On Friday, rapper Rich Brian (f.k.a. Rich Chigga) will unveil his brand new project, Amen. In advance of the release, the 18-year-old spoke with Complex reporter Shawn Setaro about the project’s music direction, which, according to Setaro, is a combination of “of-the-moment trap” and various other musical stylings.
“I’ve been getting different inspirations nowadays,” Brian told Setaro. “I’m listening to Tame Impala, Mac DeMarco, Frank Ocean, Childish Gambino. I’m just trying to just get as many different inspirations as I can. I love artists that can adapt and have different styles.”
Brian listing Childish Gambino among his current musical inspirations should come as no surprise; late last year, in an interview with Pigeons & Planes, the Jakarta, Indonesia native said that Gambino’s Royalty mixtape actually “changed his life.”
While much of the conversation surrounding Brian over the past two years has centered around his former stage name, the rapper is clearly hoping that Amen will allow non-fans to take his music seriously.
“I’ve always been serious about the music stuff,” he added. “There’s times where people think it’s comedy, but it’s really just me trying to be witty in my lyrics.”
Later this evening, Brian will be making his debut late-night TV performance on The Late Late Show with James Corden.