Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year, you’ve come in contact with the Migos in some way. Formed by three relatives--Quavo, Takeoff, and Offset--the Migos have taken over the hearts and ears of the public since they dropped their sleek, new single, “Bad and Boujee.” As the song gained popularity, the infamous first lines of the track, “Raindrop, drop top,” have gained a reputation of their own, used in memes and jokes across the internet. The song has been the rap song to listen to for the past few months, and with their explosion onto the popular scene, Migos capitalized on their newfound success and released their sophomore album, appropriately titled Culture. With this album, Migos have turned their homespun variety of Southern hip-hop into a great success, as their laidback and fun-filled approach to rap has struck a chord with the public. The style that the Migos pursue on this album is very trap-influenced and minimalist, but a key difference in Migos’ sound is their sense of unprofessionalism. Despite instrumentals from Metro Boomin, one of rap’s biggest producers, and Zaytoven, a staple of Atlanta hip hop, the production is less polished than the beats of other trap-influenced rappers. The production on this album almost sounds like it was done on a smaller budget than most, using artificial instrumentation and cheaper options to make the beats. While many may see this unprofessionalism and cheapness as a misstep for Migos, I see it as a nice quirk of their music which plays into the vibe that they try to create.
Migos for me has always been what their name says they are: three amigos rapping, and having fun with it. The way that they ad-lib over each other’s verses and are always in the background makes their music reminiscent of rapping with your best friends in a basement or on the street over a homemade beat, a style which I think no one else in rap captures quite like the Atlanta trio. This style makes for some great music, which has clearly made an impression on the public. For example, their big hit, “Bad and Boujee,” is a fun, catchy song, especially with the addition of up and coming Philadelphia rapper Lil Uzi Vert, even if he doesn’t add much lyrical value to the project. They show their sense of humor and charisma in the best ways, and it makes for a smash hit of a song. On other tracks like like “Get Right Witcha,” “T-Shirt,” “Brown Paper Bag,” and “Out Yo Way,” Migos showcase their group energy and knack for fun, making for some of the highlights of the album. However, there are just as many weak tracks as there are strong ones. The opening track, “Culture,” which features DJ Khaled for some reason, is an unpolished, bland starter for the album, and doesn’t exactly hype the listener up for the rest of the project. On “What the Price” and “Kelly Price,” the latter of which features Travi$ Scott, the Migos go overboard with auto-tune and harmony; after the first listen, the tracks get extremely annoying and hard to listen to. It’s clear that they were influenced by Travis’ style, but the autotune is not utilized the same precision that it is on Travis’ projects, and the songs come out to be duds. The cheaper production also has some drawbacks, such as on tracks like “Big on Big” and “Deadz,” which try to replicate live instrumentation with obviously artificial sounds, which is very distracting and makes the songs sound silly. The last problem that I have with Culture is possibly the hardest one to fix. It is the flow and voice of Takeoff, the lowest voice of the three. Takeoff always sounds like he’s not really paying attention, and his flow is often out of sync with the beat. He’s not charismatic like Quavo or fun like Offset, he’s just boring and not fun to listen to. Takeoff’s worst performances were on “Call Casting,” in which his voice does not match with the beat and always feels off-rhythm, “Big on Big,” in which he sounds painfully like Ludacris, and “T-Shirt,” where his flow and vocals on the pre-hook make the song sound much more generic than it could have been. In short, the homespun style that Migos utilize has its benefits and its drawbacks. At its best, we get songs like “Bad and Boujee,” which are fun, and upbeat. At its worst, we get an auto-tune-filled, Takeoff-heavy, overly-artificial track, like "Big on Big." For me, the charisma, sense of humor, and catchiness of these songs outweigh the boring parts, and Culture proves to be a solid listen.
The opener to 22, A Million, “22 (OVER SOON),” hints at a new direction for the band. Bringing together traditional soul and mellow electronic, it sets the tone for the album in a concise, two-and-a-half-minute statement.
