Read the text below.
A homeschooled teenager from Indonesia is making a name for himself in the rapping industry.
Born in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 1999, Internet sensation Brian Imanuel has gained over 600,000 followers on Twitter and 200,000 on Soundcloud, a music streaming site. Before rising to fame, he was just an average adolescent who took pleasure in creating humorous online videos and witty Twitter posts.
Although his linguistic capability was initially limited to Bahasa Indonesia, he eventually learned English through the Internet. This paved the way for his transition to the American style of rapping, which was inspired by rappers Childish Gambino and Tyler the Creator.
Imanuel’s online presence further grew when he released the video of his debut single, which tackles social issues in Indonesia, in 2016. The video became viral and currently has over 60 million views on YouTube. As a result, he caught the attention of American music representatives and artists such as Diplo, who was in search of new talents who are on par with renowned international singer Justin Bieber.
This year, Imanuel was able to release two tracks. One is a collaboration with hip-hop artists Keith Ape and XXXTentacion, while the other is a solo single. In addition, his first major tour called ‘Come to My Party’ has kicked off last September in Anaheim, California.
Imanuel is currently signed under 88Rising, a Brooklyn-based entertainment label that focuses on Asian music and founded by Japanese-Korean Sean Miyashiro. Along with other 88Rising artists such as Chinese rap group Higher Brothers, Imanuel is set to promote Asian culture through music.