Aminé’s name means loyal and reliable in Amharic.
The rise of Aminé would almost seem like the rise of any other modern-day post-Tupac SoundCloud rapper, however, he was different. At just 20 he released his first mixtape on SoundCloud and got signed at the age of 22. This may seem young but in today’s rap era of 15-19-year-old rappers being signed by large record labels, he is a couple of years off.
Aminé took an internship at the popular magazine Complex in 2012. Which set him on the trajectory to where he is today. Born in Portland Oregon to two Ethiopian immigrant parents. Aminé epitomizes the second coming of rap in the new generation. He reps both his city and his culture hard because it was instilled in him when he was young.
In 2016 his song Caroline blew up after he dropped his self-directed music video on his Vevo channel.
Hit Music Video ‘Caroline’:
His self directed music video features his friends and a simple skit of his describing the girl of his dreams. There are many allusions to Quentin Tarantino with his Pulp Fiction Movie Shirt and the Big Kahuna burger which reference Samuel Jackson’s character in the movie.
The 25-year-old rapper is apart of Director Quentin Tarantino’s cult following. He says that “Tarantino is just one of those guys who’s in his own lane, which I admire immensely — I just really love the artist and the mind that creates the art.”
Music Description:
The only way to describe Aminé’s sound is vivacious. Even on his more melancholic tracks, he has shown his liveliness in his lyrics and singing. At this point in Hip-hop, it is often difficult to differentiate between Aminé accomplished is 100% singing. His use of autotune is only to be germane and not a lyrical crutch. His second Extended Play titled “ONEPOINTFIVE” was a heavy trap-influenced by glimpses of RnB. He is introspective in the intro DR. WHOEVER, but finds his “big rapper voice,” in a hits like “REELIT IN” and “BLACKJACK.”