The wide and accepting genre that is hip-hop has opened its doors to Asian artists over the past half-decade, ushering a new wave of talent most notably led by Rich Brian. Looking at the past three years, artists like Joji, Higher Brothers, Keith Ape and more have joined Brian as successful Asian hip-hop artists making waves around the world. Teaming up with Red Bull, 88Rising — a media company that has played a large role in propelling Asian artists toward U.S. audiences — and the aforementioned artists sat down to speak on their rise to fame, cross-culture, and collaborative work within the 88Rising group.
In the documentary 88Rising founder Sean Miyashiro explained he felt was the reason behind the success of the company.
“The reason for why this is working is a myriad of factors,” Miyashiro said. “It’s certainly the internet and accessibility. The world is more open, and I think that we are certainly bringing it closer together.”
The film is a partnership between Red Bull Japan and Red Bull Media House, and producer Chris Heinrich said the collaboration was an easy success.
“I was fortunate to enough to be a part of this project from the initial conversations and see it grow into the feature documentary that it is today, Heinrich said. “This documentary is just a preview of the art and creativity that these (showcased) and other defining cultures are now getting the opportunity to share on a world stage that is the internet.”