An Essential Portland Food Cart Makes an Appearance in Aminé’s New Video

Kee’s Loaded Kitchen, the NE MLK soul food cart on Eater Portland’s map of essential Portland restaurants, has accrued its fair share of local fame through a number of media appearances and stories. However, owner Kiauna Nelson popped up in a surprising spot yesterday: In Aminé’s new music video.

Portland born and raised, Aminé has a loyal local following and a growing international fan base: His song “Caroline” peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100, and the rapper now has over a million followers on Instagram. Yesterday, Aminé dropped the music video for “Shimmy,” his newest single, and the whole thing looks like a love letter to Portland: the rapper dances in the center of Providence Park, rides a bike down NE Alberta, and rapping on top of the Oregon Convention Center.

Still, it wouldn’t be a fair portrait of Portland without some food represented. The video includes shots of places like Mike’s Drive-In and Random Order Pie Bar, but no one is as prominently featured as Nelson, who appears seasoning a big tray of chicken wings and smiling at the camera.

The appearance of Mike’s Drive-In could be a callback to the “Caroline” video, which starts with him sitting on a picnic table outside a Mike’s location. He also includes a shout-out to teriyaki classic Du’s Grill in his “Blackjack” video. However, Shimmy’s hardcore Portland focus includes a wider scope of Portland dining, and a surprising lack of bananas compared to past videos. Watch the full “Shimmy” video below:

• “Shimmy” [YouTube]
• Aminé [Official]
• Previous Kee’s coverage [EPDX]
• Aminé Drops Portland-Heavy New Video [Portland Monthly]
• “Caroline” chart history [Billboard]
• Michael Russell [Twitter]