 2020.
