88rising Reaches New Heights with ‘Head in the Clouds II’

“Head in the Clouds II” is the second studio album from 88rising, an American multimedia production company famous for being a strong proponent of Asian artists and musicians. 88rising is known for boosting the careers of artists such as NIKI and Rich Brian from Indonesia, the Chengdu-based Higher Brothers, and Japanese-Austrailian singer-songwriter Joji, previously proliferous on the internet as “Filthy Frank” — whom some may recognize as the creator of the viral dance “Harlem Shake.” In this family-style sophomore album, 88rising artists present a fresh spin on the latest musical trends and color them with the varying styles of a diverse crew of in-house artists and featured guests.

The album begins with “These Nights,” an upbeat title featuring an epic collaboration between 88rising member Rich Brian and CHUNG HA, a South-Korean singer, songwriter, dancer, and choreographer. CHUNG HA is a one-woman act, unlike the many female K-pop artists who perform in groups, distinguished by a fierceness and femme-fatale confidence which is rare in the South-Korean music industry. In “These Nights,” CHUNG HA brings a sweet kick to Rich Brian’s Travis Scott-esque, autotune drawl, instilling the track with the mystique and freshness of her high soprano range and interchange of Korean and English lyrics. The song brims with the excitement of being young and falling in love with the energy of a summer jam.

The album’s fifth track, “Walking,” puts 88rising’s growing clout on display. It features two major powerhouse figures from two very different musical worlds. First is the American singer-rapper Swae Lee, highly coveted for his effortless hits, alongside Jackson Wang, the legendary K-pop veteran and member of the former boy band Got7. Swae Lee and Jackson Wang’s collaboration is one of many moments in the album that contributes to the increasing normalization of multiracial, multilingual, and multi-genre within the American music industry. The lyrics in “Walking” are happy and carefree (“Swerving in Phantoms, oh yeah (Oh yeah) / She said I look handsome, oh yeah (Oh, oh yeah)”), and the beat is breezy and techno-idyllic.

Things take a sudden downward turn in the next song, Joji’s “Breathe,” in which the artist soliloquizes on the pangs of mental instability and the painful ephermerality of love. The whole song is an extreme, ironic understatement about pretending to be doing well when everything is falling apart. “It’s just me these days, I can’t say I’m great,” he sings to a past lover, while reciting, “I’ll find somebody else to watch me die.” Repressed rage, anxiety, and depression anesthetized and aestheticized — Joji makes a case for succumbing to pain to discover healing, but he himself never quite recovers by the end of the song. The song trails off with the final words, “If you hear me count to four / Sedate ‘til me I’m normal” — the only thing that remains certain is that Joji is a phenomenal lyricist.

88rising sweetheart and vocal powerhouse NIKI provides some much-needed emotional relief with a breath of refreshing sobriety in “Shouldn’t Couldn’t Wouldn’t” and “Indigo.” In “Shouldn’t Couldn’t Wouldn’t,” she tells off an immature lover by singing, “It’s not always peachy, look, life ain’t that easy,” to which the lover (Rich Brian) comically responds, “My favorite parts of fuckin’ is either when I’m done or when you’re walkin’ out my house.” In her solo song, “Indigo,” NIKI powerfully asserts her feminine prowess by beginning with the forwardness of these spunky words: “You know I’m your type / Right?” In an interview with “Genius,” NIKI shared that “Indigo” is a tribute to herself, to a year where she “really embraced [her] femininity,” especially in an industry rife with double standards.

Other parts of the album shine just as equally. In “Hold Me Down,” Higher Brothers glide over a smooth and polished track, singing and rapping in Mandarin about glamor and love. In “I Love You 3000 II,” the album strikes its most saccharine and sentimental chord, paying homage to the words of Tony Stark, Marvel’s “Iron Man.” And the album closes with Rich Brian’s solo track “Gold Coast,” meeting a mellow and contemplative end to what has been a wide-encompassing and dynamic journey.

Because 88rising predominantly represents artists of Asian ethnicity, it feels incomplete to not mention Asianness here, especially when the presence of Asians in American pop culture is rare and underrepresented. To young Asian-Americans, at least, 88rising’s increasing relevance and popularity is a validation of their own talents, dreams, and possibilities — the label’s commercial success is a testament to a collective feeling of acceptance and representation for the broader Asian community. “Head In the Clouds II” thus demonstrates a step in a hopeful, higher direction.