Misplaced Pages

Rich Brian

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
(Redirected from Rich Chigga) Indonesian rapper (born 1999)

Rich Brian
Brian in 2019
BornBrian Imanuel Soewarno
(1999-09-03) 3 September 1999 (age 25)
Jakarta, Indonesia
NationalityIndonesia
Other names
  • Rich Chigga
  • Brian Imanuel
  • Brian
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Years active2015–present
Musical career
Genres
Labels
Musical artist

Brian Imanuel Soewarno (born 3 September 1999), known professionally as Rich Brian (formerly Rich Chigga), is an Indonesian rapper. He is known for his viral debut single "Dat $tick", which was first released in March 2016 on SoundCloud. The single was later certified gold by RIAA. His debut studio album, Amen, was released in 2018 and peaked at number 18 on the US Billboard 200, making Brian the second Southeast Asian artist to be on the top 20 Billboard 200 after Filipino singer Jake Zyrus. Brian's second studio album, The Sailor, was released in 2019. He released an EP titled 1999 in 2020. He released another EP titled Brightside in January 2022. Brian has collaborated with many artists from China and South Korea such as Chungha, Keith Ape, Jackson Wang, and Jae Park.

Early life

Brian Imanuel Soewarno was born on 3 September 1999 in Jakarta to Heru Soewarno and Megawati Purnomo. He has one older brother named Roy Leonard Soewarno and two older sisters named Stephanie and Sonia Eryka Soewarno. He is of mixed Chinese and Manadonese descent.

Brian was raised in West Jakarta in a middle-to-low class neighborhood. Despite his father being a lawyer, he never had a formal education and spent most of his time helping at his parents' café while being homeschooled.

In 2010, while growing up in Indonesia, Brian began his career with social media when he was 11 years old. He discovered YouTube after he got a Rubik's Cube and realized he could log onto his parents' computer to find strategies for solving it faster. He also joined Twitter in August 2010. This eventually led him to making video content, including dark comedy sketches on Twitter. He moved to the platform Vine when he was 15 and began to post daily videos there. Brian, who at the time spoke only Indonesian started to learn and polish his English, had an American friend on Skype that he could talk and converse with to improve his English. He also taught himself to speak English by watching YouTube videos and by listening to rappers like Childish Gambino, 2 Chainz, Macklemore and Tyler, the Creator.

Brian began listening to hip hop music in 2012, when an American friend he knew on the internet introduced him to "Thrift Shop" by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. Brian began to explore the genre, discovering Drake, 2 Chainz, Kanye West and Logic at first. Brian wrote his first rap song in 2014 and recorded it onto an iPhone microphone over an MF Doom produced instrumental.

Brian originally wanted to become a cinematographer in Los Angeles, however he gave up the aspiration once his music career began taking off.

Career

2015–2016: Career beginnings

Brian performing Dat Stick in August 2016.

Brian began his career under the name Rich Chigga and released his debut track, titled "Living the Dream" on 17 July 2015, on his YouTube account. The song was produced by DJ Smokey. Brian then went on to release his debut single "Dat Stick" on 11 March 2016. Shortly after, he was signed by 88rising. "Dat Stick" track caught international success after 88rising released a reaction video featuring American rappers Ghostface Killah, 21 Savage, Tory Lanez, MadeinTYO, Desiigner, and many more. Since the official music video for the track was uploaded onto his YouTube account, it has been viewed over 200 million times. "Dat Stick" then went on to peak at number four on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles.

Brian then went on to release his second single titled "Who That Be" on iTunes on 9 August 2016. The song was produced by Sihk. He then released a remix of his debut single "Dat Stick" which features rappers Ghostface Killah and Pouya. Brian later released his third single "Seventeen" which quickly surpassed the one million hits mark on both YouTube and SoundCloud.

2017–2018: Amen

Brian released his fourth single "Back At It" on 19 April 2017. He later started his first US tour in April 2017, which concluded in May. In May 2017, Brian released the single "Gospel" with XXXTentacion and Keith Ape. This was XXXTentacion's first collaboration with Brian and the song was released through 88rising and has since received over 38 million views on YouTube since its release.

