Limbo (Aminé album)

Limbo is the second studio album by American rapper Aminé. It was released on August 7, 2020, by CLBN and Republic Records. The album features guest appearances from JID, Charlie Wilson, Young Thug, Slowthai, Vince Staples, Summer Walker, and Injury Reserve.

Limbo
Studio album by Aminé
Released	August 7, 2020
Genre	Hip hop
Length	44:05
Label	CLBN Republic
Producer	Aaron Childs Ambezza Aminé Boi-1da Byrd Finesse Greg Sekeres James Maddocks Mac Wetha Maneesh Nik D OZ Parker Corey P2J Pasqué Pi'erre Bourne T-Minus Taycreations Vinylz Yung Lan
Aminé chronology
OnePointFive (2018) Limbo (2020)
Singles from Limbo
"Shimmy" Released: February 26, 2020 "Riri" Released: May 29, 2020 "Compensating" Released: July 6, 2020

Prior to release, Limbo was promoted by three singles: "Shimmy", "Riri", and "Compensating". The album debuted at number 16 on the US Billboard 200 chart, earning 26,000 album-equivalent units in its first week.

Promotion

The album's lead single, "Shimmy", was released alongside its music video on February 26, 2020.[1] The video depicts Aminé performing the song at various locales in his hometown of Portland, Oregon.[2] "Riri" was released on May 29, 2020,[3] and its music video was released June 24, 2020, after being delayed so Aminé could participate in Black Lives Matter marches in protest of the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.[4] "Compensating" featuring Young Thug, was released on July 6, 2020, as the album's third single.[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	6.7/10[6]
Metacritic	75/100[7]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[8]
Clash	6/10[9]
Crack Magazine	7/10[10]
Entertainment Weekly	C+[11]
Paste	8.4/10[12]
Pitchfork	7.5/10[13]
RapReviews	7.5/10[14]
Slant Magazine	[15]

Limbo was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 75, based on seven reviews.[7] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 6.7 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[6]

Sheldon Pearce of Pitchfork highlighted Aminé's shift in style from his previous album, stating "he's more pragmatic, suddenly concerned with crafting a sustainable legacy, and this new attitude produces the best music of his career."[13] Writing for Slant Magazine, Charles Lyons-Burt praised Aminé's performance and wrote "In melding traditional hip-hop form with just the right amount of modern trap verve, Limbo makes the case for Aminé, if not as the next great rapper, then as a pop-rap workhorse. The album proves that he can keep pace with his contemporaries while drawing on the history of the genre in ways many of today's innovators are unconcerned with engaging."[15] Candace McDuffie of Paste said, "Although this light-hearted nature dominated Good for You in its entirety, Limbo takes more of an existential turn as Aminé earnestly wonders what comes after that initial rush of success."[12] Nicolas-Tyrell Scott from Crack Magazine enjoyed the album, saying, "Limbo feels like the emergence of a new artist: one whose growth has taught him exactly how to use his voice."[10] Steve "Flash" Juon of RapReviews said, "Limbo shows that if he takes his time and works with the right people, the results can be drastically improved. The hidden talent Amine had is hidden no more, and I'm happy to say I won't be nearly so reluctant to listen to his NEXT album."[14]

The album also received some mixed reviews. Mike Milenko of Clash described the album as "an example of a talented artist not pushing his boundaries".[9] Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Eli Enis praised the first six tracks before noting "the record falls off during its latter half as the melodic R&B cuts begin to blend together."[11]

Accolades

Year-end lists for Limbo

Publication	Accolade	Rank	Ref.
Complex	The Best Albums of 2020	37	[16]
Insider	The 20 Best Albums of 2020	18	[17]
PopSugar	Best Albums of 2020	12	[18]
Uproxx	The Best Albums of 2020	27	[19]
Yardbarker	The 20 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2020	N/A	[20]

Commercial performance

Limbo debuted at number 16 on the US Billboard 200 chart, earning 26,000 album-equivalent units in its first week.[21][22] The album also debuted at number 10 on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, becoming Amine's first top-ten album on this chart.[21]

