Rich Brian – Amen (Album Review)

Rich Brian (Formerly known as Rich Chigga) has literally come a long way since he emerged onto the music scene. At the tender age of 18, the Indonesian rapper has already went from viral rap troll to serious rap player in two years, ultimately getting respect from both his peers and hip hop fans worldwide. Despite the fact Brian looks like a kid that got teased at your local high school, many feel he currently drops some of the toughest rap songs, typically mixing gritty bars with dark instrumentals. I’m not going to lie, Rich’s existence in the hip hop game is one of the most bizarre things I’ve seen in Hip Hop’s illustrious history, however, I’m sure Rich Brian thinks he’s more than just a fluke, something I think he will have to prove to us in this first album.

TOP 5

5. OCCUPIED

Do you think “Occupied” can make it’s rounds at your favorite strip club? I think so!

Laced with an instrumental that is catered for Juicy J to say “Yea Hoe” to, Rich Brian comes out swinging, devaluing your favorite rappers and stuntin’ on everyone else by threatening to confiscate our precious women. In my humbling opinion, the song is trill as s–t, as Brian raps with this non-chalance that convinces me he is the Indonesian version of Scarface.

Could you imagine seeing strippers dancing to Rich Brian’s music? My mind in awe at the possibilities.

4. ARIZONA

I never thought that Rich Brian can be sentimental like this! But then again, I heard it takes about 40 minutes for mollies to seep into your system.

AUGUST 08 starts “Arizona” off, and he gives us this phenomenal vocal performance, finding a way to make the blissful instrumental come alive! Big-ups to this mysterious human being!

Rich Brian saves his best performance for this track (which happens to be the last one of the album), opening up his emotions in ways he didn’t in the previous 13. Aside from his sentimental lyrics, I love the flow that he raps with on his verses, as he lets his words come out in a way that shows rare excitement from him.

You get this short soliloquy from Rich at the end of the track in which he talks about being drafted into some war games. At first listen, it sounds bizarre, but when you realize it concludes an album full of zany thoughts from him, you’ll realize it fits right in.

3. INTROVERT

“Introvert” is probably the most complete track on this album.

Setup by this groovy instrumental, Joiji provides the track with this drowsy hook that will make you feel like your glyding up there with the skies. What I like most about Joiji’s part is that he doesn’t try to stress his vocals, he simply tells us how f–ked up his life is through this numbing approach. Right now, I am torn between applauding his effort and getting him some psychiatric help.

Rich Brian doesn’t do too much on this song, and honestly, he doesn’t need to. On his verses, he sorta echoes the feelings Joiji had, letting the listeners know that he suffers from mild cases of depression just like any other Kardashian companion. But on the real, this song is all about its vibe, so Rich need not be judged by me.

2. ATTENTION

After hearing “Attention,” people in the bando will know Rich Brian’s name.

Believe it or not, Rich Brian and Offset have a few of similarities: They are both reckless as s–t, finding enjoyment in disrespecting our daughters and sisters — and they both rap with this persistent flow. Unsurprisingly, they make for a pretty damn good collaboration on “Attention,” as they go back and forth over this fast tempo trap beat. While Offset does his thing on the second verse — twisting his words like they were clothes that came out of a broken washing machine, Rich Brian steals the show by dropping a bunch of noteworthy bars on his verse.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but if Quavo sprains his ankle, or something, why not let Rich Brian assume his role?

1. SEE ME

Maybe it’s my love for Kid Cudi, or perhaps it’s my love for tacky piano play, but for some odd reason I cannot get enough of this song! I know that it has a very simple sound attached to it, but something about it comes across as really deep to me! On it, Rich counts his many blessings through some truthful bars and infectious harmonizing.

I guess you can call “See Me” a feel-good track — maybe even Rich Brian’s version of the classic “Juicy.”

SONG BY SONG BREAKDOWN

1. AMEN (4.4/5)

2. COLD (4/5)

3. OCCUPIED (4.9/5)

4. INTROVERT (5/5)

5. ATTENTION (5/5)

6. GLOW LIKE THAT (4.5/5)

7. TRESPASS (4.5/5)

8. FLIGHT (3.5/5)

9. SEE ME (5/5)

10. ENEMIES (4/5)

11. KITTY (4/5)

12. LITTLE PRINCE (4.8/5)

13. CHAOS (4.3/5)

14. ARIZONA (5/5)

OVERALL RATING

(8.6/10)

Rich Brian is loving life, and he can care less about what everyone around him thinks! He comes across as this anti-social guy that is navigating through the bulls–t we call fame, and it is very entertaining to listen to. Aside from that, Rich has a myriad of bars in his arsenal, and from time to time he chooses to unleash them throughout this project. So does those statements make you wonder if Rich Brian is the second coming of Pac? Probably not, but I do believe he has that same hunger to show the world that there is a different route that rap can be directed in.

What surprised me most about this album was the few pop cuts that were sprinkled in throughout it. Luckily for Rich, he got some pretty great features on those songs, ones that were both passionate and radio-friendly. What I like most about these tracks is that Rich doesn’t quite water down his lyrics on them, remaining his dull/uninspired self vocal-wise. These songs are a great switch-up from everything else on the album, and also a perfect way for Brian to show the world he can be versatile when he wants to be.

To me, this album was a success! Rich finally got his chance to shine, and he took full advantage. For those who think that he has a couple of skills that he needs to improve on, that’s fair, but remember two things: he started rapping a few years ago, and he’s only 18!