![]() In Portland, I've only really helped my friends and spread the word. Have you been involved in the Portland efforts at all, whether through protesting or donating? So my love for Portland is like a bittersweet relationship … It's the place where I grew up and I love it to death, but it's also a place that never made me feel like I was welcome. But the problem is, the people that are protesting are the same people that are moving the Black people out of Portland neighborhoods and gentrifying the hell out of the city. Them protesting is what they should've done 20, 30 years ago. Because if they're beating up white people, what do you think they're gonna do to us? But it's also like, I'm not gonna send my Black family or Black friends out there to protest. Them is a beautiful thing-I love the protesting. Growing up there, it never felt welcoming for anyone who was Black or any sort of minority or was an immigrant. So for me, Portland is just like the South. But the history of is kind of hypocritical.įor a city to be so liberal, it was so racist-the way I was brought up. Everyone in that city has a Black Lives Matter post in front of their lawn they support the movement, and they've said that for years. I'm generally not surprised because Portland is liberal. Being from Portland, are you surprised by how many people have showed up to support the Black Lives Matter movement there? Or do you think the protests have been a long time coming for the city? There are also lots of references to Portland on the album. He was just someone where, I never knew a life without him, which is what that skit is kind of about. I didn't pursue music my whole life-I pursued basketball. Did you ever get to meet him? Or was he just a big role model for you? There are several Kobe Bryant references on Limbo. Read: Aminé On Beyoncé, Prince & All Things 'Good For You' ![]() I just feel like, I'm 26 now, I'm a bit older, and I'm trying to make an album that will last 20, 30 years from now. Not to discredit my past work, but they are fairly different. And I knew I wanted to make a more mature album. The platinum plaques and gold albums are really cool, but I had certain artistic places that I knew I hadn't gone yet, and there were still certain things I wanted to achieve. I think that's just where I was at in my life. Why did this album take two years to release? It kind of feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. It was a bit nerve-racking, 'cause it's like your baby. How does it feel now that your new album is finally out? spoke with Aminé about taking his time on Limbo, supporting the Black Lives Matter protests in Portland and finding peace in not always knowing what's next.Ĭongratulations on releasing Limbo! You've been working on this album since before you dropped OnePointFive in 2018. "It's the place where I grew up and I love it to death, but it's also a place that never made me feel like I was welcome." "For a city to be so liberal, it was so racist-the way I was brought up," he reflects. Born to Ethiopian and Eritrean parents, the rapper shares his experience as a Black man who grew up in the predominantly white city, which was once a Northwestern epicenter for segregation and deep-seated racism. Limbo also arrives as thousands of protestors have demonstrated in the streets of Aminé's hometown of Portland for more than two consecutive months in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in May. The album features familiar faces, including Charlie Wilson, Injury Reserve, J.I.D, Vince Staples, slowthai, Summer Walker and Young Thug. The album is a mature sophomore project-it features tributes to his mother as well as his icon from his hoop-dream days, Kobe Bryant-yet pines for simpler days when he wasn't expected to have everything figured out. Limbo comes full circle for Aminé in several ways. "It meant a lot to me, so I gave every song the time and care that it deserved." "I couldn't have made the same album if I'd only had six months to make it," the 26-year-old rapper told just a few days after he released Limbo. In between, he took his time to carefully craft Limbo. After generating a promising buzz, starting with his 2016 summer smash, " Caroline," Aminé released a placeholder mixtape, OnePointFive, in 2018. Over two years in the making, the LP marks his official follow-up to his 2017 debut, Good For You. As fans hungrily devour Limbo, his newly released sophomore album, Aminé can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
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