Rich Brian's full-length debut isn't good in any typical sense, which shouldn't shock anyone. The Indonesian-Chinese viral trap sensation didn't blow up because he was good — he blew up because he was weird. And because he had an absurdly offensive stage name, which he's now ditched, thank god.
What sucks about Amen is that it's not even atypically good. If you came here wanting some early career Yung Lean-esque weirdness, Brian doesn't have that for you, either. It's not even interesting. It's production that sounds like Metro Boomin's leftovers and trap fridge magnet poetry.
In and of itself Amen is fine — you could put it on at a party and not ruin anything — but anybody could be fine. Not ruining a party is the bare minimum I expect from an album. When a guy comes all the way from Jakarta, that's unique, and you want something unique from him. Amen falls way short of that.
(88 Rising / Empire)What sucks about Amen is that it's not even atypically good. If you came here wanting some early career Yung Lean-esque weirdness, Brian doesn't have that for you, either. It's not even interesting. It's production that sounds like Metro Boomin's leftovers and trap fridge magnet poetry.
In and of itself Amen is fine — you could put it on at a party and not ruin anything — but anybody could be fine. Not ruining a party is the bare minimum I expect from an album. When a guy comes all the way from Jakarta, that's unique, and you want something unique from him. Amen falls way short of that.