Client: CRACK (2018)
88rising’s artists aren’t merely releasing great tracks, they’re rightly gaining attention for it in the notoriously ruthless US market, and beyond. We take a closer look at the main players in this expanding creative family and their enviable, growing body of work.
HIGHER BROTHERS
Chinese rap crew
Straight outta Chengdu, Psy. P, Masiwei, DZ Know and Melo are leading the Chinese rap scene, which, until recently, had been non-existent on a mainstream scale. 88rising put them on the US map by uploading the gloomy trap and Sichuan dialect of Black Cab on their YouTube and making a reaction video where Migos and Lil Yachty waxed lyrical over the sarky, self-aware Made In China. Deft rappers and writers, Higher Brothers put humour into Room Service and essayed hard truth and ambition on Why Not, and although you may need lyric translations, their flow and beats alone are captivating.
RINA SAWAYAMA
Japanese-British singer/songwriter Fashion darling and creator of intelligent 80s, 90s and 00’s-inspired pop, Rina Sawayama has been on a journey; songs, such as Tunnel Vision and Cyber Stockholm Syndrome, explore the digital universe we build ourselves, while she takes it into the real world on her latest, and first with 88rising, Valentine (What’s It Gonna Be). She’s as kitschy as she is progressive – for every musical nod to the past is an understanding and expression of her vision as an artist, a young woman, and person of two cultures – making Rina one of the UK’s brightest pop hopes
Taylor Glasby 