Rich Brian Biography: In His Own Words – Exclusive Video, News, Photos, Age

by Hailey SchipperApril 9, 2023, 3:10 pmDaily Digest, News, News Feed, U Bio >

Rich Brian is an Indonesian rapper and actor. He is best known for his songs “Dat $tick” and “History” and his role in the film Jamojaya.

RICH BRIAN BIOGRAPHY: AGE, EARLY LIFE, FAMILY, EDUCATION

Rich Brian was born on September 3, 1999 (Rich Brian: Age 23) in Jakarta, Indonesia. He was the youngest of five and spent his childhood being homeschooled and working at his parents’ cafe.

In an exclusive interview with uInterview, Brian discussed how he got started as a rapper. “I started to listen to hip-hop music when I was 12 and I was still in Indonesia and learning English,” Brian revealed. “Me learning rap music helped me a lot with pronunciation because it forced me to talk fast all the time. By 15 I was like, ‘let me try to make a rap song because it seems fun.’ And I remember it being really hard to rhyme one word. And then when I was 16, I made a song that got big and it all just kind of happened from there. I was really learning as I went.”

RICH BRIAN BIOGRAPHY: CAREER

Brian released his debut single “Dat $tick” on March 11, 2016, onto YouTube. He went by the stage name Rich Chigga at this time. He was then signed on by 88rising which launched his career. Brian’s other singles included “Who That Be” (2016), “Seventeen” (2016) and “Back at It” (2017); all of which garnered over one million views on Youtube.

In 2017 Brian won the Breakthrough Artist award at the 4th Indonesian Choice Awards. During that year Brian moved to the United States to live in Los Angeles. In December 2017, Brian released his debut album, Amen.

In 2018 Brian officially changed his stage name to Rich Brian and his album Amen peaked at number 18 on the U.S. Billboard 200. This album also made Brian the first Asian artist to reach number one on the iTunes Hip Hop charts.

Brian continued to write and produce music with another album titled The Sailor (2019) and two extended play records titled 1999 (2020) and Brightside (2022).

RICH BRIAN BIOGRAPHY: JAMOJAYA

Dipping his toes into the acting world, Brian starred in the film Jamojaya. In the film Brian plays James, an Indonesian rapper who is trying to expand his career in the U.S. This is challenged by James’ father (Yayu Unru) who feared losing his son, and by the relentless pressure and demands from the industry itself.

The film premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and Brian discussed the best moments from the film. Brian told uInterview, “What I can never forget is how much time I spent with Yayu (Unru) the actor that played my dad, and also Ryan, the producer from Indonesia that was helping us with a lot of stuff. It was like Me, Yayu, and Ryan were the only Indonesian kids in Hawaii at the time. Getting to know each other and getting super close and you know, Yayu is such a cool dude. When I talk to him it’s like we’re the same age so eliminating all that politeness was really really great for the movie.”