By: Neil MacAlister
Rich Chigga is 2017’s most unexpected star, a seventeen-year-old kid from Indonesia who transitioned from making peculiar Internet comedy to rapping with Ghostface Killah. With each new track, the teen, born Brian Imanuel, has proven that he’s more than a gimmick or a one-hit wonder. He has an ear for deft lyricism, tight rhyme schemes, subtle humour, and moments of unexpected seriousness that have had everyone from Post Malone to Pharrell Williams taking notice.
After his 2016 hit single “Dat $tick” started gaining traction, management company 88rising (known for their work with Keith Ape and the Higher Brothers) took Chigga under their wing. This year, after a run of festival appearances, he embarked on his first ever tour across North America, despite only having a handful of songs to his name.
Rich Chigga’s show at Gastown’s Fortune Sound Club sold out months ago, and the small, dark club filled early. Chigga’s tour DJ played from shortly after the doors opened at 8:00 p.m. until the concert started at 10:00 p.m., and had a pretty diverse playlist. As well as bumping new tracks from Kendrick Lamar and $uicideboy$, he played some older hits (Soulja Boy’s “Crank Dat” did far better than I expected for a crowd that young. I haven’t seen that many teens do the Superman since 2007.) There was also some genre variations — I can honestly say that’s the first time I heard System of a Down at a rap show.
Just before 10:00, Brian Imanuel’s serene face appeared motionless on the screen as the opening bars to “Back At It” shook the room. Chigga jumped on stage, full of energy and charisma, and honestly performed far better than I’d ever expected him to. It was clear that the awkward, insecure persona he brings to his interviews doesn’t translate to his performances: he was all easy confidence, holding the audience like a pro, taking a fan’s offered $20 with a calm “alright” (to the delight of the screaming crowd).
After effortlessly delivering his rapid-fire flow on “Seventeen” and performing verses from both of his EDM collaborations (ZHU’s “Working for It” and Diplo’s “Bankroll”), he unveiled a brand new song from his upcoming, self-produced album. He also informed the crowd that, before 11 a.m. that day, he didn’t even know if he would be coming to Canada. Visa issues almost kept him out of the country, but plans pulled through at the last minute and he arrived at Fortune straight from YVR.
He held back “Dat $tick” until the end, informing the crowd that he was going to perform it a cappella. He had his DJ vocalize the iconic beat, and the entire room rapped along to his breakout single. It wasn’t until the next day that I found out the whole thing only occurred due to Fortune’s notorious sound issues. Chigga played it off like a rehearsed event. After playing “Dat $tick” once more (with the instrumental, this time), he announced, “That’s all the songs I have, good night,” and promptly left the stage. It was a twenty-minute concert, due to his limited discography, but it was well worth the $20 ticket price.
