SAINt JHN Tries ASMR with Roses and Ice, Talks New Album and the Meaning of “McDonalds Rich”

In an industry full of hype and clout chasing, SAINt JHN is a breath of fresh air. Melodic but hard. Subtle but edgy. It’s a real task to describe the Brooklyn-born artist’s sound, though he’s described his own work as “elaborate ratchetness,” but it’s this enigmatic nature that makes him such a strong talent. He’s largely stayed off the beaten path, developing his own sound and aesthetic and bringing a different, cinematic vision to rap and hip hop. 

SAINT JHN grew up between Brooklyn, NY, and Guyana, and got his start in the industry writing songs for the likes of Usher, Jidenna, Kiesza, and others—in 2016 he started dropping his own singles (and videos) like “1999” and “Roses” and released his debut studio album Collection One in 2018. 

Never one to sit still, he’s already released new singles from his upcoming album, the first of which is “McDonalds Rich,” inspired by the people he knew growing up. 

“All the hustlers around me thought $100,000 was a billion,” he told us during our latest episode of Mind Massage. “They found out quickly it wasn’t. It’s kind of an ode to having not a lot but acting like it. 

His upcoming album Ghetto Lenny’s Love Songs for Christians is set to drop in April of 2019. With a name like that, we’re not sure what to expect, but JHN gave us quite the description: “If me and a stripper got married, you’d have to play this at our wedding reception.”

Check out the rest of the video and watch SAINt JHN make some ASMR magic happen with a bouquet of roses and some ice.