Aminé – 3 Months of Sunshine Album – Aminé releases new rap album
Aminé releases his third full-length solo studio album 13 Months of Sunshine via 10K Projects. The follow-up to his 2020 album Limbo includes his previously released singles “Arc de Triomphe,” “Vacay” and “Familiar” and finds him perfecting the experimentation he displayed across his TWOPOINTFIVE mixtape and collaborative LP KAYTRAMINÉ with KAYTRANADA where he explored the nexus of rap and dance/electronic music. To celebrate the album’s release, he’ll be hosting album release parties in New York City and Los Angeles next week, both of which sold out in three minutes.
The album’s title is a play on the Gregorian 13-month calendar that Aminé’s native Ethiopia and Eritrea follow, as well as a direct reference to the Western marketing campaigns to entice tourists to visit Ethiopia in the 60’s and 70’s. “They came up with this slogan to show people that there was so much more to Ethiopia than what is advertised,” the rapper shared, “I related so heavily to it, because on this album, I am showing that there’s so much more than what everyone assumes about my music—myself included.” Guided by intimate conversations with family members, specifically his father, and the strong ties to his East African heritage, 13 Months of Sunshine sees the rapper reevaluate his meteoric success and the legacy he wants to leave behind through intentional storytelling.
Executive produced by Dahi (Ravyn Lenae, SZA, Kendrick Lamar), every line on the 16-song album passes the “small reading room test” through lyrics that he “would be proud to read, without music and in front of 30 people,” Aminé explains, “Every line had to pass that test.” From the Waxahatchee-featuring indie pop beauty of “History” to the psych-synth invocation of Toro y Moi-assisted album closer “Images” on 13 Months of Sunshine, the rapper presents his most exacting vision to date as well as a ferocious appetite as both a listener and curator of sound.
Ahead of the album’s release, Aminé has stayed busy in the years between, releasing his TWOPOINTFIVE mixtape in 2021 and acclaimed, collaborative full-length KAYTRAMINÉ with KAYTRANADA in 2023. An avid participant in the world of fashion, he’s designed two pairs of sneakers as part of his ongoing collaboration with New Balance as well as fostered close relationships with Louis Vuitton, Jacquemus, and Thom Browne. In 2022, he embarked on 2022’s The Best Tour Ever Tour and launched his inaugural hometown festival, The Best Day Ever, in Portland in 2024, which featured stellar performances from beloved collaborators such as BADBADNOTGOOD, KAYTRANADA, Ravyn Lenae, and more.
