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Rich Brian releases short film on home and dreams
It is nearly 15 minutes long and was directed by Sing J. Lee.
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Rich Brian (JuniRecords.com/-)
I
ndonesian rap phenomenon Brian “Rich Brian” Imanuel has released a short film to accompany the release of his latest album, The Sailor.
Brian’s record label, 88rising, released Rich Brian is the Sailor on YouTube on Wednesday.
It is nearly 15 minutes long and was directed by Sing J. Lee, who also helmed the video for Brian’s first single from The Sailor album, “Kids”.
Lee worked on the film in Jakarta throughout the month of July, when Brian was in Indonesia. Mamag Studios, which has collaborated with international artists such as Donald Glover and brands such as Adidas and Google, is the production company behind the film.
“We cannot deny that we need someone like Brian in the music industry,” Lee said in an official press release sent to The Jakarta Post.
“Through this album [The Sailor], Brian has made a home for his dreams. However, he does not realize that what he has done has also created homes for other people’s dreams.
“So, when [Mamag Studios founder] Sylvia Zakhary was asked to collaborate with Brian and 88rising to create a short film, I wanted to make something about home [...] There will always be love in a home [...] This is the poetry that this short film tries to deliver.”
Nineteen-year-old Brian has enjoyed a stratospheric rise in the global rap scene in the last couple of years. Born and raised in Jakarta, he taught himself English through various online forums on the internet and began making a name for himself online by posting short comedy sketches, such as a 30-second tutorial uploaded in 2016 on how to cook bread using a microwave.
Brian’s comedic videos gained millions of views, but he really reached international stardom in the mainstream entertainment industry when he released a rap song titled “Dat $tick” three years ago under the Rich Chigga persona.
His seemingly obnoxious swagger in the “Dat $tick” video, in which he portrayed himself as an Asian teen wearing a pink polo shirt, a fanny pack and gun singing with a perfect American accent along with smooth rap bars, flows and rhymes, was well received by the international hip-hop community, and he was even invited to an interview by hip-hop mogul Pharrell Williams following this success.
After a while, Brian realized that the “Chigga” brand might not be appropriate for some African-American audiences and decided to change his stage name to Rich Brian.
In 2018, Brian released his debut album, Amen, which garnered rave reviews and sent him around the world to promote his music. Brian is now based in Los Angeles.
