A product of YouTube’s fame factory, 18-year-old Indo-Chinese rapper Brian Imanuel, better known as Rich Chigga, took to the stage at Ybor’s Orpheum Tuesday night. Known for his satirical rap video “Dat $tick” which went viral last year (71 million views and counting), the young emcee has yet to lose momentum. Releasing single after single, he’s collaborated with big names Ghostface Killah, Diplo, Young Thug, Skrillex and XXXTentacion. With plans to take on a full project, his current repertoire consists of only ten songs. You can imagine how short his set would be.
Opening for the young rapper was Duckwrth, a hip-hop/funk artist from Los Angeles. Jumping and bopping on stage to what he described as, ”half funk-groove, half belligerent ballistic turn up” he set the tone for Rich Chigga’s first full fledged tour entitled “Come To My Party.”
Fans were anxious to finally witness the viral YouTube star’s unique character, even chanting his given name “Brian” like they were cheering for a friend attempting a keg stand. Anomalous to your typical rapper, his wimpy apathetic expression and fashion-forward look (pink polo, khakis and fanny pack) mixed with his deep resonating voice and hard flow may throw you for a loop. It’s hard not to root for this guy who seems like the underdog of underdogs. His comedic approach to his videos has earned him fans as well as skeptics wondering if the boy from Jakarta has the bars to back up his dream to make serious rap music.
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Chinese viral rap star Rich Chigga announces tour, books October 24 date at Orpheum in Ybor City
Chigga got sentimental before coming on stage tweeting, “Did you guys know that yall are the most loyal fans ever and that I am very grateful to have u?” Fueled with inspiration and fan-love, and sporting his own merch a shirt with his face on it and a short gold chain, Chigga was ready to give fans a taste of the real Brian. Starting his set with “Back At It,” he performed other fan favorites like self-produced “Glow Like Dat” and “Seventeen.” And though he claims he has a “Memphis flow but I’m from Jakarta ho,” it was disappointing to admit that he goes hard on the tracks but can’t perform them live with the same conviction. The PA system may have overpowered his vocal presence for most of his set, but at least a couple of older Chigga hits felt like he was more comfortable performing without needing much background assistance.
Did u guys know that yall are the most loyal fans ever and that I am very grateful to have u?
— Rich Brian (@richbrian) October 25, 2017
The comedian had his moments of course, when he picked up the bras and panties that were thrown at him, with immediate regret he exclaimed, “Fuck I just touched my face.”
Closing his set with the infamous “Dat $tick,” the crowd of youths was spitting every word with hands and phones in the air, capturing the teenager in his element. This is what they all came to see.
Overall Rich Chigga’s performance was underdone. It seems that the young artist’s music and performance skills are still incubating, but his eagerness to take his music more seriously and connect with fans did not go unnoticed.