Track listing

Limbo track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Burden"	Adam Daniel Albert Tanner Lloyd McDonald Madison Stewart William Pulliam	Mac Wetha	3:31
2.	"Woodlawn"	Daniel Greg Sekeres James Maddocks Milan Modi	Yung Lan Sekeres Maddocks	2:23
3.	"Kobe"	Daniel Irvin Mejia	Pasqué	0:39
4.	"Roots" (featuring JID and Charlie Wilson)	Daniel Charlie Brown Destin Route George Smallwood Mejia Nathaniel Ritchie Parker Corey	Corey Pasqué	4:28
5.	"Can't Decide"	Daniel Tyler Williams Stewart	T-Minus	2:53
6.	"Compensating" (featuring Young Thug)	Daniel T. Williams Mejia Jeffery Williams	T-Minus	3:18
7.	"Shimmy"	Daniel Anderson Hernandez Mejia Matthew Samuels Nik Frascona OZ Robert Diggs Rook Monroe Russell Jones	Boi-1da Vinylz OZ Nik D Rook^[a] Pasqué^[a]	2:14
8.	"Pressure in My Palms" (featuring Slowthai and Vince Staples)	Daniel Mejia Brenda Mensah Tyron Frampton Vince Staples	Pasqué	3:58
9.	"Riri"	Daniel Mejia	Pasqué	3:02
10.	"Easy" (featuring Summer Walker)	Daniel Aaron Childs Jackuum Marlon Roudette Richard Oluwaranti Summer Walker	P2J Childs	3:31
11.	"Mama"	Daniel Mejia Stewart Odunayo Ekunbojeyo Phil Hotz	Pasqué	3:39
12.	"Becky"	Daniel Brown Mejia Stewart	Aminé Pasqué	3:41
13.	"Fetus" (featuring Injury Reserve)	Daniel Ari Balouzian Juliana Rowlands Ritchie Corey Stephan Groggs	Corey	3:52
14.	"My Reality"	Daniel Hernandez Mejia Daniel Caesar Jahaan Sweet Stewart Maneesh Samuels	Maneesh Boi-1da Vinylz Sweet^[a]	3:09
Total length:				44:05

Deluxe edition (bonus tracks)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
15.	"Mrs. Clean"	Daniel Jordan Jenkins	Pi'erre Bourne	2:08
16.	"Zack & Cody" (featuring Valee)	Daniel Taylor Winfield Valee	Taycreations	2:08
17.	"Gelato"	Daniel Amritivir Singh Leutrim Bequiri	Ambezza Byrd Finesse	2:09
18.	"Talk" (featuring Saba)	Daniel Diego Mejia Nami Saba	Pasqué	2:13
19.	"Chicken" (featuring Toosii)	Daniel Mejia Naujour Grainger	Pasqué	2:25
20.	"Buzzin" (featuring the Unknown Mortal Orchestra)	Daniel Mejia Davon Jamison Nami Unknown Mortal Orchestra	Pasqué	3:40
21.	"Solid"	Daniel Mejia Brown	Pasqué	2:40
Total length:				61:28

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies an additional producer

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[23]

Performance

• Aminé – vocals
• Jak Knight – additional vocals (8, 10, 15, 18)
• Bree Runway – additional vocals (15)
• Joyce Wrice – additional vocals (15, 16, 20)
• Marche' Black – additional vocals (16)
• Charlie Wilson – additional vocals (18)
• Odie – additional vocals (18)
• Daniel Caesar – additional vocals (21)
• Marche Black – background vocals (7)
• Merna – background vocals (8)
• Sing Harlem – background vocals (8, 18, 20, 21)

Musicians

• Morning Estrada – programming (11)
• Sean Phelan – strings (11, 14)
• Pasqué – programming (13)

Technical

• David Nakaji – mixing (1, 3, 8–21)
• Morning Estrada – recording, mixing (2, 4–7)
• Phil Holtz – recording (8, 11–14, 21)
• Sean Phelan – recording (12)
• A. "Bainz" Bains – recording (13)
• P2J – recording (17)
• Summer Walker – recording (17)
• Irving Gadoury – recording (18)
• John Bruington – mixing assistance (8–12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21)
• Brodie Means – recording assistance (2, 4, 6–8, 11, 15, 16)
• Milan Beker – recording assistance (1, 5, 8, 11–14, 16, 18, 19)
• Jaramiah Rios – recording assistance (17)
• Jason Patterson – recording assistance (17)

