Culture is Migos’ much deserved victory lap

Things are becoming increasingly dire as the Annoying Orange and his goose-stepping legion of invertebrate pus-sacks steadily chip away at the rights of every conceivable minority... except rich people. It is generally pretty bad, to put it mildly and the next four years look to be progressively darker, with little promise of any real brightness on the horizon.

However, a light has appeared, one which might serve as a beacon of hope for the righteous. A steadfast cultural icon has reminded us there might still be hope for the future. Rejoice, dear reader, for Migos has blessed us with a new album.

Aptly called Culture, this is the latest album from a group which has done so much to change the tone of contemporary popular rap. The album’s hit single, “Bad and Boujee,” was good enough to make every drunken upper-middle class white kid sing their mispronounced refrain — “bad and boushieeeeeee” — at parties, in clubs, and really wherever the youth congregate.

That got to the top ten in the charts, despite having what is arguably the worst Lil Uzi Vert (known for songs like “Money Longer”) verse of all time. The other major singles, “T-Shirt,” “What the Price,” and “Call Casting” were successful in their own right, albeit not to the monumental extent of “Bad and Boujee,” which was a source of much-needed solace in this time of cheese-flavored fascism.

The album comes off the heels of Migos supposedly signing a management deal with Kanye West’s GOOD Music imprint which ultimately didn’t pan out. Culture is the group’s sophomore effort following their 2015 studio debut Yung Rich Nation. The group received a great amount of press over the eight month custody that breakout member of the group, Offset, served in 2015.

“Bad and Boujiee” also received a sale bump following the award acceptance speech by fellow rapper Donald Glover who had the trio on the pilot of his show, Atlanta, and praised the song.

The group is firing on all cylinders following a stellar 2016.

Culture has all the Migos album essentials: some solid features, Quavo’s auto-tuned warble on the hooks, and the Migos flow. Also the album artwork includes explosions, doves, a Lamborghini, a pagoda and thousands of dollars worth of designer clothing. The production does not depart much from the usual – Murda Beatz, Metro Boomin, 808 Mafia, and Zaytoven all figure prominently.

However, on several tracks, the Black Beatles experiment with some new collaborations. “T-Shirt” was co-produced by Atlanta duo Nard & B, who have previously worked with the likes of Future, Ty Dolla $ign, and 2 Chainz. Certainly not a shoddy curriculum vitae and their talent shows on “T-Shirt.” Texas producer Cardo contributed the beat for “Deadz,” which is a song worthy of at least two flame emojis, due in no small part to its godly 2 Chainz feature.

Again, Migos stays true to form by leaving Quavo on the majority of the hooks, although in “Bad and Boujee,” Offset takes the refrain. This is a good thing for a couple reasons: Offset is awesome, and, while Quavo hooks are great, it can be nice to change things up a bit.

Content remains essentially the same in that sense that it’s all about selling drugs, making/spending money, and having extravagant amounts of sex. There is also something which sounds suspiciously like a love song. “Out Yo Way,” the last track on the album, has some of the trappings of a romantic ballad à la Migos, which is a shame given that love was invented by the illuminati to keep us complacent.

Speaking of things that are a shame, let us talk about features, or more appropriately, a feature. As was mentioned, Lil’ Uzi’s was certifiably terrible, which is too bad because usually his weird croon is a dependable asset on a track. However, the other features on Culture are certainly worth it. For one, you have Travis Scott on “Kelly Price” who, despite how you may feel about his music, often does well on other people’s tracks.

Then there is 2 Chainz on “Deadz,” who possesses the magical ability to bless any song that is lucky enough to feature his talent. Finally, there is the living icon, the East Atlanta Santa, the Landmower Man, Guwop, the Trap God, La Flare-Gucci f**king Mane. Ever since getting out of jail, Gucci has gone on a musical quest, featuring on and putting out a number of party anthems as well as multiple mixtapes.

He does not disappoint on “Slippery.” Also, there is a DJ Khaled feature but really, who cares. If I wanted to hear someone yell incoherently, I would watch clips of Sean Spicer’s press conferences.

Ultimately, Culture is nothing new. However, when you are a group like Migos and you have created a formula which has found you success in all of your albums, why change things up? This album is the Migos their fans know and love, with some minor tweaks — a few experiments with the beats and a little rearranging of the musical structure.

Culture is not necessarily my favorite Migos album but that is not to say it is bad. Overall, it was what we needed in these dark times, a welcome distraction from the tiny boot of fascism pressing down upon our necks. Culture reminds us that truth and beauty still exist in this ugly world and, for that reason, it is an album worth listening to.