In truth, there are moments on Limbo when the Portland rapper embraces a deep darkness. Sometimes, Aminé’s issues are best addressed by his wry wit. Later, he raps “It’s all fun and games ‘till it happens, like a Based God Curse,” an allusion to an obscure Lil B beef track. “Maybe I’m the one who need the Lord to save me/The last time I went to church was in the fuckin’ eighties,” he raps on “Burden.” It’s sobering and funny, evidence of the faintest twinge of Catholic guilt. Aminé ‘s still wisecracking, but his jokes have become somewhat sour. Limbo is also marked by a new found world-weariness there’s a never heard before fatalism here. These are minor blemishes that, in their way, are also encouraging - he has room to grow. Summer Walker’s relaxed vocals can’t obscure the fact that Aminé’s voice isn’t comfortable in this setting. “Easy,” a treacly neo-soul sex jam (which softens the impact of the breakup blues registered in the preceding “Riri”) suffers from a similar lack of individuality. The autotuned hook makes the homage painfully obvious. Kanye’s influence finally becomes overbearing the chopped soul instrumental, coupled with Aminé’s delivery, could have been ripped straight from The College Dropout. The closer, “My Reality,” winds up being its weakest track. Limbo‘s weak spells arrive during its back leg, when it loses some of the variety that initially drove it forward. Sobering nuances mitigate the album’s lighter moments. The bravado of “Woodlawn” is briefly captivating, but his luxury car-driven confidence is deepened at the close of “Fetus,” where the rapper finds himself eating grapefruit, and wondering “Why is this nicer than my Ferrari?” The record oscillates between two poles: reflective vs boisterous, playful vs serious. Of course, Aminé’s referential quips wouldn’t work so well on Limbo without the rapper introducing some thoughtful issues. Elsewhere, “Riri” provides some downcast vibes as Aminé croons over a breakup “You love Rihanna but you ain’t a savage/Don’t act like you perfect you know that we both got some baggage.” The bassy, nocturnal instrumental evokes smoked out, LED lit bedrooms and loneliness. “Came a long way from that Woodlawn park/Now young Aminé pushing push to start,” he raps, exuding celebratory confidence over the hum of his new Ferrari. “Woodlawn” is a lighthearted “come up” song, built on a trap beat made breezy through the highlighted addition of a flute. Aminé updates his references with modern sounds and his own jokester bars.

Still, Limbo isn’t content to trade purely on nostalgia. These spots reflect a deep, knowledgeable rap library that Aminé dips into with impressive ease. Over eerie backing vocals, Aminé spits “I’m bigger than Texas/Me and God text message,” squarely modernizing ODB’s manic braggadocio. Elsewhere, “Shimmy” pays a direct homage to the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard the track is littered with grainy samples of the Staten Island icon. Listen to the gentle soul keys that add to the sweetness of “Mama” or the self-aware quotations of “homie we major” on “Pressure in my Palms” - Kanye West’s influences are unmistakable. The rapper pulls from myriad moments of musical history, integrating them into a pleasurably varied sonic landscape.

These are the qualities that power his new LP Limbo, aided by some newfound maturity.Īminé’s unabashed reveling in nerdy hip-hop fandom has been on of his strengths, and Limbo continues that trend. Still, the rapper had undeniable strengths: razor wit, encyclopedic pop culture knowledge, and just enough kook to set his voice apart. It didn’t help that the guy was everywhere attending even one college party that year was enough to tattoo the hook of “Caroline,” the rapper’s breakout single, into your skull. The result was a surfeit of clever quips and self-indulgent wordplay. The Portland MC told a dozen jokes per minute, but they misfired as often as they landed. In Limbo, Aminé’s become more reflective, yet he never loses sight of his boisterous mischievousness.Īminé burst onto the scene in 2016, his enormous promise tempered by glaring annoyances.

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