Aminé, 6LACK, and Other New Artists Whose Names You've Been Pronouncing Wrong

It's always embarrassing when you follow a new artist's rise, listen to all their music on streaming platforms, learn about who they are and where they come from, and then realize you can't pronounce their name. It's happening more and more frequently lately, as artists get increasingly creative in coming up with unique names that don't overlap with any other keywords on the internet. Here's a little guide to help you out with some of the most commonly mispronounced artist names out right now.

Correct pronunciation: "black"

Common mispronunciations: "six-lack," "slack"

6LACK's name was so commonly misspoken that he dedicated a whole campaign to instructing people on how to say it. Plenty of them are still getting wrong.

Correct pronunciation: "kha-leed"

Common mispronunciation: "khaled" 

In 2007 on the song "We Takin' Over," Fat Joe exclaimed: "Some say Khaled, some say Kha-leed!" Joe was referring to the mispronunciation of DJ Khaled's name, but this line is still helpful a decade later, because Khalid is prounced Khaleed, but some still say Khaled.

This guy in my class pronounced Khalid like Khaled and I cringed.

— niya. (@janny3much) July 14, 2017

Correct pronunciation: "drahm"

Common mispronunciation: "dramn"

D.R.A.M. stands for Does Real Ass Music, and he also has a real ass name. But don't get it twisted and say DRAM like RAM or BAM. He's an artist so you want to draw this one. It's DRAHM.

I just saw D.R.A.M. live. His name is pronounced "DRAHM."

— Jake Triola (@JakeTriola) March 4, 2017

Correct pronunciation: "hi-yim"

Common mispronunciations: "hame," "hime"

HAIM has been around long enough that you'd think it would be clear by now, but this one is actually tricky. If you say it fast, it just sounds like "hime" but according to them, it's actually two syllables: "hi-yum." Here's a video of them explaining.

Correct pronunciation: "sizza"

Common mispronunciation: "S-Z-A"

SZA is not pronounced Es Zee Ay. It's Sizza. Get it right. 

the fact that SZA is pronounced sizza and not S-Z-A makes me really uncomfortable

— Jack Daniel's (@jiggity_jeck) August 1, 2017

Correct pronunciation: "gah-shee"

Common mispronunciations: "gee-four-she" "gay-shi"

Gosh darnit, it's GOSHY. Not GEE FOUR SHEE. Not Gas-shee. It's disrespectful to pronounce G4SHI's name wrong. And if you disrespect him, he can get real disrespectful. 

How do you pronounce "G4SHI" bc I've been calling him "G-Four-Shee" and I think that is wrong smh

— Tori McCue (@torimccue_) June 9, 2017

Correct pronunciation: "ex-ex-ex-ten-tah-see-own"

Common mispronunciations: "extension," "ex-ex-ex-tashion," "xtsetakfhsdafkldsaf"

So many people had problems pronouncing XXXTentacion's name that Genius made a whole video breaking it down. And that video has well over a million views. It might not be the easiest name, but it's great for SEO.

Correct pronunciation: "ah-mee-nay"

Common mispronunciations: "anime," "ah-meen"

Like 6LACK, Portland rapper Aminé is an artist who's dealt with a quick ascent into the spotlight and a simultaneous realization that his name is being butchered by millions. On his XXL Freshman cover, he wore a shirt poking fun at it, and he talked to Genius about being bum rushed by fans screaming out the wrong name.