Tre' Amani: Brent Faiyaz's Right-Hand Man-Turned Rap Superstar
We meet the hip-hop polymath laser-focused on authenticity.
Tre' Amani is not a regular rapper.
I mean, how would you feel if your childhood friend was blowing up the R&B charts while you couch surfed and worked a 9-5? If you're anything like Tre'—it would probably light a fire underneath you.
While his homie Christopher "Brent Faiyaz" Wood was dominating airwaves with his feature on the GoldLink and Shy Glizzy single "Crew", Tre' was struggling to unlock the potential that he and Brent both knew he had. Now, Lost Kids collective mainstay has come a long way in five years, and this is exemplified by the DMV native's orchestral and bold new project, Incrementum.
The rhymer's musical ties with his crooning counterpart stretch back a decade, too. Tre' had notable guest appearances on Brent's first two rap tapes—Sunset Ave. LP and Black Child—on the cuts "The Leak" and "Successors" from 2012 and 2013. While demonstrating charisma and lyrical workmanship, it was clear Tre' needed just a little more time.
Rather than be spiteful or insecure about his friend's success: Tre' used it as currency. Investing his struggle into tools to refine his artistic output, 2018's Die Young was an early sign of success. Now, the Maryland wordsmith comfortably sits on four EPs, a tour with Big K.R.I.T., and has just under two million monthly listeners on Spotify. Tre' Amani has nothing left to prove.
It's so refreshing to talk to artists who've reached this point. It's not cockiness or arrogance, but a quiet confidence that's bolstered by the fact that they objectively make some good ass music. From cloud rap-tinged anecdotes ["Timeless"] to groove-driven pastures ["lo$t kid."], there are few beats Tre' can't conquer.
Sitting outside Sankofa Books on a quintessential fall afternoon in Washington DC, Tre' and I discussed his relationship with Brent Faiyaz, his constant pursuit of artistic evolution, and why the best of him and the Lost Kids is yet to come. Like we said: Tre' Amani is not a regular rapper…
The Culture Crypt: Where does your journey with music begin?
Tre' Amani: "Middle school. We had this music class where they let us make beats. We were like 'this is pretty easy,' but I wasn't that good at rapping at all to be honest, I was pretty bad for a while. Brent [Faiyaz] was really good at making beats though. He's always been good."
How did you improve your rapping skills?
"I just studied the game. I was big on hip hop since 50 Cent dropped Get Rich or Die Tryin'. I know what good music sounds like; I just couldn't develop that shit myself for a while. But luckily Brent had a studio in his basement, that was like the gym for me."
So, when did you meet Brent?
"I met Brent back in 2006 at his brother's 11th birthday party. He was like 10, bro. I remember him was clowning me because I couldn't swim and shit. I was outside the pool, shy as hell. I was friends with his brother at first."
Seriously?
"We didn't like each other at first. We're both dickheads, very stubborn and artsy. After a while, Brent and I realised like we had a lot in common, you feel me? From our music tastes, style, to specific shit like being the youngest sibling and having older brothers and being good at sports, it's crazy. Back in '06 if you couldn't hoop—the fuck is you doing?"
What was it like to see Brent blow up while you were still struggling?
"It was just very empowering. Like knowing that we're cut from the same cloth. Every accomplishment that he's got to this date, I feel like it's mine too. I know I'm capable of the same shit Brent is. The rap game is just a little more oversaturated. When you’re a fire ass R&B nigga, the competition isn't quite as tough [laughs]."
Growing up, what was your parent's music collection like?
"Motown. My mom would always play Motown: like The Temptations or The Supremes. Real music you feel me? My parents split up when I was five, around 1998/99 when The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill came out. She played that shit every day, that shit got her over my father. Powerful music."
Tell me about your collective Lost Kids, how did that come about?
"I mean it was a high school collective. It's been around since '09. It was just some crew shit, and then it grew into something big."
What's the most significant driving force behind your music?
"Experience. Just going through stuff and tapping into my old emotions. Because there was a time when I finally got signed and I was like, I can't even really write a song. Because I'm used to making music off pain and drama. Everything is good now. Even the songs I would bump back in the day that would get me through shit, they don't even hit the same anymore because I'm a different person."
Different how?
"Different because everything is good now. But it's still important to tap into those old emotions when I’m creating."
“You gotta humble yourself because none of this shit is promised—it can always go back to the way it was.”
How can you channel those negative feelings without sabotaging your authenticity?
"Being around my peers also helped. Hustling, working a 9-5, doing shit they don't wanna do grounded me."
Talk to me about your writing process.
"The beat always comes first; it might take me a whole day to write. I might write the last lyric first, or put it in the middle and structure shit around it. Recently, I've been able to freestyle my bars off the dome. I freestyled “Already Famous”. I got the hook down, and I was like 'oh shit, I'll keep going,' and my engineer Tops was looking at me confused."
Let's pivot over to performing. Do any venues you've played at come to mind as memorable?
"Tabernacle in Atlanta was legendary venue, as well as the House of Blues in New Orleans too, that place was nuts. It had a great atmosphere. I also had a tour with Big K.R.I.T. that was tight, he's a cool guy. His stage presence is really electrifying. I feel touring with K.R.I.T. taught me a lot. Just watching him stay true to his craft was crazy."
What's it like adjusting to fame? Between Lost Kids, industry connections and your solo stuff, that's got to be difficult.
"It's crazy, a lot to take in for sure. At the end of the day though, connecting with fans is best when I'm on stage. I love performing and showcasing my music. Other shit like appearances with Lost Kids and Brent can be annoying [laughs]. It's all love though. It's just funny because we just go to a club and just sit in a section."
That's so funny, that sounds like Donald Glover's show Atlanta.
"It's exactly like that, I love that show. I'm mad as fuck they've ended it."
Brent tapped you for his track "Addictions" off of his latest album Wasteland, talk to me about that.
"The fact that it has 28 million streams on Spotify is crazy, and I've gotten a lot of love for it. I gotta refer back to that Kobe [Bryant] mentality, though—I could've gone harder on that song. At least as far as delivery goes. People seem to love it, but knowing it was gonna blow up like that, I would've maybe taken a different approach."
How do you feel about your ever-expanding fan base?
"I love it, fans are in my DMs giving me mad love. People heard me on Wasteland and now they can go back to Die Young and my older discography, that's a great feeling, it's more energy to keep up momentum."
What's next for Lost Kids in 2023?
"We're literally in the middle of figuring that out right now as a collective. But you got some big stuff coming man, that's all I can say. We got some things in the pipeline."
Stream Incrementum below.