The American Dream of The Higher Brothers
the Mountain Brothers received a more positive response. They signed a record deal with Ruffhouse Records in 1997. Two decades later, as hip-hop becomes more globally attuned, the Higher Brothers doesn’t have to face those obstacles. “You don’t need to be mainstream now,” Jung says. “You can just get your own material out there and reach the folks that you want to reach.” Up-and-coming rappers are now their own promoters. They prove to A&Rs and other industry executives that they’re marketable and can grow a fanbase by building it themselves, through their own independent channels on YouTube and SoundCloud. To date, the music video for “Made in China,” one of the Higher Brothers’ hit songs of their debut album Black Cab, has over nine million views on YouTube. In some ways, it’s less surprising that right now is when Asian culture is finally infiltrating hip-hop. “Hip-hop is all about cool shit,” says Jonathan Park, who was part of the 88rising A&R team that helped discover Keith Ape and Rich Brian during the early days of the imprint. “Asian culture has gotten cooler in recent years. Every producer from Atlanta that I work with, these young black kids in America—they’re hella into anime. There’s been a shift, just Asian culture becoming a lot cooler. People are more open to it.” He goes on: “A lot of Asian youths can relate to them, because we’re all outcasts in our own right. We’re a very invisible race. We’re nerds, we’re weirdos, and 88rising has those weirdos.”
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