Best known for his 2016 hit “Caroline,” which reached number 11 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, Adam Aminé Daniel — stage name Aminé — released his second “POINTFIVE” project this past week. The 12-song, 27-minute mixtape is full of colorful beats, vibrant melodies, hyper-pop influences and playful lyricism — along with some trippy visuals.
Released with little to no promotion, “TWOPOINTFIVE” is the sequel project to 2018’s “ONEPOINTFIVE,” both serving as creative outlets between official albums. Aminé released his second studio album, “Limbo,” in August 2020, featuring artists like British rapper slowthai, American hip hop group Injury Reserve and many other prominent musicians.
His most recent project features actor, comedian and internet personality Ricky Thompson as a recurring narrator on multiple tracks. Thompson also collaborated on Aminé’s first “POINTFIVE” project after the rapper sent him an Instagram direct message inviting him to work on the mixtape.
During an interview with Apple Music, Aminé discussed the difference between his full-length albums like “Limbo” and the “POINTFIVE” projects.
“I worked a lot on ‘Limbo,'” he said. “It was almost mentally tiring for me because it was a lot of rewriting of verses and a lot of trying to construct this body of work that really hit a certain, like, line that I was trying to hit. And for this new stuff, I’m just trying to have fun. I don’t care what anyone thinks.”
With the longest track on the mixtape just under three minutes long, “TWOPOINTFIVE” is a compilation of bite-sized bops that will leave you dancing alone in your room. For context, I’m writing this review with my AirPods in, bouncing around as I type.
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The project opens with a motivational message from Thompson on “YiPiYaY,” saying, “If you feeling sad, alone, depressed, upset / F*** that, it’s time to get up, go have some fun.” Aminé continues with some self-hyping lyrics and interesting lunch recommendations.
Up next is “Colors,” one of the more reflective songs on the project. This track sees Aminé use different colors to describe specific moments and emotions he’s experienced in his life. Over a xylophone-type beat and with pitched-up vocals, he sings, “I wanna be happy, like when I find a Starburst that’s colored pink / And then, I find myself feelin’ like the colors in between / Stranger to my family, so now, I get no sleep / My inside’s colored blue, but girl, my Range is colored green.”
We reach one of my favorites on the mixtape shortly after with “OKWME,” a love song opening with bumping drums and genuinely beautiful vocals from the musician. The first verse is hyping up the girl he’s with as he raps, “You got real appeal in a very high dose / I know you in the feel, but ain’t many get close, no / You’re Vivienne West-good / Versace shades, lil’ mama givin’ me them looks.” The track closes with another narration from Thompson, this time more sensual than motivational.
Around the middle of the project is “Charmander,” which served as the promotional single for the mixtape. With heavy hyper-pop influences, this smooth-yet-energetic track is fire — just like the referenced Pokémon character in the title. The song was released with a trippy music video starring Aminé, Thompson, Hanan Mohamud and Aminé’s labradoodle, Oliver. Sped-up movements, visual distortion and a 15-foot labradoodle definitely make for an interesting video.
Other notable tracks on the mixtape include “NEO” — a reference to the character from “The Matrix” franchise — “Mad Funny Freestyle” and “Between the Lines.” These are just a few that stuck out for me, but I enjoyed the project as a whole.
“TWOPOINTFIVE” is available through Spotify, Apple Music or wherever you stream your music, and be sure to check out some of Aminé’s other projects as well.
