“REEL IT IN” by Aminé

Aminé is a young, up and coming rapper from Portland, Oregon. After releasing his first mixtape in early 2014, he rose to the national spotlight with the release of his song “Caroline”, which reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified triple platinum by the RIAA. This led to Aminé grabbing a spot as one of the ten members of the vaunted XXL "Freshman Class" in 2017. He followed this up with the release of his debut album, Good For You. The song “REEL IT IN” is the follow up single to Good For You, being released on what Aminé has dubbed a half album, OnePointFive. Released in 2018, the track was produced by LDG Beats, and is a true solo effort by Aminé. The music video was released on September 5th, 2018, and has accumulated over 31 million views.

The lyrics of this song are basically a victory lap for Aminé after the success of Good For You. He flaunts his money, his name, and his general happiness as he talks about girls and cars. In the hands of a lesser artist, this kind of subject matter would seem crude and simple, but Amine's wit and snappy flow propel the lyrics above rap tropes. The beat is also slick and thumping, giving a very forceful, celebratory feel to the song.

The music video begins at a local car wash, where Aminé and his friends are holding a fundraiser. However, unbeknownst to the owner of the car wash, Aminé has brought in a troop of women to help out. They're wearing nothing but bikinis and chucks, and they're shaking their butts all over these cars to raise as much money as they can. The biking and chucks look helps set the fun in the California sun vibe the video has going for it. The excessive butt shaking also fits in with the songs lyrics about Aminé's newfound wealth and success, as scantily clad women shaking their butts is a trope of “ballin” rappers. This makes the whole video feel more like smart satire than a cliche ridden mess. Overall, it's another great showing from a rapper who is quickly making a name for himself through witty and catchy music.