88rising Is Connecting Asian and Western Culture
How the mass media company is bridging the gap between the two worlds through music and more.
By Matthew Herin
88rising's logo.
What Is 88rising?
88rising, stylized as 88⬆, is a mass media company founded by Bay Area native Sean Miyashiro in 2015. Before starting his company, Miyashiro was working for VICE Media on a project called Thump, a site dedicated to electronic dance music. This wasn't his passion, so he left VICE and founded 88rising. VICE is a multicultural mass media company, and Miyashiro wanted to make a "VICE for Asian culture." (4) The meaning of the number 88 comes from the Chinese character "囍," meaning "double happiness," (14) which happens to be the name of 88rising signee Rich Brian's 2020 tour. The number 8 is also considered to be a lucky number in China, symbolizing fortune and wealth. 88rising is a hybrid record label, talent management, marketing, and media production company all fused into one. Miyashiro was inspired to start the company during a dinner with friends in Los Angeles. He states, "I looked around the table and everyone was a dope Asian motherfucker — the best Asian designer, a next-level Asian chef, a rapper. There were all these fucking incredible Asian creatives killing it in their own fields, and I realized we didn't have a home to tell our stories. Something sparked and it just felt like the right time to build something." (3) Miyashiro took his skills he learned at VICE and used them to create 88rising, bridging the gap between Asian and Western culture. Today, 88rising has over 70 employees and offices in New York City, Los Angeles, and Shanghai.
"Our whole goal and mission is to represent the Asian minority and fight under-representation or misrepresentation." (3) – NIKI, 88rising artist
Dongheon Lee, “Keith Ape”
Keith Ape
Keith Ape, born Dongheon Lee, is a pioneer of connecting both Asian and Western cultures. Born in Seoul, the South Korean rapper made waves in the United States in 2015 following the release of his breakout single "It G Ma," which featured fellow Korean rappers JayAllDay and Okasian, as well as Japanese rappers Loota and Kohh. The song is roughly 50% Korean, 40% Japanese, and 10% English. (13) Keith Ape is heavily influenced by American trap music, so it's no surprise that "It G Ma" features hard-hitting 808s, an eerie melody, complimented by aggressive rapping and garnished with ad-libs and sounds of gunfire. The hook is catchy, very simply just: "It G Ma! (Whoo!)" No matter where you are from, you are able to rap along. The song went viral worldwide; people genuinely liked the song, even though the majority of people are not able to understand most of it. Not only was Keith Ape bridging Korean and Japanese cultures, but now, he was bridging these cultures with the West. Before "It G Ma," any song that really penetrated the West was usually a K-Pop song or a song that perhaps isn't taken too seriously like PSY's "Gangnam Style." Keith Ape's hit was a straight trap song. "I focused on making it sound like music from the West," (2) he states.
Sean Miyashiro reached out to Keith Ape after Dumbfoundead, a rapper that he was managing at the time, showed him the video for "It G Ma." Miyashiro describes his feelings after watching the video, "It was like a what the fuck moment, you know?" (2) Miyashiro called Keith Ape via FaceTime and got him to come to the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas. Soon after, Miyashiro became Keith Ape's manager. (4)Following this move, Miyashiro was able to land familiar American rappers A$AP Ferg, Father, and Waka Flocka Flame on the "It G Ma Remix," further pioneering Asian rap culture into the West. To this date, the original music video for "It G Ma" and the video for the remix have over a combined 90 million total views, and the remix has over 38 million streams on Spotify. It didn't stop with "It G Ma." In 2018, Keith Ape went on to work with double-platinum and five-time gold American rapper Ski Mask the Slump God on a track titled "Achoo!" which currently has over 23 million streams on Spotify and almost 30 million views on YouTube. Ski Mask the Slump God has a cult fan base, and through this collaboration, Ski's fans were introduced to Keith Ape, if they hadn't heard of him already with "It G Ma." Keith Ape serves as an inspiration to all Asian hip-hop artists, as he was the first to make it big in the United States rapping in his home language.
"I've always liked American culture, but there is cool Asian culture too, so I try to mix them up." (2) - Keith Ape
Brian Imanuel, “Rich Brian”
Rich Brian
Born Brian Imanuel in Jakarta, Indonesia in 1999, Rich Brian has made a name for himself in hip-hop as the most prominent Asian rapper. Homeschooled most of his life, Brian taught himself English through watching YouTube videos on how to solve a Rubik's Cube and by listening to American rap. (6) Brian became obsessed with America and American culture, and spent most of his time online. "I had more friends on the Internet than I did in real life," (2) he states. Brian would stay up all night, talking to his American friends on Skype, and ordering cheeseburgers via McDonald's delivery. (7) He would watch music videos of American rappers and loved listening to aggressive trap music and hip-hop.
