Aminé - ‘Limbo (Deluxe)’
Limbo has been one of my favorite projects of 2020, and just before the year’s over, Aminé swooped in to give us another dose: Limbo (Deluxe).
I will preface this by saying that I was blown away by Limbo and the deluxe version was a little disappointing. However, that doesn't take away from the fact that this album as a whole is lively, packed with bangers and incredibly introspective.
Portland rapper Aminé is known for his fun-loving energy, and while that remains intact, Limbo represents his growth. Both his music and mentality have matured greatly since his 2017 hit “Caroline.”
He came along way from Woodlawn Park, but he didn't do it ALL by himself. Limbo features Vince Staples, JID, Charlie Wilson, slowthai, Young Thug, Summer Walker and more.
A major part of who he is today is attributed to Kobe Bryant, as expressed in a brief monologue by Aminé’s friend, comedian Jak Knight, included in the album. He feels like his innocence died with Kobe and the tragedy fast-forwarded his maturity.
Aminé goes on to reference him more subtly several times throughout the album. It seems as though what happened to Kobe shook Aminé out of limbo (an uncertain period of awaiting a resolution) and gave him that push into manhood, sending him on a journey for fulfillment at age 26.
Perhaps my favorite reference to his growth is the relaxed, soulful track “Roots.” He says, “I'm not a succulent or sucker, baby girl. These roots made me, I bring my flowers to the world.”
In his self-discovery Aminé realized that even though he's very wealthy now, material things don’t matter !!! While he doesn’t have all of the answers as to what does constitute happiness, he’s a rapper who enjoys the little things in life.
He says it best at the end of “Fetus,” a stripped back, stream of consciousness-driven track that contemplates his anxiety about bringing a child into the state of the world as we know it:
“I think we are just so used to life not being valued that we think wasting it on kindness is a bad idea. You should be gettin' money, you should be fuckin' hoes, driving fast cars – and then you realize that sometimes, you get those things, and now you're just a nigga with those things. You know it's like, wha-what's next?”
He actually goes on to detail the beauty of eating a grapefruit for the first time, and that it's nicer than his Ferrari.
In the deluxe track “Solid,” Aminé says he thought that his red Mercedes would change everything, but realized “that ye line really meant everything.” He’s referring to Kanye’s “Everything I Am” from Graduation.
Everything he’s not made him everything he is today. He uses that track to essentially say sticks and stones don’t break my bones – but in a much cooler way, of course. Judgements are hurtful and his patience is often tested, but ultimately he’s not phased. Aminé is staying solid.
I know i’m on a bit of a rant here, but this shit is VULNERABLE and rap culture needs more music of this nature. There I said it.
Aminé “wears his flaws like ice and keeps his soul in sight.”
He doesn't stop there. On the new track “Chicken,” Aminé and Toosi talk about anxiety and paranoia getting the best of them, keeping them up at night. Fame places a ton of pressure on artists.
This song piggybacks off of the original album track “Pressure in Palms,” in which Aminé is 5 seconds away from having a mental breakdown like when Britney Spears was bald – he actually made that reference. Aminé is the perfect amount of goofy and he’s so unassumingly clever.
artwork by @createdbyparker
Despite his crippling anxiety, he lets us know on “Talk” that he’s on the grind and he’s not playing around. Aminé and Saba go hard on this fast-paced, catchy track.
Aminé’s reflection takes on a different tone when he takes a page from Tupac’s playbook and dedicates a song, “Mama,” to his mother. He says she’s the only woman in his life who makes him smile; however, he might want to retract that statement. In the deluxe version, he brought us “Buzzin,” a sweet R&B track about being unexpectedly love drunk.
What’s so weird though is that the deluxe track, “Zach and Cody,” completely negates everything I just said - so much so that it feels ironic. Aminé goes on about not caring about a girl he’s sleeping with and boasts material items like his Gucci shoes. He literally says “I got on ice and you went to Claire's.”
I would like to believe this was an intentional contrast, but it honestly feels rushed and underdeveloped, like Aminé lost interest in the meaning of the work.
With that being said, this album isn't all that deep. There are some super fun bops like “Compensating ft. Young Thug,” “Riri,” “Shimmy,” “Mr. Clean” and a less-impressive but still very catchy, “Gelato.”
These tracks are BOUNCY. They showcase Aminé’s ability to sway between goey rhythms and hard hitting verses, effortlessly melting his vocals into quirky melodies.
The stand-out track from this list is absolutely “Shimmy.” Aminé sampled Old Dirty Bastard’s 1995 hit “Shimmy Shimmy Ya,” and he absolutely killed it.
This was the first taste we got of Limbo nearly 10 months ago. Aminé created this track as an ode to his hometown; he was determined to highlight all that Oregon has to offer in his scenic music video that involves spitting versus mid rock climbing.
Not all hip hop comes from Atlanta, LA, Chicago and New York – Aminé’s from a city that has been coined “The Whitest City in America.”
In the first verse he says “let’s not front, it’s my year my nigga.”
He said it then, and i’ll say it now - 2020 was Aminé’s year. At least he made my year.
