More ambitious and personal than his previous projects, The Sailor is another leap forward for the once-viral rapper now showing the promise of longevity.

Instead of rapping outrageous, half-ironic flexes, throughout The Sailor Rich Brian rattles off specific, matter-of-fact, and (kind of) humble brags like getting a house with a garden, or going on late night with Corden. He’s also singing a lot more and finding new ways to chop up the complexities of life in the spotlight and the freedoms and pressure that come with it. From nicotine withdrawals, relationships and anxiety, to putting himself on and receiving recognition from some of rap’s greats, Rich Brian also picks his moments to go dumb on tracks with a razor-sharp and self-aware sense of humour that slices up some of the heavier, in-your-feelings content. Across the board it’s a compelling and enjoyable listen though, about not only growing up but growing into the role he finds himself in as a champion for his community and aspiring rappers alike. Ahead of his return to Australian shores at the end of this month, we caught up with the Indonesian rapper to get the low on his latest project.

Congratulations! The Sailor has just come out. How are you feeling about it now that it’s out there?

I feel amazing and it’s the most surreal thing in the world. I keep forgetting that it’s out and I keep forgetting that it’s something that I’ve been working on for the last year and it’s finally out there for people to listen to. When I was making it there was a lot of anticipation and a lot of waiting. Now the fact that it’s out there and I can’t do anything about it is pretty amazing. 

You said just before we started that you’ve been replying to tweets. You’ve had a couple of days for people to really dive into the album and process what you’ve put out there. What’s been the response like so far? 

It’s literally like 100% being received exactly how I wanted it to be received. Which is pretty unreal. I’m kind of in disbelief and shock at the same time at how much everybody seems to enjoy the album because I feel like on this album there’s a lot of new things that I did. And I feel like it was very different than the stuff that I was making. I had some doubts, and some worries but at the same time I knew that I liked it and that every single song made me feel a certain way. Like, if you were somebody that loved the old Rich Brian or whatever, and then [you] listen to ‘Drive Safe’, you’re going to fucking cry or something. It’s emotions and it’s feelings and yeah I was kind of worried but at the same time I was still very confident.

im listening to my album from start to finish right now while reading all of your responses. Brb im about to fucking cry. Thank you

— Rich Brian (@richbrian) July 26, 2019

Who is The Sailor?

The sailor is me and the sailor is just an explorer who is not afraid to explore uncharted territory and not afraid to explore new waters. The sailor is somebody who has really big dreams. You know it’s me, but it’s also every single kid that has that same kind of game, and that same kind of determination. 

I went through such a crazy thing. When I was 17 I went to America by myself, and now looking back on that I’m like, “How did I do that? I would not be able to do that now.” But I realise I did that and I had no fear because I was just so determined and I just had this huge dream that I had been sitting on for years. I’m very determined and it’s crazy but at the same time I know that I’m not the only one who feels that way. So I want to make sure everybody else out there who has that same feeling or experience can listen to it and relate to it. 

This album feels more personal than previous releases. You’ve still got that signature heavy flow but you also seem to be doing more with your voice and singing on a number of tracks. Is that something that just felt like a natural way to tell those stories or are they sounds that you’re consciously pushing yourself towards?

Singing is something that I’ve always loved doing. I’m not the best singer but at the same time I love melodies and I love listening to songs that have cool singing and melodies. It’s something I’ve always wanted to make and something I’ve always been a little afraid to make. Like are people going to like it, or are people going to think it was weird? But on this album I had a way different mindset going into it and my mindset was more like, if someone who doesn’t know who I am listens to this album, are they going to enjoy it? And you know, that was the mindset that I had and I just tried to make everything that I would enjoy and I feel like people really felt that. 

Definitely. I won’t ask you for your favourite song but is there a particular song on there that you’re really proud of in that regard? 

One that I really like is ‘Where Did The Time Go?’. I think the second verse on there I was like singing and then hitting some really high notes. Rapping wise it’s definitely ‘Kids’. I remember when I was making that song, I was lost. I’ve never been that inspired before in my life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L4PAeWXun8

I think ‘Kids’ is my favourite on the album. I really appreciated all the hip hop references throughout the album but on that track especially. In the album’s intro ‘The Sailor’ though you’ve also got a bar that pays homage to Wu Tang Clan and then on the very next track you’ve obviously got that spoken word RZA feature which is huge. Did you know RZA was going to be on the album when you wrote that line? 

