In the ever-evolving sound of trap music, originality is often lost in the mix by artists influenced by their predecessors and peers alike. “Culture” is the second full-length album by Migos, a trio of relatives: Quavo, Takeoff and Offset. The three released the 13-track album Jan. 27, under the record labels Quality Control Entertainment, 300 Entertainment and Atlantic Records.
Migos reminds listeners what has gotten them so far on cuts like “T Shirt, ” “Get Right Witcha” and “Call Casting” and displays their chemistry and high energy separating them from competition.
Rather than becoming repetitive, “Culture” is kept fresh with Migos street slang linguistics and their interchanging delivery that works so well together it’s as if they are one artist rather than three.
Takeoff provides a bridge that has a particularly infectious bounce over the pulsating beat leading into Quavo’s melodizing chorus on “T Shirt.” A haunting backdrop makes this track especially smooth, with a taste of malice. Perfect for taking a ride and turning the volume up and letting the bass shake your mirrors.
“Get Right Witcha” has an enchanting flute that rides Quavo’s flow with a subtle hint of playfulness on top of the deep bass-rooted beats. This track has grown to be my personal favorite on the album. The three exchange bars back and forth with such nonchalant ease accompanied by their natural bravado, adding substantial personality to the track.
When that cup of coffee just isn’t waking me up, “Deadz” is a great motivator in the early morning. Migos carry the weight of the track with a chanting hook about counting money as soon as they get out of bed. The trio steps up and gives one of the best tracks on the tape, regardless of 2 Chainz’s lazy guest verse.
“Cooking up dope in a crock pot” wouldn’t be an average lyric included in a chart-topping platinum single. Yet with over 200 million views on the official music video, the leading single, “Bad and Boujee” gained a shout-out during the Golden Globes by Globe winner Donald Glover. Glover claimed “[Bad and Boujee] is the best song to have sex to,” while also claiming boldly that Migos are this generation’s Beatles.
Fellow Atlanta rapper and pioneer of trap music, Gucci Mane, linked up with Migos for a charismatic verse on “Slippery.” Laced with aggressive drug and sexual references about Molly, Percocet and Codeine, the slick, menacing beat rides behind Migos with a sinister funkadelic vibe.
“Brown Paper Bag,” “All Ass” and “What The Price” are where the album takes a step back. These cuts sound like they could fit in on an earlier Migos mixtape.
The last two tracks on “Culture” hold a more unique sound than their predecessors. The final track on “Culture” is a Migos love ballad. While “Out Yo Way” is not excellent, it is refreshing to have a change from Migos talking about the many women in their lives to focusing on just one in particular.
The southern-infused instrumentals and Migos original flow and choppy delivery is honed in on “Culture.” The album displays how Migos have dialed in their signature style with great precision creating more of a full sound that lacked in previous work. Songs like “T Shirt,” “Get Right Witcha,” “Deadz” and “Slippery” are pinnacle examples of the trio’s unmatched chemistry.
With the popularity and success of “Bad and Boujee” alone, “Culture” solidifies Migos’s place in rap. The trio stays in their lane, not taking any huge artistic risks, but rather sticking to what took Quavo, Offset and Takeoff from selling drugs in the ghettos of Atlanta to being one of the biggest groups in hip-hop.
