Artist Spotlight: Amani

By V. ChenApr 04, 2024, 19:42 pm 1

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Artist Introduction

What’s your name and where are you from?

I go by the name “Amani” and I was originally born in Queens, New York, but I’ve grown up and lived in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas for most of my life and that’s where I’m currently based right now.

What’s the story behind your stage name?

It’s actually my middle name. My mother chose it for me. Apparently it means “peace” in Swahili and “wishes” in Arabic.

Describe your musical journey in three sentences.

In the beginning, no one really knew I made music and the ones that did didn’t take me seriously which was fair because I started off by making “meme rap”. I later went on to spend lots of time learning and perfecting my skills and craft. Now I’m making music that I truly enjoy making and I’m super grateful that other people like it too.

Fan Engagement

Share an interesting experience you had while creating your latest track.

My latest track(s) were released last week at the end of March in my alternative/experimental rap/hip-hop album, “ENIGMA”. Originally, it was supposed to be 4 song EP that I finished in the beginning of February, but I decided to try and get 5 more songs out before the start of March so I could upload it weeks in advance so I’d have enough time to pitch it to Spotify and have plenty of time to fix any possible corrections for my release date of March 29th, 2024. DistroKid recommends to upload at least 1-2 weeks to give the stores time but I’ve also seen online that you should give it a couple more weeks for the Spotify pitches so they have time to even look at your submission. Anyways, I was able to get those songs out and released WAKEUP and GIMMEMYMFGRAMMY on there as well since they fit the vibe of the album and I’ve been wanting to get rid of my EP, “CAPITAL” for the longest time anyways. ENIGMA is basically everything CAPITAL should’ve been.

What message do you want to convey through your music?

Through my music, I hope for people to just understand me and my ideas and where I’ve came. I want people to see my pains, insecurities, and ideas that I’ve overcome. I create music that reflects myself in certain time periods of my life. I guess the message would be to stay true to yourself and be real. People have given me admiration for trying different things when it comes to music. Don’t be afraid to think/do outside the box. There’s no rules to this. What ever creative idea you have in mind, do it.

Behind the Music

Tell us about a challenge you faced during production and how you overcame it.

While mixing and mastering my first/most recent album, ENIGMA, it was really easy to become tone deaf and just get mixing fatigue in general. I ultimately had to send off 4 songs to get mixed and mastered by a talented artist homie of mine, Flynn Kiely. You all should check out his music and get a mix/master done by him, I recommend. Doing that made the overall workload easier. I know some artists want to have the full share of work when it comes to projects so they can feel proud of creating something they made 100% themselves, but it’s okay to collaborate and work with other artists too. As time goes on, I find myself wanting to work with other people more and more.

If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be and why?

I would collaborate with JPEGMAFIA for sure. He’s been my prominent inspiration for the past year. “Haters are a real thing”. His story and journey as an artist motivates me so much and makes me confident that I can reach my dreams as long as I keep at it and keep working hard. His production and style is out of this world and is unique in a way that makes his mark in the underground, although I can see him becoming more mainstream after his collab album with Danny Brown. I would also want to collab with Ye – Artist of the century right there, but I don’t even have to speak much on that, you all already know what he’s accomplished.

Future Aspirations

Where do you see your music taking you in the next year?

Next year, I see myself hopefully inspiring many to take that first or next step in music and to get out of their shell and chase their dreams. I can imaging that it also allows me to work less and devote more time into music making if it eases my financial situation. Optimally I want to be able to do that fulltime and create content.

What’s the next big step for you as an artist?

I want to release many more albums and fill 100+ capacity venues, but the soonest thing I’ll accomplish is likely more music videos and ways to give back to my fans such as limited edition merch releases/giveaways.

Recent Work & Contact Info

Where can we hear/watch your most recent work?

My music is on all platforms, but you can find everything in my bio on my Instagram (@amanihiphop). Be sure to follow my music account and check my story everyday because that’s where I post 99% of all my news/updates!

What is the best way to contact you if fans want to give feedback or if other artists/producers want to collaborate?

Again, reach out to me on my Instagram (@amanihiphop). I respond to ALL dms currently. I personally don’t like having unread messages or seeing that red notification button on my phone or in the app, it just bothers me and I don’t know how people can just ignore messages or leave people on delivered. I don’t know, it just irks me. I have to click that message lol. I also have my email: info@amanihiphop.com . I’m open to any and all feedback and of course if you want to collab, don’t hesitate to reach out!

TAGAmani