Next is "10 d E A T h b R E a s T,” an interesting contrast of deep, layered vocals and a distorted, marching beat. “715 - CREEKS” follows—an a capella track, featuring vocoder-filtered vocals that invoke early James Blake and even 808s-period-Kanye at some points. 33 “GOD” sounds nothing like you’ve ever heard before—there are a ton of layers, but they all seem to fit. The intro starts on the lighter side—a piano riff, strings, pitched-up vocals—then out of nowhere comes bass, snare, an echoing synth and a lush, full sound. “29 Stafford Apts” is next: a folky, guitar-based ballad with a really pretty melody but also low, rising saxophones and bits of echo and distortion. “666” continues to contrast the electronic and acoustic influences of the album—featuring a repeated synth line against both electric and acoustic guitar and later, an upright bass. “21 MOON WATER” is the most experimental track—remaining mostly ambient until finishing with a flurry of bleeps, creaks, and reversed vocal samples. The album finishes with “00000 Million”—a quaint but powerful ending with an uplifting melody, piano and guitar, and a vaguely nostalgic vibe. On 22, A Million, Bon Iver seems to be able to incorporate a small, style-bending detail into every track. On “666,” the upright bass cuts into layers of synth and electric guitar, on “33 ‘GOD,’” a distant banjo shadows the web of strings, drums, piano, and affected vocals. It’s so intricate—each detail makes me want to go back and listen again. The best part is, despite all the layers and intricacies, the album is light and accessible. Stylistically, it melds the delicate folk melodies of For Emma, Forever Ago with the hard-hitting beats of Yeezus, but never feels busy or overly dense. Blending styles, exploring intricacy, and forging a brand new sound, 22, A Million might be their best album yet.
D.R.A.M. is mainly known for his hit songs “Cha-Cha,” “Broccoli,” and “Cash Machine"--three bright and silly pre-album singles. While D.R.A.M. can clearly do fun songs, in this album he instead brings much more of his soulful singing, drifting more into love songs than catchy singles. After the first track, “Get It Myself,” D.R.A.M. explodes onto the album with the dynamic anti-hater anthem “Misunderstood,” in which he addresses people who think that they know him better than he knows himself. The explosive production, particularly on this track, is a great highlight. After that, the album continues with songs like “In A Minute / In House,” “Monticello Ave,” and “WiFi,” and D.R.A.M. gets in touch with his loving side, speaking to an unknown woman, talking about how he just wants to be with her, and is constantly thinking about her, but is held from her due to his new popularity. All three songs are slick, sexy, and soulful, though the first half of “In A Minute / In House” is awkward and is lacking in production. In the middle of the album, D.R.A.M. includes a few pre-album singles, such as “Broccoli,” “Cash Machine,” and “Cute.” Lil Yachty’s verse on “Broccoli” is exactly the opposite of D.R.A.M.’s; it’s completely lifeless and meaningless. In the second line, he even references the Columbine shooting, a complete deviation from the overall tone of the song. In “Cash Machine,” D.R.A.M. has lots of fun over a Ray Charles sample which was very tasteful and easy on the ears. “Cute” is a very tasteful and loving song about a very wholesome relationship, which gave D.R.A.M. a real loving side. He doesn’t partake in the hyper-masculinity of other rappers--he genuinely seems to care about a girl, and he isn’t bragging about how many girls he has been with. The last third of the album contains more love songs, the highlight being “100%” in which he professes his love to a woman. He argues that together, they are both complete--again showing his caring side. Then, ending the album, D.R.A.M. brings a cool, jazzy beat to the table accompanied with soulful lyrics, dedicating the song to Virginia, his home. The bonus track, “Workaholic,” also deserves recognition as another silly, over-the-top party song, with some early 2000’s pop nostalgia combined with a flavorful trap beat. Overall, the album showcases both of D.R.A.M.’s personas: both his silly and carefree side, but also a caring, loving, and emotional side, often overshadowing the other artists who work on the album. Combined with crisp, slick production, Big Baby D.R.A.M. is a very pleasant album to listen to, and has songs for almost any occasion. |
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