Dat $tick
On February 22, 2016, Brian released a music video for a song titled "Dat $tick" under his old alias, Rich Chigga. The music video currently has over 148 million views, and the song has over 133 million streams on Spotify. The video features Brian in a pink polo (a nod to Kanye West?) and a fanny pack rapping about guns, foreign cars, and killing police officers. The song and video went viral due to many factors. First, it went viral due to just how unorthodox of a rap song and video it was. Brian did not look like who you would expect to be rapping like this. Surely a scrawny Asian boy can't be rapping about killing cops and toting guns, can he? Brian was. Second, the song is actually good! Its catchy hook over an eerie instrumental, similarly to Keith Ape's "It G Ma," complimented by Brian's smooth flow, caught the attention of many listeners, sounding like something we would typically hear put out by an American rapper. Brian says, "When I was making the song, I was listening to all this trap music...listening to them talk about scary shit, I just love it so much. So I was like, I kinda wanna recreate this. I wanna have like some, scary ass lines." (10) Sean Miyashiro, who had been following Brian on Vine, the beloved six-second video sharing service, called Brian upon the release of "Dat $tick" and wanted to fly him out to the South by Southwest Music Festival to perform. Unfortunately Brian, who was only 16 at the time, was unable to get a visa, but took on Miyashiro as his manager. (4)
The Controversy
The song and video also went viral due to Brian's rap name at the time, Rich Chigga, and the fact that he says the N-word in the first verse. Brian explains that at the time while he was recording the song, he wondered, "If this song blows up, and I say the N-word, would people be like 'Holy shit, this song is so cool I'll let it slide'? That's what I was thinking. I was basically just trying to make people less sensitive to the word and take the power out of it, but then I realized I'm totally not in a position to do that. I fucked up." (10) He has since promised to never say the word again. Many people felt like Brian was making a mockery of American hip-hop music and Black culture. Luckily for Brian, Miyashiro was able to flip the bad press about his racially insensitive name and his use of the N-word in his song. At the same South by Southwest in 2016 that Brian was unable to attend, Miyashiro interviewed a handful of already established rappers, having them watch and listen to the "Dat $tick" music video. All of the rappers endorsed Brian. Instead of a follow-up single, Miyashiro uploaded this video to 88rising's YouTube channel, in hopes that it would lessen the controversy around Brian. Multi-platinum recording artist Tory Lanez calls Brian, "the hardest n***a of all time" Rap legend Cam'ron says, "I see the comedic side...but what he was spittin' was dope, though." Grammy-nominated rapper Goldlink says Brian should "never change." (8) At the end of the video, Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah volunteers to do a remix of "Dat $tick." You can hear Miyashiro in the background who is absolutely puzzled, asking Ghostface if he's serious or not. He was 100% serious, and in October of 2016, the 'Dat $tick Remix' was released, (9) featuring Ghostface Killah and underground rap legend Pouya, further exposing Brian to the rap game. It was evident that American hip-hop artists welcomed Brian, an Indonesian rapper, into their world, so we the fans should, too.
Name Change
"I didn't want to put myself in a box. I didn't want people to be like, 'Yo, Rich Chigga is that dude that just doesn't care about hip-hop and just shits on it, right?'" (2) - Rich Brian
Upon the announcement of his debut album Amen, Brian started getting more slack for his rap name than ever. He first got Twitter when he was just ten years old, (12) and all Brian knew of America was through YouTube. At the time of coming up with his name, he was just a kid from Indonesia who did not know any better. "I do regret it," (12) Brian says. People were not taking Brian and his music seriously, and Brian really wanted to develop as an artist. So, in 2018 to start off the new year, Rich Chigga announced that he will now be going by Rich Brian. He says, "It's best decision I've ever made, and I'm glad I did it." (2)
Brian officially changes his rap name to start off the new year.
