The Sailor (Rich Brian album) explained

The Sailor
Type:studio
Artist:Rich Brian
Cover:TheSailorRichBrian.jpg
Released:26 July 2019
Genre:Alternative hip hopavant garde
Length:44:00
Label:
Producer:
Prev Title:Amen
Prev Year:2018
Next Title:1999
Next Year:2020

The Sailor is the second studio album by Indonesian rapper Rich Brian. It was released on 26 July 2019, through 88rising and 12Tone Music and it served as the follow-up to his debut studio album Amen.[1] The album was primarily produced by Bēkon and The Donuts, alongside Rich Brian with production contributions by Teddy Sinclair, among others and features guest appearances from RZA and Joji.[2] [3]

Background

On 18 June 2019, Rich Brian announced the lead single from the album "Yellow" through his social media accounts. The song and its accompanying music video was released on 26 June 2019, with the video revealing a new album from Brian was to be expected on 26 July 2019.[4] Days prior to the release of the album, Brian released snippets for the tracks "The Sailor" and "Rapapapa".

In an interview with Complex about the album and how it was different from his last project, Amen, Brian said:

The biggest change is the writing has improved a lot. I realized on this album that I can literally title it anything. When I was making it, I was still kind of learning about writing and still trying to find my style. And I wasn't really sure, like, 'OK, what can I write about?' I truly thought you can run out of things to talk about, but you actually cannot. You can literally talk about anything. It's just a matter of how things are worded. On this album, I am writing about things that are really, really personal to me. I am just trying to be as vulnerable as possible. Production-wise, too, I'm collaborating a lot more versus me doing it all by myself. On this album, I'm learning to let things go a little bit, while not sacrificing my creative freedom.[5]

Promotion

The album's lead single, "Yellow" was released on 26 June 2019, along with an accompanied music video and features vocals from singer and producer Bēkon.[6] [5] The music video was directed by Dave Meyers.[7] [8]

The album's second single, "Kids" was released on 17 July 2019, with a music video being released 2 days later.[9] The music video was directed by Sing J. Lee.[10]

Following the release of the album, Brian released a short film titled, Rich Brian is The Sailor, on 30 July 2019, which was written and directed by Sing J. Lee.[3]

He also teamed up with Spotify and his label 88rising to present an exhibition for his new album called "The Sailor Experience" and was held in his hometown Jakarta, Indonesia, 8–10 August 2019.[11]

Track listing

Credits adapted from Tidal.[12]

Charts

Chart (2019)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[13] 77
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[14] 27

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Sailor by Rich Brian. Apple Music. 26 July 2019. 27 July 2019.
  2. Web site: Price. Joe. Rich Brian's New Album 'The Sailor' Is Here. Complex. 26 July 2019. 27 July 2019.
  3. Web site: Caraan. Sophie. Rich Brian Flawlessly Tackles His Sonic Growth & Asian Identity on New Album 'The Sailor'. Hypebeast. 25 July 2019. 31 July 2019.
  4. Web site: Rich Brian Drops "Yellow" & Announces His New Album 'The Sailor'. Genius. en. 2019-07-27.
  5. Web site: Diep. Eric. Rich Brian Returns With "Yellow" and Talks New Album 'The Sailor'. Complex. 26 June 2019. 27 July 2019.
  6. Web site: Yellow (feat. Bekon) - Single by Rich Brian. Apple Music. 26 June 2019. 27 July 2019.
  7. Web site: Minsker. Evan. Rich Brian Announces New Album The Sailor, Drops Video for New Song "Yellow": Watch. Pitchfork. 26 June 2019. 27 July 2019.
  8. Web site: Gendron. Will. Rich Brian is back with a visual for "Yellow" and an album release date. The Fader. 26 June 2019. 27 July 2019.
  9. Web site: Brandt. Dean. WATCH: Rich Brian Is Doing Well in "Kids" Video. Flood Magazine. 19 July 2019. 27 July 2019.
  10. Web site: Maduakolam. Emmanuel. Best New Tracks: Rich Brian, Moonchild, Marlo, King Princess and More. Hypebeast. 19 July 2019. 27 July 2019.
  11. Web site: Rich Brian gets personal in 'The Sailor Experience' exhibition.
  12. Web site: The Sailor / Rich Brian. Tidal. 27 July 2019.
  13. Web site: ARIA Chart Watch #537. auspOp. 10 August 2019. 10 August 2019.
  14. Web site: NZ Top 40 Albums Chart. Recorded Music NZ. 5 August 2019. 3 August 2019.