Aminé’s Limbo Album Stays on Repeat

It’s summertime, and we all want to make the most of it this year. What better way is there to bring energy to your day than blast some great music. What makes it even better is when you can listen to an entire album without worrying about some dud song in the middle that you’ll have to skip. Not many artists can offer an album with no skips. So, what’s on artist that has an album that can deliver a satisfaction guarantee? Have no fear, Aminé’s latest album is here to keep those good summer vibes rolling.

Aminé is an American rapper that has been active in the hip hop, R&B, scene since 2014 and is known for his hit debut single “Caroline.” He was born in Woodlawn, Portland, Oregon which he frequently refers to in his music.

Aminé’s album Limbo does not disappoint. It is a 14-song album, and the deluxe version offers a hefty 21 songs. Aminé keeps listeners satisfied with strong beats, fun lyrics, and manages to shine light on hot topics. What makes an Aminé lyric fun or good? Aminé knows how to keep his lyrics light and humorous while contributing to the songs overall theme. In this album, a reoccurring topic Aminé addresses is how he grew up and his career growth. The first song he opens his album with is “Burden,” where he describes his childhood, “at sixteen I was survivin’ off of noodle cups”, and how him and his friends are at different points in their lives. Aminé describes his surprise of his friend having a child at the age of 25 and states he’s crazy. He finishes the verse in a humorous way, “Maybe I’m the one who really need the Lord to save me, the last time I went to church was in the fuckin’ ‘80s, can you believe that? I was born in ’94, can you believe that?”. The effortless balance of real life and jokes helps Aminé come across as relatable and genuine.

Aminé keeps a playful tone while reflecting on his past. His album Limbo was released in 2020, the year of many unforeseen and unfortunate circumstances. The loss of Kobe Bryant was unexpected and jarring for many people. Aminé expresses how this loss has affected him in this album, as well as the influence Bryant had on him growing up. Aminé’s third song on the album, titled “Kobe”, is the sole interlude on Limbo. It features a short monologue from Jak Knight, an actor and comedian, and is the most serious part of Aminé’s album, signifying the large impact Bryant’s loss has had on him and many others. Kobe was a huge role model for many young men and boys around the world and Aminé wanted to honor him and help vocalize this loss.

Limbo overall embodies Animé’s current perspective on his upbringing and career. Limbo is Aminé’s second studio album and was released on August 7^th, 2020 by CLBN and Republic Records. It touches on the topics of childhood, growing up, family and friends, losses, racial injustice, and career growth. Many people can relate to a majority of these topics which is what helps make Limbo feel so personal. It makes the listeners feel heard and understood. This album is filled with different hip hop and R&B techniques and shows off Aminé’s range of styles. The differences between “Woodlawn”, “Gelato”, “Solid”, “Compensating”, “Pressure In My Palms”, and “Easy” show that Aminé can execute in various styles while consistently delivering quality and keeping listeners engaged. Limbo is filled with amazing beats, melodic instrumentals, and multiple talented feature artists. Compared to Aminé’s older work, I would argue that Limbo touches on more personal and serious topics. At the same time Limbo manages to keep the vibe light and humorous while delivering the message. This is Aminé’s attempt to keep going as a rising artist and establish himself, which I think he’s doing successfully.

Aminé is influential and redefining the genre he’s a part of by incorporating impressive lyricism with amazing beats. Many people were surprised that such a successful rapper came from Portland, Oregon. However, when taking a closer look, it’s not so surprising. Aminé grew up listening to rap music, and hip hop isn’t a road he’s surprised to be on. Aminé is also a great example of working hard to achieve your dreams. His parents are from Ethiopia and Etritrea, which helped influence Aminé’s music tastes and style, as seen in his previous album’s song “Baba”. Aminé began to write in college and would work on it with peers for many hours and long days.

Overall, Aminé has made a global impact as a rising artist with more success in his future. He stays reflective of his upbringing and childhood while staying on trending topics. With collaborations with artists like Saba, JID, Young Thug, Vince Staples, Summer Walker and more, you can’t go wrong with his newest album Limbo. If you want an album to be this summer’s anthem, Aminé’s Limbo album is it.