Rich Brian’s latest EP, a collection of seven tracks crafted while under quarantine, marks a fresh and new stylistic direction for the rapper.
The rapper’s newest EP, 1999, marks his first major release this year since his critically-acclaimed sophomore albumย The Sailor, and steps away from the rap style that he’s known for and into a more pop-oriented sound.
The seven-track compilation, released via 88rising, features previously-released singles ‘Love In My Pocket’ and ‘Don’t Care’ along with new tracks such as ‘DOA’ and ‘When You Come Home’, and explores the Indonesian artist’s experimentation with new sounds as well as giving fans an introspective look into his personal and musical thoughts.
Like the singles before it, ‘DOA’, which seems to take influences from the likes of The Weeknd, features stellar production with energetic beats, radiant melodies, and displays the rapper’s newfound penchant for singing.
Worth noting is emotional closing track ‘Sins’ which shows off the singer’s full capabilities as a singer, with meaningful lyrics that hit close to home for those who know what it’s like to be away from loved ones for a long time. OG fans need not worry, the Indonesian artist raps in here too.
About 1999, Rich Brian says,
โโThis project has a song for everyone. One of my favorites is ‘DOA’, which is basically Dead On Arrival for short. It sounds morbid but itโs about competing with someone who has zero chance against you in the first place. The melodies really remind me of Gorillaz, who I love. It’s a song that I always play whenever I wanna feel better about my singing, and myself in general.โย
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWMhBC8_Wcs
Speaking on โ1999โs other single, ‘Sins’, Rich Brian explained,
โโThis might be the best song Iโve ever made. It came from a jam session with me, Jacob Ray and Diamond Pistols, and then Louis Bell came over super randomly. Iโve always been a fanboy of his music despite the fact that Iโve known him for a few years now, and that day I got to work on something with him for the first time. My friend Natalie sentย me a really sweet video one day of her crying and saying how proud she was of me so I decided to put it at the end of the song because I love Drake and I know he would be proud of me.โย
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsrfgJB6QD4
In addition to โ1999, Rich Brian has also released the official music video to ‘Love In My Pocket’. Directed by Daniel Cloud Campos, the music video sees the rapper and three of his clones mucking about in a secret lab. It is the sort of creativity and humor that only Rich Brian is capable of pulling off.
Last month, fans were treated to an earlier version of the MV which was a humorous, unfinished video of Rich Brian walking on a treadmill to the backdrop of a green screen.ย
โThis is my favorite music video of mine so far, itโs about how trying to be perfect wonโt go your way most of the time.โ
Listen to the EP on Spotify below.
