I usually prefer to dedicate my time to reviewing EPs or albums. but when a publicist I’ve been in contact with for a long time now recommended I take a listen so this single I acquiesced. I’m glad I did, because “Fuego” by Prince Amine is an attention grabber. This guy may only be 18 years-old, but he’s already putting out some pretty solid material without any support from a major recording company deal. He’s not only the singer/rapper of the song he’s also involved in its composition from what I understand. In all 3 categories of rapper, singer and composer he manages to not only hold his own, he’s actually, in fact, a rather cunning linguist.
“Fuego” practically runs the gambit of almost all the major languages that are spoken around the globe. Prince Amine intones it in English, French, Spanish and Arabic with equal ease. Whether he’s parlant about “Tu n'as pas compris, te quiero mucho comme d’la white ohh Allonge-toi sur ton lit”, or hablando about “Fuego, fuego, fuego, fuego”, or mixing it up with “Go whine if you don't mind chica come and bring that batty”, Amine demonstrates a wilily way with wagging the tongues. This multi-linguistic and multi-cultural approach certainly places him on a tier as a singer/songwriter to potentially introduce his music on an international level and to a wider variety of audiences. This is obviously something that should get the wheels spinning in the minds of the people in the marketing departments, and to the desks for meetings with the A&R folks, of major record labels. In the professional parlance of the entertainment world, signing this boy to their rosters before another company gets to him should be “a no brainer” for them.
The music video for “Fuego” allows Prince Amine and his crew to showoff their moves. In between shots of a heated card game he and his team don hipster haute couture duds along with ultra chic designer eyewear and dance up a storm to the tune. The young Prince divides the time during the course of the nearly 4 minute video by singing, dancing, gambling and taking tokes from a hookah, or placing what seems like losing bets on deficiently dealt hands of cards. His gang gets their boogie moves going while grooving on a sparsely set stage with limited backlighting, which works well to keep you effectively and cleverly focused on the performers and not distracted by the scenery around them. As each scene progresses it’s made more and more apparent that, at least during that particular night, the cards are not in Amine’s favor. Although he does his best with what he’s dealt this Prince is ultimately forced to wager what any Prince or King would fear to lose the most: his royal crown.
While the final moments of the “Fuego” video storyline leaves it unclear if this unlucky bad boy winds up with the all the chips in the ante or loses his crown, it does leave you undoubtedly entertained. Currently this single is only available from a small independent Canadian imprint called Red Rebel. So come on A&R people, what do you need, an engraved invitation presented on a silver platter? This kid may still free from any corporate contractual entanglements for the time being, but if I were a better gambler than the one portrayed in his “Fuego” video, I’d be betting that Prince Amine won’t be a free agent for long.
https://princeamine.com
