Album Review: Rich Brian - The Sailor
Indonesian rapper Brian Immanuel, more commonly known as Rich Brian, possesses a success story that is unique to say the least. The young sensation grew up in Jakarta, Indonesia, and, as he mentions a few times on his latest record, was home-schooled his entire childhood. In his teenage years, he became very active on social media, taking a strong interest in YouTube and rap music; astonishingly, he used these platforms to teach himself English.
Brian first made waves in 2016 with the release of his first single “Dat $tick,” which went viral on YouTube in the following months, raking in millions of views. The track, which featured monstrous 808 drums, droning plucks, and a deep, monotone vocal performance from Brian himself, was clearly influenced by trap and Chicago drill music. His following singles “Who Dat Be” and “Seventeen” only solidified this sound, and his 2018 debut Amen ventured further into trap territory, boasting nocturnal bangers such as “Chaos” and “Occupied,” as well as features from Offset and fellow 88rising signee Joji. After the release of Amen, which received generally positive reviews, Brian stepped away from recording music (apart from the handful of verses he contributed to the 88rising collaborative project Head in the Clouds).
As someone who has followed Brian’s artistic growth since the days he donned a less graceful name, even I wasn’t ready for the stunning single/music video combination he dropped in late June. “Yellow,” featuring production and additional vocals from New York producer Bēkon, was a haunting, cinematic journey into Rich Brian’s battles with self-doubt, relevancy, and most importantly, the implicit bias many people may hold against his music due to his Indonesian ethnicity.
The track’s paranoia-consumed hook featured beautiful harmonies sung by Brian himself, a talent that he hadn’t so much as teased in his past efforts. Even more baffling was the fact that he sang his way through the majority of one of his verses as well. Drill and mainstream trap influences from Brian’s early career were replaced with lush soundscapes of elaborate pianos and sweeping strings. A second single titled “Kids” premiered a week prior to the album’s release—I skipped over it as to not spoil too much from the album.
This brings us to the release date. 12 tracks. 44 minutes on the dot. The Sailor was released under 88rising, and the majority of the album’s production was handled by Bēkon, the same producer behind “Yellow.”
The project wastes no time getting started with the title track. The muffled vocals in the track’s intro quickly break into a chopped sample backed by a boom-bap beat. Brian destroys a cypher-style verse that introduces a plethora of new subjects on his agenda, including a line that references his year-long hiatus: “I haven't dropped a thing in months, so what does that make me?” The song then breaks into an anecdote where Rich Brian relays a fictional encounter with a philosophical young girl. It’s an intriguing story, but it reeks of “BLOOD,” the opening track off of Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN.
Luckily, Brian quickly shakes off his transparent influences with “Rapapapa,” a lowkey banger that would fit nicely into any kickback playlist. The hook is playful, and the verses are littered with cheeky bars about Brian’s sexual exploits. The RZA feature that takes up the last leg of the track is phenomenal, as it discusses the importance of cultural identity and perseverance. However, due to the rest of the song’s laid back nature, I feel that this piece would’ve been more impactful if placed at the end of a deeper cut such as “Yellow” or the title track.
“Kids” is a triumphant victory lap about success and believing in yourself. Above vibrant horns and a stadium-caliber boom-bap beat lies Brian’s most electrifying rap performance on the entire album; his flows are precise, every line is captivating, and the bar where he mentions having a “whole country of people proud” is undeniably badass.
“Drive Safe,” a serene ballad about wishing for more time with the people you love, is easily the most heartfelt moment on the project. Brian’s singing and lyrics are at their most vulnerable, and the gentle guitar that accompanies his vocals is heart-warming. Furthermore, the strings that saturate the back end of the track are absolutely stunning.
While some of the songs that permeate the middle of the record leave much to be desired (namely “Confetti” and “Vacant”), the tracklist picks back up with “100 Degrees,” a sudden detour into pop-rap, as well as an easy contender for feel-good song of the summer. Typically, a song this blatantly radio-friendly would get on my nerves, but given that you can physically hear the joy in Brian’s voice on the hook, his genuine happiness becomes contagious. It’s super fun, and it’s super catchy.
“Curious,” the penultimate song on the record, is certainly a bold moment, as it sees Brian taking a four-minute slot to simply reflect on his life over a lone ukulele and some strings. No hook. Minimal percussion. Against all odds, it works—mainly due to Brian’s candid stream of consciousness from topic to topic. He addresses missing his family, his childhood, his social life, struggling with stardom, and even the habits he had to let go of along the way. The song manages to fulfill the criteria of a character study and a cohesive recollection of Brian’s personal history all in one go, and it made me realize something very special about the project as a whole:
If anything, The Sailor is genuine. Rich Brian’s honesty about adjusting to life & fame in the United States is his greatest strength on this album, and it’s part of the reason it's so satisfying to listen to. He certainly has social confidence (as stated on numerous tracks here), but he also admits to dealing with many insecurities about his importance, how others view him, and living in a new country, topics that many people can relate to. When he raps about inspiring people back home, it isn’t shallow or patronizing. Brian genuinely wants people to be able to do what he has done; “Everyone can make it, don't matter where you from” is only the beginning of his message.
The album does have a few faults, but none of them are consistent enough to drastically affect the album’s quality. A couple of the hooks are lackluster or awkwardly placed into the song structure, such is the case on the aforementioned “Vacant.” There are also a few cringe-worthy bars here and there, but nothing horrible enough to make you pause a track in disbelief. Bēkon’s production on the album is quality across the board, as he creates more extravagant and complex sounds than those present on Brian’s previous outings. The sudden beat switches on “No Worries” and “Slow Down Turbo” had me jumping out of my seat in exhilaration, while the more elegant cuts such as “Where Does The Time Go” would be the perfect backdrop for a breathtaking fireworks show, not to mention that Joji’s soft vocals are a beautiful finish to the album.
Overall, The Sailor is a welcome maturation of Rich Brian’s sound, and his story of success from across the sea is one that I’ll continue to root for. As of now, he’s in clear waters, and if he stays on this course, I can only imagine how much better his work will become.
Reviewed by: Carter Fife