When I wrote that line I actually did not know. Yeah I had no idea that RZA was going to be on it and I never made the connection until right now actually. That’s so crazy. I had no idea.

You reflect on this a little towards the end of the album, but what did that feature mean to you?

That feature was definitely a crazy thing for me, a crazy thing for Sean [Miyashiro] and a crazy thing for all of us. I remember we were in New York at the time it was me, and Sean and Bekon and The Donuts and just like, their whole crew. We were in the studio and then we were like, “Yo, should we get RZA on this album?” And then we reached out to him and he was down. So he just came to the studio one day and the set up that we had, we kind of set up for this jam session where somebody was on the keyboard and somebody was on the drum machine and somebody was on the guitar and we were all just jamming, live basically, and everything was being recorded. There was a mic in the middle of the room and RZA just showed up with his manager and his daughter. He just came in, went on his phone and went on the notes app and I saw that he had this like huge, long paragraph that he wrote and we started talking about how Asian culture inspired him, and how Wu-Tang started and that was the craziest thing. At one point he started kind of like complimenting me basically and talking about how cool I am. And we were all just looking at each other around the room like, “This is fucking insane”. It was the craziest thing ever. This is the man that fucking invented hip hop basically.

That’s got to be close to the ultimate recognition and to me it seems like a really amazing snapshot of where you’re at right now, evolving from viral-rapper to artist. That breakthrough is obviously still super important to your narrative though so I want to ask you about your relationship with the internet. How early did you get a serious handle on the internet and online culture?

I think I was like eight or something when we got the internet. Before that we had to go to like internet cafes and use places that provide computers that have access to the internet. I remember it was such a special time. We had like two hours on the weekend to use the internet and then when we got internet in our house that was such a great feeling. It was like a whole world being introduced to our house. I think the first time I made a Twitter, I was like 10 years old and that’s when everything changed because that’s when I started interacting with people a lot. Not only from Indonesia, but everybody – that’s how I made a lot of my American friends. When I was 11, I got really really into cinematography and then I got really into making short films and stuff like that. Then when I hit 12 that’s when I got really into Twitter and social media. That’s when I started posting little funny things on Twitter and trying to be funny, and make memes and stuff like that. My main goal was to build a following on the internet and then whatever it is that I was doing – at that time it was short films – I would be able to promote it on my Twitter, and whatever I was doing I would have an audience to show it to. I think it worked out pretty well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzc3_b_KnHc

You’re generally pretty active on Twitter but you do go quiet from time to time. In those periods are you completely off social media, or are you still lurking in the shadows?

I’m definitely always lurking in the shadows. No matter what. Sometimes when I’m like off Twitter, I just feel like I don’t have anything interesting to say but I feel like I have to be on the lookout because I always want to know what’s happening. But yeah since this album dropped I’ve been trying to be a lot more present on social media because I miss it. It’s fun. 

You’ve been heavy on releases in the last year and a half – obviously with your solo work on Amen and The Sailor, but also with the 88 Rising project Head In The Clouds – so you’ve been in the studio a lot. What do you do in your downtime when you’re not in the studio and not online?

I’m a very simple person. I love to cook and I love hanging out with my friends and I love to paint. Sometimes I just like draw whatever on the canvas while also being an artistic asshole. So I’ll just listen to Beethoven on my bluetooth speaker while I’m doing it and it’s like the most relaxing thing. Ever. 

What’s your go-to thing that you cook?

I love cooking Indonesian food and that’s because when I’m here it’s something that I miss all the time. It can be kind of complicated and sometimes I’ll have to go to the grocery store to get ingredients so when I don’t have that much time I just cook steaks. I love cooking steaks. They’re very simple but satisfying. You know? When you cook it right, like medium rare. That’s the most amazing thing. [I later found this incredible video of Rich Brian cooking the perfect steak. Feel free to take notes.]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qozZCJdYRg

We’re excited to see you back in Australia really soon. Which song off the album are you most looking forward to performing live?

‘Drive Safe’. 

If you haven’t heard it already, you can listen to Rich Brian’s trials and triumphs on his latest album The Sailor below. Tickets to his Australian tour are available now via the link. Cop them for you and your friends so you can turn up to ‘Kids’ and, “fucking cry or something,” when he drops ‘Drive Safe’ live.