Aminé

Adam “Aminé” Daniel burst onto the rap scene as a class clown, but he has slowly revealed another side of his persona: the quiet poet in the corner. He can make you laugh until your ribs hurt or have you rage against the ills of the world, and he’ll often do both in a single verse. The Portland-born rapper offers an unfettered view of his psyche, describing not just the joyous moments of his life but the sobering comedowns that seem to follow him like a storm cloud. In 2016, at the age of 21, Aminé broke through with “Caroline,” a quadruple-platinum, triumphant introduction that features an unshakably infectious chorus and playfully menacing lyrics, such as “Let’s get gory/Like a Tarantino movie.” The track was included on his debut LP, Good For You, setting the stage for OnePointFive, which uses humor to accent his emotions, not mask them. “[Album opener ‘Dr. Whoever’] was one of my first times being honest... I would have never done something like that on Good For You,” he explained to Apple Music. Aminé already has a legacy-defining song on his hands with “Caroline,” but he’s looking for success within himself, not from plaques on the wall.