CULTURE III: ALBUM REVIEW
In the single “Avalanche” on Migos’ newest project, Culture III, Takeoff says, “They must have forgot we the Migos.” Which is true, it seems like everyone forgot about the Migos. Not out of malice, though. Society simply got to a point where the Migos were no longer culturally relevant. I personally haven’t thought about the Migos since 2017. But on Culture III, Migos are working to change that as they resume the innovation that once made them one of the most successful rap groups of all time.
It’s a bit hard to comprehend how dominant Migos were and how far they’ve fallen from that point. The first Culture album was a seismic shift in hip-hop. It took over the charts, the conversation, and the entire lives of most of America. Now, it’s a week after Culture III dropped and they only have one song in the Apple Music top 10. Migos sound incredibly aware of this and seem hungry to reclaim their throne. Nobody wants to be washed only four years after their debut. As a result, there are tons of songs on Culture III that go against their traditional formula and push the group towards something weirder.
The album opener “Avalanche” starts with one of the most beautiful samples of the year while Offset flows effortlessly over guitar strums and a string section. Quavo, Offset, and Takeoff (in that order) all sound hardened by life. Their flexes sound tired while their lyrics about change sound like they’re coming straight from the heart. Quavo says, “I’m willing to feed whoever, how can I help you?” There’s an attitude shift across this entire project that is refreshing and catches you off guard.
The first ten songs on this album are some of the best music Migos has ever made. They mix in bangers like “Straightenin” with poppier tracks like “Type Shit.” The first half of this project shows how malleable their sound is and how powerful it can be when they use their versatility to its full capacity. “Vaccine” is one of the most fun songs of the year as they croon “we makin’ money in quarantineeee.” When this album gets rolling it has an infectious energy that propels the project forward at all costs.
Culture III is an inspiring project because it feels like a group pushing past a barrier that threatened their careers. A great example of this is on the polo G featuring “Malibu,” which incorporates newer sounds with the same Migos flows. Migos give polo G his space to thrive while they perfectly blend their styles. Songs like this show the power a great Migos song still has. Migos, to this day, are one of the only groups in the country that can unite everyone around an infectious hook.
Culture III proves what we already knew about Migos: they are experts at capturing what the people want and giving them exactly that. As long as they continue to push themselves forward, their triplet flows will be with the world for many years to come.