#call casting

Secret Warriors #1 (2017)

ALBUM REVIEW: Migos - Culture

Rap groups rarely actually work. The idea of them is dope, for sure, but almost always, they have a weak link, and when realized, it becomes really annoying. So it goes without saying that I was skeptical as I cracked open Culture, the highly-anticipated 10th album by the oddest family unit to ever bless the rap game, Atlanta trio Migos. 

Like many other artists coming out the Atlanta trap scene, Migos release music almost as fast as people can listen to it. The first of their ten albums, Young Rich N*ggas, came out just four years ago. In 2015, Migos released three albums. It’s a lot of the same, but its littered with game-changing bangers, particularly “Versace,” “Hannah Montana,” and of course, “Look at My Dab,” which didn't invent the move, but did bring it to a white person near you. Their style is memorable for its strange, choppy flows and ridiculous ad-libs that permeate songs at literally every possible moment (skrrt skrrt!). It’s formulaic, but it’s a formula that works. So, how is Culture different?

First off, it came out about a year later than their last release (a long time, compared to their other breaks) and it feels like it. It just sounds more mature – a rap bar mitzvah, so to speak. Unique, sexy beats with classic trap snare/high hat rolls that just make you vibe like crazy. Seriously, these beats will make your grandmother start to gig. It’s almost perfect.

But what makes Culture a good album is that the Migos work. Three different rappers, often with guest features, and they still operate best as a unit. Voices fill every second of every song with classic Migos ad-libs, but the weight of the hooks, verses, and choruses is much more evenly dispersed, allowing Quavo, Takeoff, and Offset to rap around each other in a way that’s crucial to the completeness of the piece as a whole. It finally allows all three members to share the spotlight in a way that was previously rare in not just the Migos discography, but also rap music as a whole. In interviews, Migos introduce themselves with the prefix “one-third” to say that every one of them is one-third of the whole, and it is present in their music. They are a team in every sense of the word.

Because of Migos’ fairly similar verses across many songs (done in their special style, the triplet flow), the catchiness of the choruses are what makes or breaks a Migos song. In this sense, Culture is a masterpiece. “Bad and Boujee,” “T-Shirt,” and “Call Casting,” already established bangin’ singles, are insanely good songs with dangerously catchy choruses. “Get Right Whicha” and “Brown Paper Bag” are insane. “Slippery,” featuring Gucci Mane, is pure, 24-karat trap gold. It took a while, but Migos is finally at a level that is clearly better than where they started.                              

Though I’d argue that they’ve still got a little while to go until they're better than the Beatles, Culture is a great album, and a team effort. Half meme, half trap icons, the Migos have drawn first blood on the rap game in 2017, and, against all odds, are currently wearing the crown.

Listen to Culture on streaming services today, and if you know what’s good for you, go see them on tour.