Migos “Beat the Charge” on Culture III
The album trilogy closes strong, even if it doesn't restore Migos to their generational, Beatles-like significance
“Rain drop, drop top.”
Social media users will remember when the simple phrase from the Migos song “Bad and Boujee” took the Internet by storm in 2017, spawning countless memes and Instagram captions. The viral phenomenon propelled the Atlanta rap trio’s second studio album, Culture, to mainstream attention and capped off notable co-signs from the likes of Drake and Donald Glover. Dubbed “the Beatles of our generation” by the latter, the Migos rapidly evolved from a Southern favorite into a national sensation.
Fast-forward one year later to the release of double album Culture II. The highly anticipated 2018 sequel featured lush production and creative hits like “Stir Fry” and “Narcos,” but was otherwise rife with issues apparent to everyone from casual listeners to longtime Migos fans. Rote lyrics about wealth and jewelry, overused song structures, and a bloated tracklist all put a damper on the group’s impressive run, prompting concerns of a potential falloff.
Enter “Straightenin,” the opening salvo in the Migos’ present-day quest to reclaim the throne of trap. The trunk-rattling track dropped in May in advance of this month’s Culture III, announcing the group’s return to a hip-hop scene that has undergone rapid changes in the three years since their last full-length project. “N----s act like the gang went vacant…Ain't nothing but a little bit of straightenin,’” explains frontman Quavo, joined by Takeoff and Offset over bass-laden brass. For the iconic trio, the stakes have never been higher.
“Dubbed ‘the Beatles of our generation’, the Migos evolved rapidly from a Southern favorite into a national sensation.”
Culture III fulfills the rappers’ promise to revisit their ATL roots, while showcasing innovative approaches. The album opener, “Avalanche,” finds the Migos riding a lively beat sampled from The Temptations’ 1972 soul classic, “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone.” The song is instantly likable as it cycles between lighthearted quips and self-assured braggadocio. “Young, rich, and black and we gon’ beat the charge,” a suave Quavo declares, referencing the group’s past encounters with law enforcement while more broadly swiping at their critics. Indeed, the third installment of the Culture trilogy finds the Migos once again hungry to prove themselves, pushing them beyond the creative stagnation that defined its predecessor.
Lyrically, the album centers on the trio’s gang history, newfound wealth, and rags-to-riches story with more attentive songwriting than usual (admittedly, an easy bar to clear). The rappers are quick to remind the world of their influence on rap since they took their signature Atlanta sound and “triplet flow” global half a decade ago (“We came in the door and they takin' the flow, call it repo,” jabs Takeoff). Youngest member Takeoff has traditionally received rave reviews for his exquisite delivery, but Offset steps up to the plate with swift, surgical verses, perhaps the most wary of sounding complacent. Even Quavo spits bars from time to time, a welcome change that results in some of the album’s most memorable lines.
Another positive development on Culture III is that the production is light on its feet. The amalgam of bells, strings, and bouncy basslines recall the original Culture’s lowkey atmosphere and allow the group’s vocal performance to take center stage. “Mahomes” on Culture III’s second half is the true hidden gem, oozing with melodic ear candy at each turn. “Body for body, we havin’ bags full of bones,” Quavo warns over a rattling guitar sample, before Offset breathes fire into a defiant verse (“Nawfside legends!”). The song is an absolute masterclass in coasting the beat, a glossy cousin of Offset’s own solo track, “Underrated.”
As to be expected from a Migos record, the 19-song LP is weakened by filler. Surprisingly, it’s the collaborations with fellow superstar artists that tend to drag the most: Drake struggles to fill space on “Having Our Way,” the Juice WRLD and Justin Bieber features sound fine but forced, and “Type Shit” with Cardi B never really takes shape. The group is capable enough of rounding out bangers with slower entries like “Handle My Business” and “Time For Me,” where the rappers recall selling drugs and robbing to survive.
Despite Culture III’s numerous sonic high points, it’s not clear that the album has generated the momentous, culture-defining impact the Migos were gunning for. The group has put to rest any questions about their craftsmanship and drive, but failed to recapture their mythic, Beatles-like significance within public consciousness. And without a catchy stream magnet like “Bad and Boujee,” it’s uncertain if they’ll have much staying power on the charts, where they are currently being edged out by Polo G.
At the same time, it’s worth recognizing how much of the first Culture’s tracklist has been outdone by the group over the years, from the vivid “Narcos” on II to the inimitable “Avalanche” on III. If the worthy final chapter of the Culture trilogy fails to make a splash, it means that the appeal of the Migos was never just their exceptional chemistry, flow, and ad-libs—which they still possess—but the freshness of it all, which necessarily can’t last forever. An unforgiving hip-hop industry demands that artists build successively greater levels of hype with each album, and the Migos have certainly embraced this challenge by serializing their sound as the “culture.” But in the end, the Culture legacy is better defined by the standout contributions of each installment, rather than the cultural moment associated with any one.
[Authored June 25; Published July 22, 2021]