Brian won an award at the 4th Indonesian Choice Awards as Breakthrough Artist of the Year in May 2017. Brian announced his debut album in an interview with XXL, saying "I'm working on a debut project and there are some serious songs and some comedic stuff, but the serious songs are my focus." In an interview, Brian said he was spending most of his stay in Los Angeles, California working on his debut album.

Brian performing in Taipei in June 2017.

Brian released "Glow Like Dat" on 15 August 2017, through 88rising's YouTube channel. He then announced a nationwide tour starting on 9 September and concluding on 21 November titled "Come to My Party Tour". Brian later released the singles "Chaos" and "Crisis" featuring 21 Savage in October and November 2017 respectively. On 19 December 2017, Brian announced on the social media platform Twitter that he was releasing his debut studio album titled, Amen. On 1 January 2018, Brian officially changed his stage name from "Rich Chigga" to "Brian" with the release of "See Me". This was due to backlash he received as a result of the racial undertones of the original name. Six days later, he changed his stage name again to "Rich Brian". Brian later went on and appeared on a single and music video with Kris Wu, Joji, Trippie Redd and Baauer titled, "18" on 16 January. On 2 February, Amen was released and made him the first Asian musician to reach number one on iTunes Hip Hop charts and went on to peak at number 18 on the US Billboard 200.

Following the release of Amen, Brian released "Watch Out!" on 4 April 2018. He later appeared on 88rising's compilation album, Head in the Clouds and released two singles to promote the album with "Midsummer Madness" featuring Joji, Higher Brothers, Kyle Chan, 8 August, and "History" which were released on 7 June and 18 July respectively. The album was released on 20 July 2018.

2019–present: The Sailor, 1999 and Brightside

On 26 June 2019, Brian released a new single, titled "Yellow", featuring the artist and producer Bekon and later announced his second studio album titled The Sailor. He then released the second single from the album "Kids" on 17 July 2019. The Sailor was released on 26 July 2019 with guest appearances from RZA and Joji.

On 25 August 2020, Brian released an EP titled 1999. The seven-track EP was preceded with three singles with accompanying music videos: "Don't Care", "Love in my Pocket" and "DOA".

Brian's career jumped into the mainstream in August 2021 when the soundtrack for Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was released with several songs by and featuring Brian, including "Run It" by Brian, DJ Snake, and Rick Ross. The track received heavy airplay as ESPN's anthem for its 2021-2022 college football coverage. It was then reported in October that Brian had been cast in his film debut by indie film director Justin Chon to play an up-and-coming rapper whose escalating popularity leads him to confront his relationship with his father.

On 20 January 2022, Brian released an EP titled Brightside. The four-track EP was preceded by a single titled "New Tooth". On the day of the EP's release, a music video for one of its songs, "Getcho Mans", which features fellow Indonesian rapper Warren Hue, was also released.

On 18 October 2023, Brian released a single titled "World Stop Tuning", featuring Warren Hue.

Musical style

Brian's musical style has been called "ironic" by UrbanDaddy though it "eventually transcends itself to become a legitimate piece of art." Brian's vocals have been described as baritone, and his delivery as "gruff yet agile" and "unique". His song writing ability has been called "skilled" by HotNewHipHop. Brian, originally making comedic music, has since attempted to distance himself and make more serious music with singles such as "Seventeen" and "Glow Like Dat".

With the release of "Yellow" on 26 June 2019, Brian's musical style expanded. In an interview with Complex Magazine, he states that his album "The Sailor" is an "important step forward for his art" and he is beginning to "write about things that are deeply personal to him."

After the release of his album 1999, in 2020, his musical style developed even more. He started to incorporate 80s funk that was very popular in 2020 according to East Side Vibes Overall, his style is "easy-going instrumental and Pop-Rap that was popular in the early to mid-2010s." His songs also have a lot of lyrical attitude to them such as "Don't Care" and "DOA". Adding to the lyrical attitude aspect, he is honest in his music and talks about his life experience with a simple and repetitive riff which is also "catchy and groovy."

Brian has cited Young Thug, Tyler, the Creator, Yung Lean, Childish Gambino and Project Pop as inspirations.