Charts

Chart performance for Limbo

Chart (2020)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[24]	56
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[25]	83
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[26]	28
Irish Albums (OCC)[27]	45
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[28]	24
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[29]	72
UK Albums (OCC)[30]	70
US Billboard 200[31]	16
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[32]	10

Release history

Release dates and formats for Limbo

Region	Date	Label(s)	Format(s)	Edition	Ref.
Various	August 7, 2020	CLBN Republic	Digital download streaming	Standard	[33]
	November 6, 2020		CD		[34]
	December 4, 2020		Digital download streaming	Deluxe	[35]

References

1. Mahadevan, Tara C. (February 26, 2020). "Aminé Drops New Video "Shimmy"". Complex. Archived from the original on August 21, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
2. Tan, Emily (February 26, 2020). "Aminé Pays Homage to Portland in 'Shimmy' Video". Spin. Archived from the original on August 17, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
3. Okon, Wongo (May 29, 2020). "Amine Closes The Chapter On An Old Relationship With His New Song, 'Riri'". Uproxx. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
4. Blanchet, Brenton (June 24, 2020). "Aminé Goes on a Quarantine Cruise in 'Riri' Video". Spin. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
5. Elder, Sajae (July 6, 2020). "Aminé teams up with Young Thug on "Compensating", announces upcoming album Limbo". The Fader. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
6. "Limbo by Aminé reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
7. "Limbo by Aminé Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Archived from the original on August 21, 2020. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
8. Yeung, Neil Z. "Limbo – Aminé". AllMusic. Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
9. Milenko, Mike (August 7, 2020). "Aminé – Limbo". Clash. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
10. Scott, Nicolas-Tyrell. "On 'Limbo', Aminé lays himself bare". Crack Magazine. Archived from the original on August 21, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
11. Enis, Eli (August 7, 2020). "Aminé sounds stuck on 'Limbo'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
12. McDuffie, Candace (August 6, 2020). "Aminé: Limbo Album Review: Rapper Asks Tough Questions". Paste. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
13. Pearce, Sheldon (August 11, 2020). "Aminé: Limbo Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
14. Juon, Steve "Flash" (December 8, 2020). "Amine :: Limbo". RapReviews. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
15. Lyons-Burt, Charles (August 6, 2020). "Aminé 'Limbo' Review: The Album Melds Traditional and Modern Hip-Hop Modes". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on August 18, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
16. Schube, Will (December 1, 2020). "The Best Albums of 2020". Complex. Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
17. Ahlgrim, Callie (December 8, 2020). "The 20 best albums of 2020, ranked". Insider. Archived from the original on January 4, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
18. Cubit, Brea (December 14, 2020). "Presenting 50 of the Best Albums to Drop in 2020". PopSugar. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
19. Williams, Aaron (December 1, 2020). "The Best Albums of 2020". Uproxx. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
20. Singleton, Mya (December 16, 2020). "The 20 best hip-hop albums of 2020". Yardbarker. Archived from the original on December 17, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
21. Anderson, Trever (August 20, 2020). "NLE Choppa & Amine Score First Top 10s on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 23, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
22. "Billboard 200 – August 22, 2020". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 23, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
23. "Credits / Limbo (Deluxe) / Aminé". Tidal. Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
24. "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 17 August 2020". No. 1589. Australian Recording Industry Association. August 17, 2020. Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
25. "Ultratop.be – Aminé – Limbo" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
26. "Amine Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
27. "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
28. "Charts.nz – Aminé – Limbo". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
29. "Swisscharts.com – Aminé – Limbo". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
30. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
31. "Amine Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
32. "Amine Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
33. "Limbo by Aminé". Apple Music. Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
34. "Amine – Limbo". Record Store Day. Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
35. Cho, Regina (December 4, 2020). "Aminé unleashes deluxe version of 'Limbo' album". Revolt. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020.