Album Review: Limbo by Aminé

Portland superstar releases his newest work, Limbo.

There is something that needs to be said about Aminé: He is as underrated as they come! Not only did he start off his career with an absolute banger in “Caroline”, but he has done nothing but produce bangers since. “Spice Girl”, “REDMERCEDES”, even “Dr. Whoever” were all jam-worthy tracks that never really got the exposure that they deserved. But his newest album, Limbo just might bring Aminé the accolades that he deserves.

Photo by Micaiah Carter

Limbo was released in its entirety on the 7th of August, and even before I got to listen to it, there was a buzz around it that I felt from every angle. Friends were telling me that it was something that I had to hear for myself and experience, and I’ve got to admit that when the first words of the album played (which happened to be “This is that sh*t that you like… This is like some sh*t you go pick your homie up from jail with”) I knew I was going to be in for an interesting time.

Aminé has a penchant for bringing in his jocular side when he is saying something that should be a serious topic. Not once did I actually feel like he was trying to make his impactful lyrics impactful, and the entire album was about him taking responsibility for himself and alluding to the possibility of a family in the future; he even mentions the death of Kobe Bryant multiple times in the album. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, after all, Aminé’s style is jovial in nature, and though he speaks on what’s on his mind, it wouldn’t be authentically Aminé if he deviated from himself. I personally enjoyed this aspect of his project; It’s like it had serious themes but didn’t take itself too seriously. 

When it comes to the general vibe of the album: it’s a fun light-hearted semi-introspection into the mind of Aminé. You can vibe to songs like “Easy” and “Roots”, or you can find a new family reunion favorite in “Mama”, but ultimately, you’re here to bop songs like “Pressure In My Palms”, “Compensating”, and “Riri” in the car with your homies on the way to pick up some takeout from the squad’s favorite place pre-COVID. I think that is what Aminé wanted at the end of the day.

For me, it was a bop – In fact, I now plan on putting “You be giving N*ggas surgical head” somewhere in my wedding vows one day. So if you like a happy vibe and great beats, this album should definitely be on your watchlist. If you haven’t already, take a listen to it when you get the chance, I assure you, it will be forty-four minutes well spent.