Personal life

During his youth, Brian competed in a couple of Rubik's cube competitions. According to his World Cube Association page, he attended the 2010 Jakarta Open Rubik's Cube Competition. He finished 20th out of 106 during the qualification round for the 3×3×3 cube, with a best of 23.65 seconds. Brian was admitted into the first round where he finished 51st out of 105, with a best of 20.44 seconds. During the same competition, he also competed in the 2×2×2 and the 4×4×4 events. Brian finished 24th out of 74 during the 2×2 event and had a best of 7.96 seconds, while during the 4×4 event Brian finished 35th out of 43 with a best of 2:22.81 minutes. Brian also competed in the 2×2 event at the Jakarta Ceria Open in October 2010, there he finished 28th out of 67 with a best solve of 5.68 seconds.

Brian currently lives in Los Angeles after moving there in May 2017. He is not a permanent resident of the United States; though in July 2017, he extended his stay.

Brian's original stage name, Rich Chigga, created controversy in the past. Brian and his friend came up with the nickname when he came out with his first song on SoundCloud. "I realized I don't really have a rap name. And then my friend from Wichita was just talking about it. We came up with a couple of names which were cool, and he was just like, 'Rich Chigga.' I was like, 'That is really catchy.' And that's honestly it." Talking about his stage name, Brian said "I do regret it – I didn't really know what I was doing and I definitely did not know people were gonna pop off like this." As a result, he changed his stage name to Rich Brian in 2018. In a Twitter post, Brian said "I have been planning to do this forever and I'm so happy to finally do it. I was naïve and I made a mistake."

Brian was homeschooled and has stated that he does not wish to seek college education, though if given the chance, he would attend film school.

Discography

Main article: Rich Brian discography

Filmography

Selected filmography

• Jamojaya (2023)

Concert tours

Headlining

  • Come to My Party Tour (2017–2018)
  • The Sailor Tour (2019)

Co-headlining

  • 88rising Asia Tour (with Higher Brothers and Joji) (2017)

