THE PROBLEM WITH KAYTRAMINE
Collaborations are one of the most exciting aspects of music, especially for Hip- Hop and R&B fans. Watching the dynamics between two artists, battling it out on records to create one sound is an electrifying feeling, and this feeling takes new heights as summer approaches. Summer is prime time for collaborations since summer allows kids, teenagers, and young adults to be fully tuned in to music after school ends and vacations start.
This summer has brought us a handful of collaborations so far including Ice Spice and Taylor Swift in the remix of Swift’s song Karma, Doja Cat and SZA with the remix of Kill Bill, Young Thug and Drake, and so many other amazing collabs, but the one that caught me off guard was the collab album between Amine and Kaytranada named “KAYTRAMINE.”
While I was shocked at first, this pairing makes complete sense. Kaytranada, the producer in the duo, is known for his hypnotic melodies and his inner groove. His music is meant to mesmerize, just as much as it is meant to move the listener. It’s impossible to stay still listening to his projects. This is accompanied by his amazing connection with his past collaborators including AMAKA, Pharrell, Masego, Kali Uchis, and Amine as well.
Amine, the enigmatic rapper who rose to fame with his 2017 hit, Caroline, brings his energy into the duo. His lyrics are full of corny allegory and expressive tonal shifts throughout his songs. He is unafraid to venture into new fields of genres and beats, something that he and Kaytranada have in common.
This is what made this duo’s project, Katramine, so exciting. Finally, fans from both camps can bask in the revolutionary sounds of two artists that fit together so well, but upon its release, the album faced mixed reviews.
The problem that some identified in their experience of the album were lyrics, something that I recognized immediately upon listening to the album. I found myself drawn to each beat the album produced. Kaytranada’s fingerprints were all over the album, which I appreciated and enjoyed, but I found myself unimpressed by the lyrics. While Amine has always been an artist willing to take risks, the topic of money, sex, and b****** become repetitive.
His approach to these topics was devoid of any possibility of introspection, or cleverness, and stayed at the surface level. It mirrored what many would call “locker room talk,” yet it somehow felt worse than that.
While this album did not feature any topics different than what one would hear on contemporary rap albums, Amine’s mix of childish and blunt lyrics came together to sound like the ramblings of teenage kids talking about sex, money, and drugs.
While I truly enjoyed the beats featured on this album, it was exhausting balancing Kaytranada’s sound and Amine's lyrical choices. Unfourtunatley, this is a troubling trend that continues to grow in the music industry; KAYTRAMINE is only the consequence of it.