This past year has been a wild rollercoaster with emotions running rampant and people more contentious now than ever. While that has spawned some important results, it’s important to remember that the Black Experience is more than just trauma. Swooping in at the perfect time, charismatic rapper, Aminé releases his amazing tribute to black joy in his new video for, “RiRi.”
Directed by Jack Bergert, the video was shot in quarantine and features cameos from Taylor Rooks as well as a few other noticeable characters. One of the brilliant qualities about the accompanying music video is how Aminé does a great job of keeping his smile on everybody’s face throughout the video, which is not something that’s being shown largely at the moment. Utilizing his infectious charm, he visually exudes energy from you as the listener, as it’s hard not dance along while he frolics around an empty neighborhood.
As for the record, “RiRi,” is without a doubt one of the Portland rapper’s best records to date. As a deep reverberating bass thumps in the background, Aminé lays a smooth rap flow as he spins what normally is a sad narrative, into a fun one. Though the subject of the lyrics may have sadder undertones, his choice of cadences and physical presence on screen give you the feeling that he’s going to be okay.
“We shot this video before the murder of George Floyd & my knowledge of the Breonna Taylor case,” Aminé writes “but I felt compelled to delay its release for obvious reasons. Activism is essential right now so I put my focus there for the past few weeks. We skipped editing sessions to march in the Black Lives Matter protests. I’m dropping the “RiRi,” video today because it’s important to show black joy in a time where we’re constantly seeing imagery of pain and suffering.”
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