Growth
Since the release of "Dat $tick," Brian has become the most relevant Asian rapper in the United States. He's traveled across the world, selling out shows everywhere he goes. In 2017 he, alongside fellow 88rising star Keith Ape, released a track titled "Gospel," with the late XXXTentacion, a pioneer of the aggressive trap movement in the United States. With X's cult-following of a fan base, this collaboration took off, getting more than 130 million streams on Spotify, and 42 million views on YouTube. The song went Gold, selling over 500,000 copies worldwide. Brian released more singles, working with Atlanta rappers 21 Savage and Young Thug, introducing himself to these fan bases. Brian has since released two albums, Amen, in 2018 and The Sailor, in 2019. These albums have a combined total of over 500 million streams, just on Spotify. By giving these albums a listen, it is incredible to see how far the Indonesian rapper has come. Brian has turned away from rapping about weapons and cars, and is now focused on telling his own story through his catchy melodies and passionate verses. The albums feature not only fellow 88rising artists like NIKI, Joji, and AUGUST 08, but they also feature established American rappers, like RZA, leader of the Wu-Tang Clan, and Offset, a member of the multi-platinum rap group Migos. One thing Sean Miyashiro and 88rising knows is that collaborations with already established artists is a surefire way to gain credibility and exposure in the rap game. In 2018, Brian was selected as a XXL Freshman. XXL is an American hip-hop magazine who selects a "Freshman List" of popping up and coming rappers. XXL freshmen alumni include rappers like Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, and the late Mac Miller. Most hip-hop fans believe that once you reach the XXL Freshman list, you've "made it" as an artist. More recently, Brian released a heartwarming video for a new song entitled "BALI" featuring American rapper Guapdad 4000. In the video, with the recent quarantine situation due to COVID-19, Brian uses a drone to deliver gifts to some of his friends, including American rappers Lil Yachty and Denzel Curry, as well as fellow Indonesian 88rising singer NIKI. Everyone who received a gift paid it forward, sending the drone back to Brian with money. Towards the end of the video, Brian uses the same drone to deliver these envelopes of money to those in need, including a catering service that was able to use the money to donate over 150 meals to healthcare workers, and to a woman whose family has started to make masks amid the pandemic. Rich Brian's growth as an artist is truly respectable, and it's all because 88rising believed in the kid from Indonesia. Check out Rich Brian's video for "BALI" below:
"I want Asian kids to look at me and say, 'Holy shit, if he can do that, then so can I.'" (2) - Rich Brian
George Miller, “Joji”
Joji
Born George Miller in Osaka, Japan, Joji was already well-known before becoming the soft-ballad singer we know today. He was an extremely successful YouTuber by the name of Filthy Frank, with over 7 million subscribers. He went on to become a viral meme sensation by creating the Harlem Shake dance in 2013. His Filthy Frank videos were filled with vulgarity and crude humor, commonly ridiculing those obsessed with Japanese culture on the Internet. He also released music under the name Pink Guy, a Lycra humanoid in a pink morphsuit, releasing meme-worthy songs like "Please Stop Touching My Willy," and "I Will Get A Vasectomy." (6) Unknown to his fans, George was getting tired of creating this content. He was "going through the motions" (4) and was turned off by the toxicity of the Internet, which seemed to only be getting worse. He credits Sean Miyashiro for getting him out of this creative lapse. George was meeting with Sean at the 88rising offices to collaborate on viral video ideas, but when Sean heard George's demos of the somber music he was recording, he thought it was best to focus on George's music career. (4) In December 2017, George, or Filthy Frank, announces on Twitter that he will be quitting comedy, explaining how he does not enjoy it anymore. He tells his fans he will continue making projects he is passionate about, and it is up to them if they want to come along for the ride. He signs off on the message: “-Joji.”
Filthy Frank explains his retirement from comedy in a post on Twitter.
Making History
88rising takes to Twitter to celebrate Joji's major accomplishment.
As a follow up to his first EP, In Tongues, Joji released his debut studio album, BALLADS 1, in October of 2018. The album debuted at number 1 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart, making Joji the first Asian artist to ever do so. (1) The album's cover pays tribute to Joji's past as Filthy Frank, with Joji adorning Frank's iconic crazed smile. The 12-track album featured guests like extremely popular American rapper Trippie Redd, and established hip-hop producer Clams Casino, who has worked with the likes of American artists A$AP Rocky, and the late Lil Peep. BALLADS 1 went Gold in January 2020, and currently has over 1.1 billion streams on Spotify. Joji's most popular song, "SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK" has over 372 million streams alone, and has recently gone viral on TikTok. Born in Japan, being of half-Japanese and half-Australian descent, penetrating the West in such a huge way, Joji embodies what it means to connect different cultures. Joji's success serves as living proof of 88rising showing the West that Asians are just as talented as them.
