Artist Spotlight- Rich Brian

Brian Imanuel Soewarno, popularly known as  Rich Brian, is an Indonesian rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Brian has come a long way and his success story is truly inspirational. He learned how to speak English from YouTube and learned how to rap by listening to artists like Macklemore and Asap Rocky. He started out making vines and funny videos on YouTube before his big single ‘Dat Stick’ blew up. Back in the day he used to call himself ‘Rich Chigga’ which eventually changed to his current stage name ‘Rich Brian’.

Here’s a list of my favorite songs by him-

• Cold- this song is a representation of Rich Brian’s maturity as an artist and the effects of recognition on his mental health and his relationships. Rich Brain’s voice and delivery blend perfectly with the the synths and the drums on the track. The lyrical maturity from Brian shows his growth as an artist.

• Introvert- this song features fellow 88rising artist Joji on the hook and it’s one of the best tracks from his debut album. The instrumental reminds me of Faust by Gorillaz, which is a track that I’ve enjoy a lot. This is again an example of how Rich Brian has showed that he’s a lot more than just a meme rapper and talks about subjects relating to the isolation one feels after they get a certain amount of recognition and the impact that it has on the relationships.

•Trespas- the song starts with a satirical intro about Rich Brian’s grandmother, which highlights the theme of the album I.e. the things fame has taken away from him. The instrumental on this is probably the hardest beat that Rich Brian has rapped on and he flows effortlessly on this.

• Yellow- this song was Brain’s first single from his sophomore album and it featured Beakon on it. The emotional ballad samples ‘Cold as ice’ which is a song by the featuring artist. This is arguably the best song by Rich Brian till date. The instrumental is beautiful and Brain shows us his singing abilities with a beautiful sung verse on this.

• Kids- ‘Kids’ is a self empowering anthem and a tribute to Rich Brian’s Indonesia heritage. This song is a message to the youth and you can see how far Rich Brian has come as an artist. This song is powerful and the instrumental to it is truly mesmerizing.

• Drive Safe- Unlike most other tracks on this album, there is a lack of synthesizer and hip-hop oriented drum beats on “Drive Safe.” which shows Rich Brian’s versatility. Instead, the track uses guitar and strings as the main source of music with almost no drums whatsoever.The song is a love song, seemingly about a long-distance relationship, and rarely seeing your significant other or not being able to see them at all after a breakup.

• Slow Down Turbo- according to me This track is perhaps linked to the theme of the album – A sailor goes to places but never stays there for too long; this track constantly changes through different sections which resembles a sailor.This track also predominantly expresses the contrast of his lifestyles as he moves to high speed America and his mind telling him to slow down.

Rich Brian is an inspiration to a lot of young people. Staring out in Indonesia and not even being fluent in English to becoming a full time rapper and making it big in the States, Rich Brian has definitely come a long way. He’s a true success story and gives us a true indication about the power of internet in the present times.