Rich Brian

Rich Brian
Rich Brian performing in June 2017 in Taipei
Background information
Birth name Brian Imanuel
Also known as Rich Chigga
Born (1999-09-03) 3 September 1999
Jakarta, Indonesia
Genres Hip hop
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • record producer
  • songwriter
Instruments Vocals
Years active 2015–present
Labels
Associated acts

Brian Imanuel (born 3 September 1999), known professionally as Rich Brian (formerly Rich Chigga), is an Indonesian rapper, record producer and songwriter. He is best known for his viral debut single "Dat $tick", which was first released in February 2016 on YouTube. The single was certified gold by the RIAA. His debut album, Amen (2018), peaked at number 18 on the Billboard 200.

Early life

Brian Imanuel was born on 3 September 1999, in Jakarta, Indonesia.[1] He is of ethnic Chinese Indonesian descent. He is the youngest of four siblings.[2] Brian was raised in West Jakarta in a middle-to-low class neighbourhood[3] despite his father being a lawyer.[4] He never had a formal education and spent most of his time helping at his parent's café that his parent ran as he was homeschooled.[5]

In 2010, while growing up in Indonesia, Brian began his career with social media, when he was 11 years old. He originally gotten his hands on a Rubik's Cube, and realised he could log onto his parents' computer to find strategies for solving it faster. This is how he discovered YouTube. He also found and joined Twitter, in August 2010, when he was just under 11 years old. This eventually led him to making video content, including dark-comedy sketches on Twitter.[4] 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, taught himself to speak English by watching YouTube videos and by listening to rappers like Childish Gambino, 2 Chainz, Macklemore and Tyler, the Creator.[6]

Brian began listening to hip hop music in 2012 when an American friend he knew on the internet introduced him to Macklemore's "Thrift Shop"[7] and Brian began to explore deeper into 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 a produced MF Doom instrumental.[8]

Brian originally wanted to become a cinematographer in Los Angeles, giving up once his music career began taking off.[9]

Career

2015–2016: Career beginnings

Rich Brian performing 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.[10] Brian then went on to release his debut single "Dat $tick" on 22 February 2016.[11][12] The track caught international success after a reaction video was released, featuring American rappers Ghostface Killah, 21 Savage, Tory Lanez, MadeinTYO, Desiigner and many more.[13] Since the official music video for the track was uploaded onto his Youtube account, it has been viewed over 90 million times. "Dat $tick" then went on to peak at number four on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles.[14]

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.[15] He then released the remix of his single "Dat $tick" which features Ghostface Killah and Pouya.[16]

Brian later released his third single "Seventeen" which quickly surpassed the one million hits mark on both YouTube and SoundCloud.[17][18]

2017–present: Amen

Brian started his first U.S. tour in April 2017, concluding in May.[19] In May 2017, Brian released the single "Gospel" with XXXTentacion and Keith Ape.[20] This was XXXTentacion's first collaboration with Brian and the song was released on 88rising. The single has 21 million views on YouTube as of October 2017.[21]

Brian won an award at 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."[22] In an interview, Brian said he was spending most of his stay in Los Angeles, California working on his debut album.[23]

Brian released "Glow Like Dat" on 15 August 2017, on 88rising's YouTube channel.[24] He then announced a nationwide tour starting on 9 September and concluding on 21 November titled "Come to My Party Tour".[25]

Brian released "Chaos" in October 2017[26] and "Crisis" featuring 21 Savage in November 2017.[27] On 19 December 2017, Brian announced on the social media platform, Twitter, that he was releasing his debut studio album, Amen, on 2 February 2018.[28]

On 1 January 2018, Brian officially changed his stage name from Rich Chigga to Brian with the release of "See Me". Six days later, he changed his official name again to Rich Brian. On 2 February 2018, Amen was released. Amen made him the first Asian musician to reach number one on iTunes Hip Hop charts.[29]

Musical style

Rich Brian's musical style has been called "ironic" by UrbanDaddy though it "eventually transcends itself to become a legitimate piece of art."[30] Brian's vocals have been described as baritone,[31] and his delivery as "gruff yet agile"[9] and "unique".[32] His song writing ability has been called "skilled" by HotNewHipHop.[33] 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".[34]

Brian has cited Young Thug, Tyler, The Creator, Yung Lean and Childish Gambino as inspirations.[9]

Personal life

Brian currently lives in Los Angeles, California after moving there in May 2017.[35] He is not a permanent resident of the United States; though in July 2017, he extended his stay.[23]

Brian's original stage name, Rich Chigga, created controversy in the past.[36] 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."[37] 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."[38] As a result, he began to be professionally known by Rich Brian from 2018 onwards. 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 naive and I made a mistake."[39]