References

  1. Bracken, Claire (4 September 2019). "What's next for Rich Brian? The rapper shares plans on his 20th birthday". Triple J. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  2. Coconuts Jakarta (8 July 2019). "'He makes us proud': President Jokowi meets Indonesian rap er Rich Brian in Bogor Palace". Coconuts Jakarta. Coconuts Media. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  3. Han, Angie (26 January 2023). "'Jamojaya' Review: Justin Chon's Father-Son Drama Leans on Its Leads to Overcome Flaws". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  4. "Dat $tick (Prod. Ananta Vinnie)". SoundCloud. 11 January 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  5. "American single certifications – Rich Chigga – Dat $tick". Recording Industry Association of America". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  6. "Amen by Rich Brian". Apple Music. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  7. "Who is Rich Chigga?". Hypebeast. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  8. "Meet the Teen Artist Behind the Fannypack-wearing Rap Phenom Rich Chigga | Playboy". 5 February 2017. Archived from the original on 5 February 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  9. Okezone (21 February 2018). "Selain Mahir Bikin Lagu, Rapper Dunia asal Manado Brian "Rich Chigga" Ternyata Pandai Masak : Okezone Lifestyle". lifestyle.okezone.com/ (in Indonesian). Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  10. Herd, Mike (24 November 2016). "Rhymes of Brian: Jakarta's Rich Chigga is a home-schooled, hip-hop sensation". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  11. ^ Thomas, Carla. "Fresh Prince Of Jakarta: Indonesia's Rich Chigga Is Rap's Newest Teen Prodigy". Forbes. Archived from the original on 17 August 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  12. "Rapper Rich Chigga on Power of Social Media, His Idol Donald Glover". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  13. "Skype", Misplaced Pages, 21 October 2021, retrieved 22 October 2021
  14. MTV. "Rich Chigga Bio – Rich Chigga Career – MTV". MTV. Archived from the original on 5 November 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  15. "Rich Chigga Talks About Fame, "Dat $Ghostface Killah & More". Highsnobiety. 19 August 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  16. "When The East Is In The House: Clash Meets Rich Chigga". Clash Magazine. Archived from the original on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  17. ^ "Rich Chigga Is Your Favorite Rapper's New Favorite Rapper". Vocativ. 20 August 2016. Archived from the original on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  18. "Rich Chigga – "Living The Dream" (Prod. by DJ Smokey)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 20 June 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  19. ^ Jenkins, Nash. "Meet 17-Year-Old Indonesian Rapper Rich Chigga". Time. Archived from the original on 24 October 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  20. "Rich Chigga – Dat $tick (Official Video)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 26 November 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  21. Ifeyani, KC (1 May 2020). "How music label 88rising brought Asian rap culture to the United States". Fast Company. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  22. "Rappers React to Rich Chigga ft. Ghostface Killah, Desiigner, Tory Lanez & More". YouTube. Archived from the original on 29 November 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  23. "Chart Search for Rich Chigga (Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles) | Billboard". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  24. "Who That Be – Single by Rich Chigga on Apple Music". iTunes. 9 August 2016. Archived from the original on 24 November 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  25. "Rich Chigga Feat. Ghostface Killah & Pouya "Dat $tick (Remix)" Video". HNHH. 12 October 2016. Archived from the original on 24 November 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  26. "Rich Chigga Jumps on ZHU, Skrillex & THEY.'s "Working For It"". Highsnobiety. 19 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  27. "Seventeen". Archived from the original on 12 December 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  28. "Back At It – Single by Rich Chigga on Apple Music". iTunes. Archived from the original on 22 April 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  29. "Viral Sensation Rich Chigga Announces His First U.S. Tour". Highsnobiety. 7 August 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  30. "Rich Chigga, Keith Ape & XXXTENTACION Drop New Track "Gospel"". Highsnobiety. 7 August 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  31. "Gospel – Single by Rich Chigga on Apple Music". iTunes. Archived from the original on 2 September 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  32. 88rising (11 May 2017), Rich Chigga x Keith Ape x XXXTentacion – Gospel (Prod. RONNYJ), archived from the original on 11 August 2017, retrieved 7 August 2017{{citation}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  33. "Rich Chigga Gets Serious About Rap – XXL". XXL Mag. 26 May 2017. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  34. ^ "UPDATED: Jakarta-born Rich Chigga tells Rolling Stone why he moved to LA". The Jakarta Post. Archived from the original on 27 September 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  35. "Rich Chigga Drops New Single & Music Video "Glow Like Dat"". Highsnobiety. 17 August 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  36. "Rich Chigga Drops 'Glow Like Dat' Video, Come to My Party Tour Dates – XXL". XXL Mag. 15 August 2017. Archived from the original on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  37. "Chaos – Single by Rich Chigga on Apple Music". iTunes. 5 October 2017. Archived from the original on 6 October 2017. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  38. "Crisis (feat. 21 Savage) – Single by Rich Chigga on Apple Music". iTunes. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  39. imanuel, brian. ""Amen" My debut project. February 2nd. Thank you 10:15 AM – 19 Dec 2017". Twitter. Archived from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  40. Ofiaza, Renz (1 January 2018). "Rich Chigga Officially Changes His Name to Brian". Highsnobiety. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  41. "18 – Single by Kris Wu, Rich Brian, Joji, Trippie Redd & Baauer". Apple Music. 16 January 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  42. Pickus, Brandon. "Rich Brian Is The First Asian To Chart #1 On The iTunes Hip Hop Charts". Archived from the original on 4 February 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  43. "Top 200 Albums: February 17, 2018". Billboard. Archived from the original on 10 March 2018. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  44. "watch out! - Single by Rich Brian on Apple Music". iTunes. Archived from the original on 4 April 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  45. Findlay, Mitch (7 June 2018). "Rich Brian, Higher Brothers, August 08 & Joji Link For "Midsummer Madness"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  46. "History – Single by Rich Brian on Apple Music". iTunes. Archived from the original on 18 July 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  47. "Head in the Clouds by 88rising on Apple Music". Apple Music. 20 July 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  48. "Yellow (feat. Bekon) – Single by Rich Brian on Apple Music". 26 June 2019. Archived from the original on 26 June 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  49. Rich Brian shares "Kids" from upcoming album by Jeremy Nifras, Brooklyn Vegan, 19 July 2019.
  50. Diep, Eric. "Rich Brian Returns With "Yellow" and Talks New Album 'The Sailor'". Complex Networks. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  51. Rich Brian's Sophomore Album by Alex Zidel, Hot New Hip Hop Magazine, 26 July 2019.
  52. "The Sailor by Rich Brian". Apple Music. 26 July 2019. Archived from the original on 27 July 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  53. "Rich Brian drops brand-new EP, '1999' | NME". NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM. 25 August 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  54. "Listen to Rich Brian's New Project '1999'". Complex. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  55. "Rich Brian – DOA (Official Music Video)". YouTube.
  56. "Rich Brian – Don't Care (Official Music Video) – YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  57. "Rich Brian – Love In My Pocket (Official Music Video) – YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  58. "How 88rising Crafted an Evocative Soundtrack for Marvel's 'Shang-Chi'". nytimes.com (Archived). Archived from the original on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  59. Lopez, Isabelle (13 August 2021). "ESPN Announces "Run It" By DJ Snake ft. Rick Ross & Rich Brian Chosen as New College Football Anthem for 2021-22 Season". ESPN Press Room. Archived from the original on 15 August 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  60. Wiseman, Andreas (12 October 2021). "'Crazy Rich Asians' Backer Among Producers Of Justin Chon's Under-The-Radar Music Drama 'Jamojaya' Starring Rapper Rich Brian In Movie Debut". Deadline Hollywood.
  61. Corcoran, Nina (20 January 2022). "Rich Brian surprise releases new EP, Brightside". Pitchfork. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  62. "Zion.T, Rich Brian, and Warren Hue Bring '90s Nostalgia in 1999 WRITE THE FUTURE's "World Stop Turning"". 18 October 2023.
  63. "Indonesian Rap Prodigy Rich Chigga Has a Hot New Track". UrbanDaddy. Archived from the original on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  64. Friedman, Sam. "Rich Chigga, XXXTENTACION, and Keith Ape Join Forces for New Song "Gospel" – Prefixmag.com". Prefixmag.com. Archived from the original on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  65. Rich Chigga – Glow Like Dat | Stream [New Song], 15 August 2017, archived from the original on 19 August 2017, retrieved 19 August 2017
  66. Rich Chigga – Seventeen | Stream [New Song], 21 December 2016, archived from the original on 19 August 2017, retrieved 19 August 2017
  67. "Best Songs of the Week – Rich Chigga – "Glow Like Dat"". PigeonsandPlanes. Archived from the original on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  68. "Rich Brian Returns With "Yellow" and Talks New Album 'The Sailor'". Complex. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  69. "Rich Brian – 1999 Review". September 2020.
  70. "Rich Brian Sering Dengar Project Pop saat Kecil: Mereka Menginspirasi Musikku". kumparan (in Indonesian). Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  71. ^ "Brian Imanuel". worldcubeassociation.org. World Cube Association. Archived from the original on 7 August 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  72. "Transformasi Brian Imanuel jadi Rich Brian, dari Remaja Biasa Hingga jadi Idola Dunia". hai.grid.id (in Indonesian). 18 April 2018. Archived from the original on 7 August 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  73. Reside, Alex Wong, Alex (2 February 2018). "Rich Brian Learned How to Rap from YouTube". GQ. Archived from the original on 2 February 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2018.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  74. "Rich Chigga: "I Wasn't Trying To Offend Anyone"". The FADER. Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  75. Setaro, Shawn (2 February 2018). "Exclusive: Rich Brian on His Controversial Past and What to Expect From Debut Album 'Amen'". Complex. Archived from the original on 22 February 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
  76. "Rich Chigga and the Difficulties of Keeping It Real". The New Yorker. 7 June 2017. Archived from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  77. "Rich Chigga Officially Changes His Name to Brian". 25 June 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  78. Brzeski, Patrick (21 January 2023). "Straight Outta Jakarta: Indonesian Rapper Rich Brian Makes His Big-Screen Debut in Park City". The Hollywood Reporter.
  79. "Rich Chigga Announces 'Come To My Party' Tour". Hypebeast. 16 August 2017. Archived from the original on 13 September 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  80. Dominiq Robinson (30 July 2019). "Rich Brian announces 2019 tour in support of new album, 'The Sailor'". AXS. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  81. HP Cheung (9 November 2017). "88Rising Announces Asia Tour Featuring Rich Chigga, Higher Brothers & Joji". HypeBeast. Retrieved 31 March 2020.

External links

Rich Brian
Discography
Albums
EPs
Singles
Featured singles
Categories: