KAYTRAMINÉ - KAYTRAMINÉ REVIEW

7.0/10

Kaytraminè, a duo banded together by Canadian DJ Kaytranada and west coast rapper Aminè, come through with a project that was supposedly years in the making--but unfortunately doesn't sound like it was years in the making.

"4EVA" was the first Kaytraminè track that got me hyped for the full release, with Pharell's nonchalantly catchy chorus and Amine with significantly solid flows on both verses, all backed up by a super bouncy dance beat. "Rebuke", the final single to drop before the album was fully released, was one of the first red flags. Although it contains a pretty chorus with Aminè and R&B singer Trina Broussard, the verses are underwhelming and the length of the track makes it forgettable.

"Who He Iz" kicks off the project with a lowkey and mellow groove, with Aminè making clever nods to Seth Rogan and Ari Lennox in the lyrics. Nothing stands out past that, and it's definitely not what I expected for an opener on a Kaytraminè project. "letstalkaboutit" picks things up with its catchiness and lovely little harmonies in the chorus. It's a smooth and cool groove, with Freddie Gibbs having a solid moment too.

"Westside" notably changes the vibe up compared to the last three tracks beforehand, with a darker sound. Aminè matches this well with a hard-hitting delivery. "Master P" picks the pace right back up, however, with Big Sean coming through strongly on his verses, outshining Aminè a bit for me.

The second half of the album is where things take an underwhelming turn. Aminè and Amaarae, unfortunately, come through with a vocal delivery on "Sossaup" that I just find annoying, with Aminè sounding like a soulless SoundCloud rapper. "STFU3" is one of the weakest tracks in the second half, with a hollow beat making the track so bland and boring. In contrast, "UGH UGH" has a better beat, but is lazily written and feels dragged out as the track goes on. The switch-up at the end is just an ok touch. Snoop Dogg's feature on "EYE" had me excited, but unfortunately, he comes through with an unenergetic verse. Although the airy synths in the background are nice, the vocal deliveries from everyone are just snoozy.

Finally, the album ends off on a somewhat positive note with "K&A". I enjoyed the chill beat and it just kind of floats there, with slightly muted drums. It's a mellow but sweet track to close the album with Aminè just speaking his mind.

All in all, 'KAYTRAMINÉ' shows great moments, but unfortunately is outshined by those that aren't so great. I'm honestly mad at how underwhelming this was. There's obviously so much potential for these two talented artists, and I hope their next project shows that.

give it a listen