MIGOS “Culture” Album Review

Did their viral success translate into a great album?

Nah.

Before I get into why, let’s talk about the Atlanta trio a little bit.

The group consists of Quavo, Takeoff, and Offset. All three are blood-related family.

From left to right: Takeoff, Quavo, and Offset

They have had some of the biggest hits in rap from the past few years including “Versace,” “Look at my Dab,” “Fight Night,” and most recently, “Bad and Boujee” — their first #1 hit and lead single off Culture.

People go ape shit when Migos comes on. Watch as this Nigerian crowd screams every line of B&B like their life depends on it.

I could watch this all day.

One more thing before we get into the new album. The key to Migos’ success is their group chemistry.

Watch them freestyle and you’ll notice they ad-lib for each other with perfect timing, finish each other’s rhymes, and just have a genuinely good time in the cypher. Their chemistry can only be described as supernatural.

“Hocus pocus, pull up in the Lotus” — Takeoff

As much as I want to love Culture, I can’t help feeling disappointed. They are so likable that even now I’m trying to justify why I didn’t love the project.

The more I think about it — the clearer it is. This group makes amazing singles. They have catchy choruses, good flows, and the best trap beats money can buy. But that’s just not enough to carry an album.

Put it this way, most of the songs on the Culture tracklist would likely be viral singles if the group released videos for each one.

While the second single “T-Shirt” is a decent record, the video is the trap version of The Revenant and that is truly what makes it remarkable. Chance the Rapper called the video “Oscar-worthy” but I doubt he would say the song itself is Grammy-worthy.

Would have loved to see the three of them take on a bear though TBH

As a fan and a critic, I came into this listening session hoping for two things:

1. Bangers. This is what Migos does. McDonalds serves Big Macs. Migos makes bangers.
2. Something new. I’m familiar with the group’s formula — But will they step outside the box and show some more innovation?

We definitely got a few more bangers. None surpass “Bad and Boujee” but there are a few tracks that are worth adding to the rotation.

Keepers include: “Get Right Witcha,” “Brown Paper Bag,” “Slippery” ft. Gucci Mane, and “What the Price.”

You can toss “Big on Big.”

As far as hoping for something different — there really isn’t anything new here. I’ll say that after listening to 12 straight trap records, I did appreciate them closing with “Out Yo Way,” a more low-key song dedicated to the women that go out of their way to please the Migos.

When it comes down to it, listening to Culture front to back does the music itself a disservice. There’s not enough diversity in the sound to keep things interesting. It would probably come across better if they just released single after single instead.

What do you think? Did I miss the wave? Let me know in the comments.

Final Grade — 6.8/10

P.S. DAT WAY

If you feel like showing some love and support, click the heart for me and share. Thanks for reading.