On his sophomore full-length,
The Sailor
, Indonesian rapper
Rich Brian
expands his creative vision with experimental genre flourishes and vocal style, echoing similar artistic moves by
Tyler, the Creator
and
Kevin Abstract
.
Brian
spends much of
relishing how far he's come from "Dat $tick," maturing in the process with tracks such as lead single "Yellow," on which
debuts his rich singing voice, backed by lush, Wall of Sound-style production. Other highlights include "Rapapapa" -- wherein
receives the ultimate co-sign from
Wu-Tang
head honcho
RZA
, who delivers a supportive mentor-to-mentee pep talk -- and the playful "Curious," which matches sunny ukulele plucks with introspective ruminations. Guest vocalist and friend/labelmate
Joji
also appears on the sweeping closer, "Where Does the Time Go." Upon release,
debuted just outside the Top 50 on the Billboard 200. ~ Neil Z. Yeung