Rapper, Amine has been an artist on my radar since 2017 upon his release of his hit single ‘Caroline’. At first I thought he would be a one hit wonder but was pleasantly surprised with his debut album ‘Good For You’ and EP ‘ONEPOINTFIVE’. They turned into projects I couldn’t stop listening and then boom; he became one of my favorite artists!
Mid 2020, Amine surprised us with a short clip to his song ‘Shimmy’ which excited fans since this meant new music was on the way. Come August 2020, he delivered. His long awaited album titled ‘Limbo’ released and we were in for a treat. The Portland native dedicates most of this album to Kobe Bryant and alludes to his death and how it meant Amine was getting older, more mature, and how disturbing it was to see one of his idols pass away. Now focusing on self worth and building a legacy for himself that’ll carry wealth for his future kids.
For one, Amine has some of the best intros for his releases and he keeps that fire burning in ‘Burden’ which sets the pace for the rest of the album. He clearly has something to prove when it comes to his music and it shows in this album.
Listening to the album, you notice how far Amine has come over the years in terms of creating music that is worthwhile. It’s definitely an album that you can listen to without getting tired of it or having to take breaks halfway through. It’s short and concise which is one of the best parts about it. With only fourteen tracks, it’s a nice and easy listen and I’ve found myself going back for more and more.
There were a handful of features that complemented Amine’s style and flow. Features that included Slowthai, JID, Injury Reserve, Summer Walker, Young Thug, Vince Staples, and my all time favorite feature with him Mr. Charlie Wilson. Each of these artists were able to fully adapt to the style of song that they were presented. Which in my opinion just goes a long way into creating a great album with few to no flaws.
There were many songs that made the album a masterpiece. These included:
Woodlawn
Shimmy
Becky
Easy (ft Summer Walker)
Fetus (ft Injury Reserve)
Amine deviates from his typical pop-rap that he’s known for and sticks to something that’s more heavy-hearted with this release. This album focuses more on his emotional side, trying to battle his demons and realizing that he’s growing older. He’s mentioned getting older and how it affects him mentally in previous lyrics such as “Birthdays these days be the worst days, cause I know I’m getting older and not happier.” Many of us could possibly relate to this album in the sense of trying to figure out life and what it has in store for us despite us still being young.
Although ‘Limbo’ was more on the serious side, Amine taps into the rap style we knew him for in songs like ‘Compensating’ which featured back and forth bars between himself and a catchy Young Thug verse. Surprise features from Slowthai and Vince Staples on ‘Pressure in My Palms’ also gave the album some uplifting energy and just allowed the artists to do what they wanted with the song.
‘Limbo’ was different compared to its predecessors in that it seemed more mature and showed that he isn’t a one trick pony. Consistency is key when it comes to music. Not necessarily in the sense of dropping the same sound each release but more along the lines of showing that you can always release projects that go above and beyond the audience’s expectations and that’s what Amine brings to the table. If he continues to release things like this and keep evolving his sound, he’s bound to be a great artist on the rise.
What’d you all think about Amine’s sophomore album? Favorite songs? Things he could improve on?
Comments