Aminé’s not exactly new on the rap scene but right now he’s blowing up. During his recent European tour, he performed six UK shows and made an appearance on the British YouTube show, ‘PAQ’, which re-established his position as a one of this year’s most exciting rappers.
The Portland rapper’s appeal lies in his quirky sense of humour and incredible stage presence. While his peers are rapping about money and lean, Aminé is donning a pink wig and making comedy skits to accompany his music. His honest depiction of the world around him, and self deprecating nature, makes Aminé a relatable oddball in the world of modern rap.
To best get inside the mind of this rap prodigy, have a watch of some of his music videos. Here are some of our favourites.
CAROLINE
‘Caroline’ is Aminé’s debut single: now somewhat of a classic after blowing up in 2016. The beat has an Outkast-ish vibe and the name of the song itself is, of course, the same as the woman Andre 3000 sings about in ‘Roses’. In this music video, you get to know Aminé’s goofy side. He and his friends drive around in Honda full of bananas, eat burgers and play video games, all while wearing a Pulp Fiction tee – a pretty good day, if you ask us.
REDMERCEDES
The video for REDMERCEDES kicks off with someone walking in on Aminé – in Used-Car-Dealer persona – on the toilet. In this upbeat tune Aminé gushes over his precious wheels. The song on its own, is a catchy but formulaic rap song but combined with the video – which sees Amine and friends in ‘whiteface’ – the rapper tackles wider issues around the institutionalised racism that he faces everyday.
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REEL IT IN
In ‘Reel it in’ Aminé is letting go of more serious narratives. “It’s the most fun song, there is no deeper meaning behind it”, he revealed in an interview with Genius. In the music video Aminé mocks the over-sexualised 2000s rap videos. In ‘Quincy’s Car Wash’, half-naked women dance around, lick the steering wheel and pose with Aminé and his squad. “This isn’t sanitary for you or for the customers, y’all got your asses out, just nasty”, shouts influencer Rickey Thompson, who plays the car wash manager, before he ends up twerking with the girls. The song was also remixed by Gucci Mane.
SPICE GIRL
An ode to the 90s girl group, In ‘Spice Girl’ Aminé reflects on his need for a lady that lives up to Sporty and pals. The music video features a lot of random scenes – at one point he’s covered himself in Post-It notes – but the highlight comes when actual Mel B pops up to tell Aminé what she really, really wants! During a recent London show Aminé got Mel C up on stage with him. Boy got some spicy connections.
CAMPFIRE
In this track Aminé is joined by Arizona hip-hop trio, Injury Reserve. The artists don pink and green wigs and ride around on the bonnet of a Tesla in the countryside. At one point they break to talk about how to pronounce ‘rural’. It’s a weird word, when you think about it.
BLACKJACK
The music video for ‘Blackjack’ is an homage to Jack Black’s ‘School of Rock’. The action takes place in a fictional ‘School of Rap’, where Aminé and his friends act out on the teacher, again played by Insta-famous pal, Rickey Thompson.