Migos, the Three Amigos

Just like the name of one of their members, Migos used 2017 to take off and launch perhaps the most successful year since they established the group. Migos is an extremely interesting group to examine, as they not only perform together, but all three of them have also performed separately and collaborated with other rappers, showing the versatility they have. They released their new album Culture this past year on January 27th, and the success they received from that album has caused them to work on their next album, cleverly named Culture II, which will supposedly be released later this month.

It was not always easy for the now successful trio though, as they had a rough upbringing. In a surprising twist, all three are relatives, which is unknown to many. Quavo (Quavious Marshall) is actually the uncle of fellow member, Takeoff (Kirshnik Bell), even though Quavo is only four years older than his nephew. Offset (Kiari Cephus) is also the cousin of Quavo. Quavo is the oldest of the group at 26 years old, with Offset at 25 and Takeoff at 22. Quavo’s father passed away when he was just four years old, while Offset and Takeoff where also left without a father after their father’s left when they were young. This left the boys spending a lot of time together, with Quavo’s mother raising the three boys on her own much of the time. As children they all had different hobbies, as Takeoff loved wrestling, even having a ring in his backyard. Meanwhile, Quavo loved playing football and also watching marine documentaries, whereas Offset also enjoyed football, but his attitude ultimately caused him to stop, eventually being put in military school for an amount of time. Quavo began rapping in 8th grade, often made fun of by his fellow students. Offset came to the defense of his cousin, and with this, he soon also became interested in rapping. With Takeoff also participating in rap, they soon formed their first group in 2009, called Polo Club. Unfortunately, they enjoyed doing more than just rapping, becoming involved in the drug trade. Needing money for clothes and equipment, selling drugs seemed like the easiest way to make money fast. This was seen when their first song dropped as Bando, a word known as a house where drugs are sold.

While  Bando did catch the attention of some big name rappers such as Gucci Mane, it wasn’t until 2013 when they released their first top 100 song, Versace (#99 to be exact). With the collaboration involving superstar Drake, they soon also caught the attention of the world. Two years later, in July 2015, they released their first album, Yung Rich Nation. Sadly, when they released it, they were involved in plenty of trouble and drama. In March 2014, they exchanged gunfire with another vehicle. Just over a year later, Quavo, Offset and fellow rapper Rich the Kid were arrested with drug and gun charges. Quavo and Rich the Kid just received community service, but Offset received an eight month jail sentence due to a prior crime, not being released until December later that year.

Just a year after their run with the law, the group was experiencing their finest success. On October 28, 2016, their hit single “Bad and Boujee” was released, and with that, Migos climbed to the top of the charts. As earlier stated, Culture was released on January 27th of 2017, debuting as the #1 album, and going platinum just three months after the release. Now, although they have experienced lots of success, Migos music is not for everyone. Their heavy use of bass and “trap” music many times leads to aggressive sounding, sometimes head-banging music. Yet, many people love their music, me included. Some even call them, “the Beatles of this generation.”

However, there’s a huge difference between the Beatles and Migos, and it’s easy to spot. Perhaps no group takes more advantage of auto tune, using it in every song, every verse, every line. While every member uses it, Quavo is essentially popular due to his artificially toned voice, starring in many hit songs while collaborating with numerous different artists. Sometimes sounding robotic, Migos shows that talent may not be the biggest measure of popularity (I mean, how did Gucci Gang get popular?), but rather the beat and production of the music.

Although Migos has many hit songs, I think one of their most recent collaborations represents their music the best. “Motorsport”, featuring Migos, Cardi B and Nicki Minaj, spotlight the reasons why Migos is popular. Using a very simple background beat, they focus on the rhythm and flow of the song. Quavo starts it off strong, using auto tune to change the sound of his voice multiple times, with Offset then appearing, using his deep voice to change the mood. After Cardi B and Nicki Minaj, Takeoff wraps it up, perfectly setting up the last chorus by Quavo. Listening to their music, it is easy to tell that although as a group they are extremely talented, they do need each other to prosper. Their voices are fairly monotone, but together, they create something that surprisingly comes together quite well, and this is something that should continue for the A-Migos.