Origins (2015-2016) 88rising was founded in 2015 by Sean Miyashiro and Jaeson Ma. Miyashiro had previously been helping establish
VICE's electrical music vertical, titled "Thump," where he developed many of the production approaches that shaped 88's early content strategy. The company initially operated as a small collective and management company under the name called
CXSHXNLY (pronounced "cash only"), focusing on identifying emerging artists online and experimenting with short form music and cultural videos designed specifically for YouTube. The label received seed round investment from Allen DeBevoise, the founder of Third Digital Wave, after Miyashiro was introduced to him through a mutual friend. In the summer of 2016, 88rising began connecting with artists across Asia through online communication tools as opposed to traditional industry channels, facilitating remote collaborations with artists such as
Rich Brian,
Joji, and
Higher Brothers, before any of them had moved to the United States. The number also resembles the character 囍, and this is a meaning that the founders incorporated to reflect the company's emphasis on cross-cultural connection.
Breakthrough (2017–2019) In May 2017, the label made a live performance as a collective at the Boiler Room in Los Angeles with Rich Brian, Joji, and Keith Ape all making appearances and performing at a mansion party in
Beverly Hills. The Higher Brothers performed via live stream from their hometown in
Chengdu, as they could not travel to the United States at the time. Several guests such as
Yaeji and
Ronny J also performed with the label. In November 2017, 88rising announced a tour across Asia featuring Rich Brian, Joji, and Higher Brothers with Keith Ape occasionally performing at select shows. The tour took place in nine major Asian cities:
Seoul,
Beijing,
Shanghai,
Chengdu,
Bangkok,
Singapore,
Kuala Lumpur,
Manila, and
Jakarta. In February 2018, 88rising presented its inaugural North American tour at
The Warfield Theatre in San Francisco,
The Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles, and Terminal 5 in New York City. The sold-out tour featured Rich Brian, Joji, Keith Ape with surprise guest appearances from other artists such as
Charli XCX and
Ski Mask the Slump God. The label also saw the debut studio releases from many of 88rising's flagship artists. On February 2, 2018, Rich Brian's released his debut album
Amen to generally positive reviews and commercial acclaim, charting at No. 18 on the Billboard 200 in its first week. The album also made iTunes history by being the first album released by an Asian artist to top the iTunes Hip-Hop Chart. On July 20, 2018, 88rising released their first compilation album titled
Head in the Clouds. The album contains 17 compilation tracks, including the RIAA-certified Gold record
"Midsummer Madness" and featuring its label core roster and guest appearances from other artists including
GoldLink,
Playboi Carti,
BlocBoy JB,
03 Greedo, and
Verbal.
Head in the Clouds marked a turning point for 88rising, as it helped establish the label as not only a production house, but also as a cultural platform for artists wanting to showcase transnational Asian hip-hop. 88rising presented its first
Head in the Clouds Festival on September 22, 2018, at the
Los Angeles State Historic Park. The festival's lineup included a roster of hip-hop and R&B acts from both the United States and Asia including Rich Brian, Joji, Keith Ape,
Niki, Higher Brothers, Dumbfoundead and more. The festival also hosted the debut United States performance for Japanese rapper
Kohh. In its recap of the festival,
Billboard described Head in the Clouds as an Asian-focused music festival aimed at international audiences. The festival was followed by the 88 Degrees and Rising tour in Fall 2018, which featured a lineup including the label's roster alongside Sen Morimoto and Kohh. In 2019, 88rising saw a sophomore studio releases from artists Higher Brothers and Rich Brian. On February 22, 2019, Higher Brothers released
Five Stars, as their follow-up to their debut studio album
Black Cab. The album featured many prominent hip-hop collaborators, including
Schoolboy Q,
JID,
Denzel Curry,
Ski Mask The Slump God,
Soulja Boy and more.
Five Stars became the top album on Chinese streaming platform
Netease in Q1 of 2019 and the Higher Brothers were crowned Hip-Hop Artist of the Year. Netease also bestowed 88rising the Label of the Year award. Californian food festival
626 Night Market curated the food vendors. The second festival saw the North American festival debut of K-Pop group
iKon as well as performances by Joji, Rich Brian, Higher Brothers, NIKI,
DPR Live and many more. Rolling Stone and Los Angeles Magazine compared the event's role in Asian music to that of Coachella in the U.S. festival circuit. The label also released their second compilation album,
Head in the Clouds II, on October 11, 2019, which featured artists including
Swae Lee of
Rae Sremmurd,
Jackson Wang,
Phum Viphurit,
Chungha and many more. A duet from the album, "I Love You 3000 II" by
Stephanie Poetri and Wang, quickly topped the
Billboard China Social Chart.
Expansion (2020-2021) Another Head in the Clouds festival was originally planned in March 2020 in Jakarta, but was eventually
canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, 88rising held its Asia Rising Forever festival, an online concert featuring Asia talent from around the world streamed on their YouTube and Twitter accounts, on May 6. On December 3, 2020, 88rising launched a 24-hour radio channel on
Sirius XM featuring music from Asian artists. Another online live stream festival under the name Double Happiness, in reference to their slogan "88 is double happiness" was also launched the same day with performances from
Anderson .Paak and
Knxwledge from their musical duo,
Nxworries, as well as others such as
Audrey Nuna and
Ylona Garcia. In 2021, 88rising became increasingly involved with multimedia projects with a large scope to them. Most notably, 88rising executive produced and released
the soundtrack album for the
Marvel film
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Industry reports describe the collaboration as a landmark event in Asian and Asian American representation. In a meeting with the film's director,
Destin Daniel Cretton, Miyashiro apparently "hypnotized" him, leading to a partnership within days of the first meeting.
Recent history (2022–present) In April 2022, 88rising performed at
Coachella with a showcase titled Head in the Clouds Forever, including performances by
CL,
2NE1,
Hikaru Utada, Jackson Wang, Rich Brian,
Bibi, Niki,
Milli and Warren Hue. They also released a single of the same name including three tracks featuring Bibi, Utada, Hue and Rich Brian. The company expanded internationally during this time through initiatives such as PARADISE RISING, a subsidiary created in partnership with
Globe Telcom to spotlight Filipino artists and further grow Southeast Asian Representation. 88rising continued momentum, as they collaborated with
Sony Music and
The Orchard to elevate Japanese music and expand cross regional promotion opportunities for these artists. Meanwhile, Joji released his third and final studio album with 88rising titled
SMITHEREENS in 2022. ==Reception==