"Be proud of who you are and rely on your strengths. Identity is very important but always remember who you are." (3) – Joji
Not Just A Record Label
GUESS x 88rising "GUESS Rising" Collection Promo
Through the course of this reading, we have seen how 88rising is bridging the gap between Asian and Western cultures through musical talents like Keith Ape, Rich Brian, and Joji, but 88rising is doing so much more than just music. In August of 2019, to celebrate their 2nd annual Head in the Clouds Music and Arts Festival in Los Angeles, 88rising collaborated with popular American clothing company GUESS, releasing their "GUESS Rising" collection, featuring t-shirts, hoodies, jackets, hats, and more. The promotion campaign featured international 88rising artists like Joji, Rich Brian, NIKI, and the Higher Brothers adorned in the new collection in true yearbook photo fashion. The collection sold out online within just twenty minutes. (11)
Furthermore, 88rising also uploads non-musical content to their YouTube channel, like their "The Greatest Japanese Bartender" series, which stars Kayama San, Japan's Greatest bartender, ever so elegantly craft a variety of drinks, over calming music. The video offers ASMR-like qualities. There is also a series entitled "Eighty ATE" which shows viewers how to make iconic Asian food, such as boba, dumplings, and kimchi. 88rising clearly has respect for Asian culture, and wants the rest of the world the ability to experience it, too.
Sean Miyashiro, 88rising founder
88rising is working. But why?
88rising was never set up to be a music company. It was set up to be a cultural company, showing the world "that Asian people are fire," (2) as founder Sean Miyashiro says. The main reason that 88rising is successful is because they aren't doing Asian culture from a business perspective. Sure Miyashiro and his team at 88rising manage artists, but they are their friends first. "This is what we want to do, it's in our DNA and blood, and when you do that properly, people feel it," (5) Miyashiro says. Another reason 88rising is working is because of the Internet. With the Internet, we are able to go worldwide and reach millions of people we never could've fathomed reaching 20-30 years ago. Lastly, Miyashiro attributes the world being more open and accepting to 88rising's success. (2) Hip-hop nowadays is more than just hip-hop. What started as a place for social commentary has evolved into an incredibly diverse genre of all lyrical content, sounds, and styles. When you make good music, people will listen. It doesn't matter your race or what language you're speaking in.
“They’re creating a big sense of pride for a community that I don’t think has had as much representation on the global scene.” (5) - Nicolai Marciano, director of brand partnerships at GUESS, on 88rising
Artwork from 2018 Head in the Clouds Music & Arts Festival flyer.
What's Next?
In 2018, 88rising hosted their Head in the Clouds Music & Arts Festival in Los Angeles, making history as the first festival in the United States with all-Asian headliners. The festival was a hit, with over 20,000 fans in attendance. This festival has become an annual event, happening this past 2019, and a Head in the Clouds Indonesia festival was supposed to happen in March of 2020, but was postponed due to COVID-19. 88rising has released two albums, Head in the Clouds, and Head in the Clouds II, which feature songs from 88rising artists with collaborations from American artists, as we would expect from 88rising. These songs have gathered millions of streams, including "Midsummer Madness" with 175 million on Spotify, and has since been certified Gold. Sometime later this year, 88rising will be launching its own Sirius XM radio channel, making history again, as the first major Asian radio channel in North America. (5) On May 6th, 88rising is hosting a 4-hour global online music festival called Asia Rising Forever, which will celebrate exciting Asian talent from all around the world, including 88rising's artists like Rich Brian and NIKI, as well as non-88rising talents like K-pop group CLC, and Malaysian singer Yuna. By the looks of it, 88rising is here to stay. With extremely successful movies like Parasite and Crazy Rich Asians breaking barriers in the film industry in the United States, 88rising is breaking barriers in the West in the music industry and other highways. In the future, more things will be made, and there will be some misses, but there will also be some hits, and it's these hits that will continue to push boundaries and move the culture forward.
“I’d rather die than not continue this. I feel like I’m high all the time, even though I’m sober.” (4) - Sean Miyashiro
References
(1) Anderson, Trevor. “Joji's 'Ballads 1' Debuts at No. 1 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart.” Billboard, November 5, 2018. https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8483269/joji-ballads-debut-no-1-top-rb-hip-hop-albums-chart.
