- Let's start with the name of the label, 88rising.
What is the meaning behind the name
and how did it all originate?
Joji, do you want to take that?
- Yeah.
I think, I originally thought it stood for
double infinity.
- [Sway] Okay.
'Cause, I thought, 'cause I can't read, or anything.
So I thought it was that for the longest time,
and then it was like, oh no, it's...
What is it, double...
- [Rich] Double happiness.
- It's double happiness, but it's the lucky number
in Asian countries.
- Yeah.
- As a Asian, I knew that, but I just,
it flew over my head.
- Okay.
You don't want to comment on that name? (laughing)
- You feel me, I'm just, I'm a guest
in the house of Asia.
- Oh my God!
- [Rich] You're part of us.
- You feel me?
- Get outta here!
- No, you're Asiatic, you're Asiatic.
- I'm Asiatic, you feel me?
- [Sway] Yeah, there you go.
- Asiatic.
- Shout out to the Asian homies bringing me off to the turf.
- You're honorary, bro.
- Honorary?
- Honorary.
- I don't wanna be honorary, I wanna--
- Oh, you wanna just be straight up?
- I'ma just be African American.
- Oh, I got you, okay.
- I'ma run my blackness, you heard?
- We're just making music.
- Just making music.
- Art, it's just art.
- It's art, but I do think it's dope
because it just shows how much representation this
music has, it's not just African American, or Latino,
you know, Asian participation is important, right?
And you guys are representing, waving that flag.
- [Joji] Yep.
- Take a lot of pride in that?
- I definitely do.
Yeah, it's crazy.
'Cause back in the day, when I was in Indonesia,
I didn't know anybody that was like,
big in the mainstream and you know,
people from Indonesia that made it in the
mainstream, or even people in Asia.
So I didn't really have people to look up to.
Knowing that we do that for some people is pretty crazy.
- That's dope.
Head in the Clouds, the festival, is coming up in September.
Are you guys hands on with this?
This is your first one.
- This is our, I mean,
we've thrown a lot of shows before.
And we've brought on enough artists to the point where
it might as well have been a festival.
- [Sway] Okay.
- And we love bringing in people,
so it was just like, we all got together,
and we're just like, let's just do a full festival.
- Okay, and so, Rich Brian, you just brought this to mind
'cause everybody, you got The Father Project,
that you put out.
- [August] Yeah.
- Right, In Tongues that you put out, right?
- Mm-hmm (affirmative).
- And you got The Amen Project, that you put out.
- Uh-huh (affirmative).
- So everybody's put out individual projects.
Is there any competition?
Is it like, competitive between you guys?
Friendly competition?
- No, man, these guys can't compete with me.
(trio laughing)
- No, it's like ...
- [Joji] Everyone's different.
- Yeah, everyone's like, just on different lanes,
so it's like, if somebody releases a song or a project,
and it does really well, then everybody's doing well.
- [Sway] Uh-huh (affirmative).
- [August] Absolutely.
- So you guys collaborated all together.
How did the process happen?
Who triggered that?
- Who triggered it was Sean, Anders, Josh,
all the big homies at the label, you know what I'm saying?
It ended up being like, okay, let's get
in studio for a week, and just try some stuff.
And it turned into six weeks,
and we were there for dang near 24 hours,
and just trapping out beats, and ideas,
and concept bouncing off everything.
And it just became a real, real, family setting
where we just were so happy to get in that studio
and work together.
- Yeah, that was like, the first time I've ever been
comfortable in a studio.
'Cause before that, I was kinda weirded out about it,
'cause I used to start just making music at home,
by myself, but then ...
Like when we did that, I would just like collaborating
with people, and I was like, damn, this is not bad at all,
this is actually nice.
- Okay, that's what's up, man.
The Midsummer Madness video is really crazy.
Tell me about the concept of the video.
How did this come to be?
- It was honestly, it kinda started with ...
'Cause we were on tour, me and Joji,
and the rest of 88rising, we were on tour in Asia.
And then we just had somebody with us on the road,
just shooting random videos.
And then we'd feel like all those videos
compiled together would really fit with the song
because it's kinda like, a fun summer song.
And then we actually did a one day shoot in Malibu,
with all of us, it was in a house at like ...
There was like, a pool and (bleep).
- Yeah, it was one big party.
It was a real party.
- It's a real party?
So that scene, is that you pulling your nipples?
I just saw--
- Yeah, that was me.
- Is that something you guys do?
Is that how you greet each other?
- [August] No, bro, we (mumbles).