Watch Amine’s 2017 XXL Freshman Freestyle and Interview
Adam Daniel, better known to rap fans as Aminé, is a West Coast rapper who looks to bring back feel-good vibes in hip-hop with his colorful personality and melodic music. Hailing from Portland, Ore., the 22-year-old has put his city on the map with his infectious tunes, and most recently, by gracing the cover XXL's 2017 Freshman Class issue.
The son of Ethiopian immigrants, Aminé grew up with intentions of being a basketball player, but after being cut from his high school team, the rapper decided to take a crack at a rap career. Inspired by the likes of Kanye West and OutKast, Aminé began rapping by dissing rival schools in his local area.
In 2014, the Ethiopian-American rhymer released his debut mixtape, Odyssey to Me, followed by the standout EP, En Vogue, which dropped that same year. By 2015, Aminé's popularity reached a new level when he released the critically-acclaimed mixtape, Calling Brio, a project that garnered interest from critics and fans alike.
The following year, Aminé released the feel-good record "Caroline," which instantly became a hit on SoundCloud and propelled him into the mainstream of hip-hop. Releasing the music video to the hit song in June, the infectious track and colorful pushed the song to peak at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Aminé's biggest song to date.
“I don’t really think much of any songs I put out like I know…I think they’re good, that’s why I’m putting them out," Aminé says. "But like I don’t ever try to expect anything, so even with 'Caroline' or 'Red Mercedes,' I just put them out and hope for the best and people kind of gravitate towards them and I guess that’s pretty cool and that’s a blessing."
Now that he's been named a 2017 XXL Freshman, the rapper looks to keep the momentum going with an upcoming project scheduled to drop later this year.
Watch Aminé speak on his journey above, check out his freestyle and take a look at the behind-the-scenes photos from his 2017 XXL Freshman cover shoot below.
And if you missed any of the freestyles and interviews featuring this year’s XXL Freshman class, check out their individual pages here: A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, PnB Rock, Playboi Carti, Ugly God, Madeintyo, Kyle, Kamaiyah and Kap G.
See Behind-the-Scenes Photos of Aminé at 2017 XXL Freshman Shoot