Rich Brian

Brian Imanuel Soewarno, known professionally as Rich Brian (formerly Rich Chigga), is a Jakarta-born rapper and singer who emerged in 2016 as part of the first wave of Indonesian hip-hop artists to achieve sustained international visibility. His debut single "Dat $tick," released on SoundCloud in March 2016, became a viral phenomenon and earned RIAA gold certification. His 2018 debut album Amen peaked at number 18 on the US Billboard 200, making him the second Southeast Asian artist to reach the chart's top 20 after Filipino singer Jake Zyrus. Brian followed with The Sailor (2019), then EPs 1999 (2020) and Brightside (January 2022). Signed to 88rising, a collective bridging Asian diaspora music and Western markets, he has collaborated with artists including Chungha, Keith Ape, Jackson Wang, and Jae Park. Brian's success marked a turning point for Indonesian rap's global reach, demonstrating that artists from Jakarta could compete in English-language hip-hop without relying on novelty or regional exoticism.