Brian was homeschooled and has stated that he does not wish to seek college education,[23] though if given the chance, he would attend film school.[11]

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected details
Title Album details Peak chart positions
AUS
[40]		 BEL
(FL)
[41]		 CAN
[42]		 NLD
[43]		 NZ
[44]		 UK
[45]		 UK
R&B
[46]		 US
[47]		 US
R&B
/HH
[48]		 US R&B
[49]
Amen 27108186130872718118

Singles

As lead artist

List of singles, showing year released and selected chart positions
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
US
R&B/HH
Bub.
[14]		 NZ Heat.
[51]
"Dat Stick" 2016 4— Non-album singles
"Who That Be"[15] ——
"Dat Stick" (Remix)[53]
(featuring Ghostface Killah and Pouya)		 ——
"Seventeen"[54] ——
"Back At It"[55] 2017 ——
"Gospel"[56]
(with Keith Ape and XXXTentacion)		 74
"Glow Like Dat"[57] —7 Amen
"Chaos"[26] ——
"Crisis"[27]
(featuring 21 Savage)		 —10 Non-album single
"See Me”[58] 2018 —— Amen
"18"
(with Kris Wu and Joji featuring Trippie Redd & Baauer)		 —— Non-album singles
"Watch Out!"[59] ——
"History"[60] —— Head in the Clouds
Title Year Album
"Turbo Thot 3000"[61]
(MAXXJAMEZ featuring Parade, Klimatic Jay, Boy Gwaan and Rich Chigga)		 2016 Non-album single

Guest appearances

List of non-single guest appearances, with other performing artists, showing year released and album name
Title Year Other performer(s) Album
"Bankroll"[62] 2017 Diplo, Young Thug, Rich the Kid Non-album single

Remixes

List of remixes, showing year released and original artists
Title Year Original artist(s)
"Working for It" (Remix)[63] 2017 Zhu with Skrillex and THEY.
"IDGAF" (Rich Brian and Diablo remix)[64] 2018 Dua Lipa

Concert tours

Headlining

  • Come To My Party Tour (2017–2018)[65]
  • 88 Degrees & Rising Tour (with 88rising artists) (2018)[66]

