Album Review: Limbo by Aminè

Adam Aminé Daniel, better known as Aminé, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Amine rose to prominence with his XXL feature a couple of years ago and has been a rapper that likes to stay low-key unlike his counterparts who are always in your face trying to prove their relevance. On his new album, Limbo, Amine takes a leap from usual fun and chilled out demeanor. He’s pragmatic and seems concerned with crafting a sustainable legacy, and this new attitude produces makes for some of the best music that he’s made. This shift was partly inspired by the tragic death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant which he mentions on the album as well. There is a lot going on in this project. The production is taken a level further with enhanced layering and no beat sounds monotone or rushed. The project seems tight and inspired by rappers such as Jay-Z and Kanye West. Aminè shows his versatility throughout the project as he mixes up his flow and switches back and forth between singing and rapping. With a runtime of less than 45 mins, this project is tightly packed in a concise and effective manner.

Here’s a look at my favourites from the album:

• Burden: Amine opens the project with a 2000’s inspired song that has a very catchy sample running in the background. The song is a perfect album starter as it touches on the subject matter of the project with the kind of humour that’s used throughout the album. 

• Woodlawn: ‘Woodlawn’ is one of the most introspective cuts on this project. Aminé juxtaposes his life in Portland to his life after finding success in the music industry. The Yung Lan production is a perfect trap style beat to aid the flow of Aminè with a brilliant flute sample on a loop throughout. 

• Roots: JID proves on this track why he’s one of the most praised artist in the present times. Drawing comparisons with the roots of a trees and their solid roots Amine and JID helped with a beautiful chorus from Charlie Wilson, take it back to the 2000’s with a beautiful soul production. 

• Compensating: Amine proves that he’s the one to look out for catchy hooks with his repetitive yet catchy hook on this songs where both Young Thug and Amine pay homage to a relationship and retrospect why they may have failed. A very modern and hip beat accompanies this catchy single. One of my favorite tracks on this project which goes straight into my chill playlist. 

• Pressure In My Palms: this song is the stand out track on the project. A complex instrumental with tropical beat on the second half and a gritty bass heavy part on the first and excellent pen men ship from rappers Vince Staple, Slowthai and Aminè for a braggadocio cut. 

• Mama: an ode to his mother with fat chunky keys and a relatively simple beat. Aminé lovingly sings the praises of his mother and her herculean efforts to raise him, as if in homage to Kanye’s “Hey Mama”

• Becky: One of the album’s more complex lyrical moments, “Becky” is an examination of racial inequality in America that centers on Aminé’s suburban upbringing. The song fascinatingly looks at the contradictions between the behaviors of individuals and the trends of the masses, a kind of liminality hinted at in the album’s title. 

• My Reality: Aminè closes his Sophomore album with “My Reality” a track about living your dreams and finding peace. The chorus is built around a pitched up vocal sample with additional vocals from Daniel Caesar and Joyce Wrice. While the song features lush instrumentation with bongos making up the percussion.

On his new project Aminè breaks out of the shackles and provides us with a mature and responsible sounding record whilst staying true to his happy-go-lucky side. With more soulful production and an older perspective, ‘Limbo’ is Aminé’s most mature project to date. A couple of weak spots keep it from realising it’s full potential, but overall a great album. I give it a 7.5/10. Here’s the link to the album.