(2) Asia Rising. How The Next-Gen Of Asian Hip Hop Is Taking Over The Music World. RedBullMusic/88rising, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vC2hvHa9T0.
(3) Dao, Dan Q. “How 88Rising Raised the Bar for Asian Representation.” PAPER. PAPER, June 3, 2019. https://www.papermag.com/88rising-asian-representation-2638625195.html.
(4) Hsu, Hua, Joshua Rothman, and John Seabrook. “How 88rising Is Making a Place for Asians in Hip-Hop.” The New Yorker. The New Yorker, March 26, 2018. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/03/26/how-88rising-is-making-a-place-for-asians-in-hip-hop.
(5) Ifeanyi, KC. “How Music Label 88rising Brought Asian Rap Culture to the United States.” Fast Company, April 30, 2020. https://www.fastcompany.com/90491415/how-music-label-88rising-brought-asian-rap-culture-to-the-united-states.
(6) Kuo, Fong. "Asian Resurgence in Western Memetic Culture." Chief Copy Editor: 66. http://tinnalam.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/focus2019layout_FINAL_2.pdf#page=76
(7) Oktavia, Resky. "Immigrant’s Cultural Intelligence In The US As Depicted In Rich Brian’s Chaos Music Video." PhD diss., Diponegoro University, 2019. http://eprints.undip.ac.id/68635/1/Resky_Oktavia-Thesis.pdf
(8) Rappers React to Rich Brian Ft. Ghostface Killah, Desiigner, Tory Lanez & More. 88rising, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KMBELyZ_sM.
(9) Rich Brian - Dat $tick Remix Feat Ghostface Killah and Pouya (Official Video). 88rising, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4eARl9omVs.
(10) Rich Chigga "Dat $tick" Official Lyrics & Meaning | Verified. Genius, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAyjL868Ytc.
(11) Ruiz, Derick. “88rising x Guess ‘Guess Rising’ Collection.” Modern Notoriety, August 14, 2019. http://www.modern-notoriety.com/88rising-guess-rising-collection-release-date/.
(12) Tchou, Wei, and Andrew Marantz. “Rich Chigga and the Difficulties of Keeping It Real.” Culture Desk. The New Yorker, June 7, 2017. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/rich-chigga-and-the-difficulties-of-keeping-it-real.
(13) Thomas, Dexter. “‘It G Ma’ Made Asian Rap History (In Addition to Sounding Like OG Maco's ‘U Guessed It’).” Vice. Vice, February 2, 2015. https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/r3znav/keith-ape-jayallday-loota-okasian-and-kohh-it-G-ma-korean-u-guessed-it.
(14) Zhang, Haoran. "A Study of ‘88rising’and their YouTube Approach to Combine Asian Culture with the West." https://www.scss.tcd.ie/publications/theses/diss/2018/TCD-SCSS-DISSERTATION-2018-065.pdf
Images
Cover photo, "Why 88rising is the Future of Music Labels": https://cdn.asiatatler.com/asiatatler/i/th/2019/08/15113316-88rising_cover_1024x683.jpg
88rising logo: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/88rising_logo.svg/1200px-88rising_logo.svg.png
Keith Ape, "A Rare Interview with Korean Rap Radical Keith Ape": https://dazedimg-dazedgroup.netdna-ssl.com/2000/azure/dazed-prod/1210/0/1210236.jpg
Rich Brian, "Rich Brian Learned How to Rap from YouTube": https://media.gq.com/photos/5a7470ddb0b6765f8c255b67/master/w_1600%2Cc_limit/rich-brian-web-alex-reside10.jpg
Rich Brian name change Tweet: https://twitter.com/richbrian/status/947889914225422336?s=20
Joji, "Closer to the Road: Joji Interviewed": https://www.clashmusic.com/sites/default/files/field/image/111_%20OnlineImage13.jpg
Filthy Frank retires Tweet: https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/327/338/9b3.png
88rising's Tweet celebrating Joji: https://twitter.com/88rising/status/1059552823468285960
GUESS Rising Collection Promo: https://www.modern-notoriety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/YEARBOOK.png
Sean Miyashiro, "88rising Is Giving Asian Musicians Proper Representation": https://coveteur.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/SEAN_MIYASHIRO_DESKSIDE-9-835x1253.jpg
Head in the Clouds Festival Flyer: https://res-4.cloudinary.com/dostuff-media/image/upload//c_fill,g_faces,f_auto,w_800/v1535742155/event-poster-9387697.png
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