Co-headlining

References

  1. ↑ Schwartz, Zachary (9 August 2016). "Meet the Teen Artist Behind the Fannypack-wearing Rap Phenom Rich Chigga". Playboy.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
  2. ↑ Guan, Frank (2 February 2018). "Rich Brian Wants to Do Everything". Vulture. Archived from the original on 13 February 2018. Retrieved 13 February 2018. We’re like a Chinese and Indonesian mixture. I have three siblings; I’m the youngest one, and my parents have been nothing but supportive.
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. 1 2 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.
  5. ↑ "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.
  6. ↑ MTV. "Rich Chigga Bio – Rich Chigga Career – MTV". Archived from the original on 5 November 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  7. ↑ "Rich Chigga Talks About Fame, "Dat $tick," Twitter, Ghostface Killah & More". Highsnobiety. 19 August 2017. Archived from the original on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  8. ↑ "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.
  9. 1 2 3 "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.
  10. ↑ "Rich Chigga – "Living The Dream" (Prod. by DJ Smokey)". Archived from the original on 20 June 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  11. 1 2 Jenkins, Nash. "Meet 17-Year-Old Indonesian Rapper Rich Chigga". Time. Archived from the original on 24 October 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  12. ↑ "Rich Chigga – Dat $tick (Official Video)". Archived from the original on 26 November 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  13. ↑ "Rappers React to Rich Chigga ft. Ghostface Killah, Desiigner, Tory Lanez & More". Archived from the original on 29 November 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  14. 1 2 "Chart Search for Rich Chigga (Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles) | Billboard". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  15. 1 2 "Who That Be – Single by Rich Chigga on Apple Music". Archived from the original on 24 November 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  16. ↑ "Rich Chigga Feat. Ghostface Killah & Pouya "Dat $tick (Remix)" Video". Archived from the original on 24 November 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  17. ↑ "Rich Chigga Jumps on ZHU, Skrillex & THEY.'s "Working For It"". Highsnobiety. 19 April 2017. Archived from the original on 20 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  18. ↑ "Seventeen". Archived from the original on 12 December 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  19. ↑ "Viral Sensation Rich Chigga Announces His First U.S. Tour". Highsnobiety. 7 August 2017. Archived from the original on 8 August 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  20. ↑ "Rich Chigga, Keith Ape & XXXTENTACION Drop New Track "Gospel"". Highsnobiety. 7 August 2017. Archived from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  21. ↑ 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
  22. ↑ "Rich Chigga Gets Serious About Rap – XXL". XXL Mag. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  23. 1 2 3 Post, The Jakarta. "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.
  24. ↑ "Rich Chigga Drops New Single & Music Video "Glow Like Dat"". Highsnobiety. 17 August 2017. Archived from the original on 17 August 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  25. ↑ "Rich Chigga Drops 'Glow Like Dat' Video, Come to My Party Tour Dates – XXL". XXL Mag. Archived from the original on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  26. 1 2 "Chaos – Single by Rich Chigga on Apple Music". Archived from the original on 6 October 2017. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  27. 1 2 "Crisis (feat. 21 Savage) – Single by Rich Chigga on Apple Music". Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  28. ↑ 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.
  29. ↑ 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.
  30. ↑ "Indonesian Rap Prodigy Rich Chigga Has a Hot New Track". UrbanDaddy. Archived from the original on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  31. ↑ 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.
  32. ↑ Rich Chigga – Glow Like Dat | Stream [New Song], archived from the original on 19 August 2017, retrieved 19 August 2017
  33. ↑ Rich Chigga – Seventeen | Stream [New Song], archived from the original on 19 August 2017, retrieved 19 August 2017
  34. ↑ "Best Songs of the Week – Rich Chigga – "Glow Like Dat"". PigeonsandPlanes. Archived from the original on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  35. ↑ 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.
  36. ↑ "Rich Chigga: "I Wasn't Trying To Offend Anyone"". The FADER. Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  37. ↑ 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.
  38. ↑ "Rich Chigga and the Difficulties of Keeping It Real". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  39. ↑ "Rich Chigga Officially Changes His Name to Brian". 25 June 2018. Archived from the original on 25 June 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  40. ↑ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. 12 February 2018. Archived from the original on 22 October 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  41. ↑ "Discografie Rich Brian" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Archived from the original on 10 February 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  42. ↑ "Canadian Albums: February 17, 2018". Billboard. Archived from the original on 17 March 2018. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  43. ↑ "Discografie Rich Brian". Dutch Charts Portal. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 10 February 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  44. ↑ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 12 February 2018. Archived from the original on 9 February 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  45. ↑ "Rich Brian | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 10 February 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  46. ↑ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40: 09 February 2018 – 15 February 2018". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  47. ↑ "Top 200 Albums: February 17, 2018". Billboard. Archived from the original on 10 March 2018. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  48. ↑ "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: February 17, 2018". Billboard. Archived from the original on 30 March 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  49. ↑ "Top Rap Albums Chart: February 17, 2018". Billboard. Archived from the original on 30 March 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  50. ↑ "Rich Chigga's Debut Album Gets a Release Date". XXL. Archived from the original on 21 December 2017. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  51. ↑ "NZ Heatseekers Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 22 May 2017. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  52. ↑ "American single certifications – Rich Chigga – Dat $tick". Recording Industry Association of America". Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  53. ↑ "Dat $tick (Remix) [feat. Ghostface Killah & Pouya] – Single by Rich Chigga on Apple Music". Archived from the original on 26 November 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  54. ↑ "Seventeen – Single by Rich Chigga on Apple Music". Archived from the original on 23 December 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  55. ↑ "Back At It – Single by Rich Chigga on Apple Music". Archived from the original on 22 April 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  56. ↑ "Gospel – Single by Rich Chigga on Apple Music". Archived from the original on 2 September 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  57. ↑ "Glow Like Dat – Single by Rich Chigga on Apple Music". Archived from the original on 27 November 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  58. ↑ 88rising (1 January 2018), Brian – See Me, archived from the original on 4 January 2018, retrieved 2 January 2018
  59. ↑ "watch out! - Single by Rich Brian on Apple Music". Archived from the original on 4 April 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  60. ↑ "History – Single by Rich Brian on Apple Music". Archived from the original on 18 July 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  61. ↑ "Turbo Thot 3000" (feat. Parade, Klimatic Jay, Boy Gwaan and Rich Chigga) – Single by MAXXJAMEZ on Apple Music". iTunes. Archived from the original on 24 November 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  62. ↑ "Diplo explains why 'Bank Roll' was taken down, uploads new version with Rich Chigga". Dancing Astronaut. Archived from the original on 11 June 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  63. ↑ "Rich Chigga remixes ZHU, Skrillex, and THEY.'s 'Working For It'". Dancing Astronaut. Archived from the original on 5 June 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  64. ↑ "IDGAF (Remixes II) – EP by Dua Lipa on iTunes". iTunes Store. Archived from the original on 8 May 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  65. ↑ "Rich Chigga Announces 'Come To My Party' Tour". Hypebeast. 16 August 2017. Archived from the original on 13 September 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  66. ↑ Goddard, Kevin (19 June 2018). "88Rising Announces "88 Degrees & Rising" Tour With Rich Brian, Joji & More". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on 2 July 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
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