Album Review: KAYTRANADA & Aminé, ‘KAYTRAMINÉ’

The tweets about not yet having a definitive Song of the Summer might be annoying, but they’re also kind of true. While there are a few worthy contenders scattered across the current music landscape, nothing feels like an easy, let alone unanimous, choice. Enter KAYTRANADA and Aminé, now known as KAYTRAMINÉ. A collaboration eight years in the making, KAYTRAMINÉ marks the union of Grammy-winning dance music savant KAYTRANADA and Portland rap star Aminé. The result is an enjoyable, if a bit middling, summer record perfect for sipping frozen cocktails by the pool. It’s a fine project, but it’s one that struggles to fully realize the potential of pair as well-matched as its namesake.

KAYTRANDA, with his shimmering synths and sultry amalgamation of house-inflected R&B and electronic music, is one of today’s most gifted producers. His sound is singular, yet it still feels strikingly muted and, at times, absent on KAYTRAMINÉ. Aminé is one of today’s sexiest rappers; his ability to emulate the effortless swagger and sex appeal of early ‘00s rappers in the midst of the genre’s most insular and despondent phase yet is unmatched. Nonetheless, that sex appeal doesn’t come out to play nearly enough for a dance-hip-hop fusion record released on the precipice of the Summer season. In an effort to find the middle ground between their two sounds, KAYTRAMINÉ compromised what makes each of their individual sounds so arresting and alluring.

At just over half an hour, the record starts off strong and starts to drag about halfway through, a feat that should be impossible given the album’s brief runtime. “Who He Iz” is one of their strongest offerings, is a percussive Missy Elliott-evoking groove that features a theatrical Diddy sample (“Real Niggas”), as well as a subtle bounce which Aminé fashions into one of the many pockets he rhymes inside of. “Look, I'm one of the few men who know where the clit is / I'm one of the few men who know how to make you finish,” Aminé raps, again, effortlessly embodying that sleek sex appeal. “Letstalkaboutit” features an uncharacteristically effervescent Freddie Gibbs nimbly spitting over a slinky flip of a Clipse sample (“Let’s Talk About It”), and lead single “4EVA” remains a solid summary of the group’s ethos. KAYTRAMINÉ consistently misses the mark with their hooks; lacking in verve and simply not catchy enough to match the record’s lowkey funk, the hooks on this album are quite limp and stagnant. Hilariously not-so-humble braggadocio and playboy musings are the grounding principles of KAYTRAMINÉ, and KAYTRANADA’s production backs Aminé’s flexes beautifully, perhaps too beautifully.

KAYTRAMINÉ’s primary issue is that the album doesn't sound all that different from a regular Aminé album. Without a clear-cut overarching concept and production that favors Aminé’s funky percussion over KAYTRANADA’s more explicit electronica, KAYTRAMINÉ feels too familiar for its own good. In fact, the album starts to blend together for the majority of its back half; only the Snoop Dogg-assisted “Eye” is able to break through because, well, Snoop Dogg’s smooth delivery is the forefather of much of the sonic profile of KAYTRAMINÉ. Big Sean also delivers a formidable verse on “Master P,” but it’s still not enough to inject this record with the vigor that courses through KAYTRAMINÉ’s solo projects. This is a dance record for lounging, posing poolside, and basking in your own hotness. While that’s all greatly appreciated, the teases of legitimate bangers sprinkled across KAYTRAMINÉ make it difficult to be fully satisfied by this version of the end product.

Vote for KAYTRAMINÉ at the 2023 Bulletin Awards.

Key Tracks: “Master P” | “Who He Iz” | “Rebuke” | “Letstalkaboutit”

Score: 70