KAYTRAMINЀ’s Genre-Bending Debut Album
By Peyton Trout
Collaborative albums have become a popular avenue for artists with similar audiences to expose their listeners to new types of music in one place. Like Bladee and Ecco2k’s “Crest,” Drake and 21 Savage’s “Her Loss,” and boygenius’ “the record,” collab albums and groups have begun to rock the music world. KAYTRANADA and Aminé have embarked on their own collaboration journey by creating the group KAYTRAMINЀ with a debut album of the same name. The two artists enlisted music legends Freddie Gibbs, Pharrell Williams, Big Sean, Snoop Dogg and Amaarae as features for their debut. The album is a genre-bending work that blurs the lines of rap, R&B, funk and pop.
“KAYTRAMINЀ” opens with an homage to Diddy and Notorious B.I.G., using a sample that encapsulates the duo’s goal of representing both the past and future of rap music. Not only do the two embody the genre’s future, but the album also serves as self-promotion for the seasoned artists. Each song on the album highlights Aminé and KAYTRANADA’s embrace of their past as accomplished artists while maintaining their status as influential musicians of the present.
While the duo references their personal accomplishments and their elevated position in the industry, they also demonstrate their reverence for fashion, music, acting and history. Malcolm X, Ari Lennox, Seth Rogen, Skepta and Joss Stone are just a few of the names dropped in the album’s opening track, “Who He Iz.” The album’s collaboration exceeds just KAYTRANADA and Aminé by lyrically referencing pop culture figures such as Ciara, Steven Nash, Imran Ciesay, Sarah Jessica Parker, Big Daddy Kane, Virgil Abloh and many more.
The album flawlessly combines KAYTRANADA’s Haitian funk influences and Aminé’s R&B and pop influences. The fluid disco-funk flow of “4EVA” (featuring Pharrell Williams), the R&B-style trap beat of “UGH UGH,” and the laid-back, chilled beat of “K&A” reminiscent of Drake’s 2016 album Views exemplify the duo’s dedication to creating a genre-defying album that is both contemporary and nostalgic, while also serving as a stepping stone for the future of rap. The album is the perfect example of a debut, showcasing the duo’s ethos through historic references, blending diverse genres, and acknowledging their successes. It represents a step towards a new, diverse world of rap where boundaries are blurred, and the genre is not confined to a single style.
