Migos’ Rap Supremacy Continues With Star-Studded Album ‘Culture II’

After Migos scored the top spot on the Billboard 200 with 2017’s Culture, they’re aiming to do it again on the follow-up Culture II. With nearly two dozen tracks boasting heavyweight features, hip-hop’s triumvirate thrive on their latest release. 

The champion tone was set for Culture II ahead of its arrival with the tire-screeching single “Supastars.” Takeoff boasts about his wealthy lifestyle, “So much ice (too much), had to ice the lane (whew)/ Freeze to death (freeze), had to freeze the lane (freeze)/ Camera phone, Scarface, Al Capone (Al Capone).”

But Offset, Quavo and Takeoff ‘s third LP conveys more than jewelry drips and their flashy street personas. Culture II is an ode to their big-time breakthrough. The rap trinity is up for best rap album and best rap performance at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards, and Culture II reflects that triumph. 

Taking into consideration the potential crowning of these young kings, the melodic “White Sand,” featuring Big Sean, dismisses bystanders riding other’s waves. “Bitch you a culture vulture/ I’m with my Migos soldiers,” affirms the MC. And the Sean Don confidence is next-level: “Swear to God, I’m the one/ My girl might propose to me,” he puffs over an ethereal bounce. 

The trappers’ critics will be kept at bay with Saint Laurent Don’s soon-to-buzz record “BBO (Bad Bitches Only)” The “bad btch” loving 21 Savage blesses the head bobbing anthem, just one of the many features on Culture II. Gucci Mane, Pharrell, 2 Chainz, Cardi B (Offset’s fiancee) and Nicki Minaj also pop on the album, but Drake’s contribution, “Walk It Like I Talk It,” will probably cause the most ruckus. There is no future in being fraudulent, and Drake reminds Migos’ newfound friends that they’ve been brothers since 2013’s breakout “Versace.”

Pharrell Williams’ rhythmically appetizing production “Stir Fry,” which has already amassed impressive streams, proves that fans’ wrists do whip to the hook: “Dance with my dogs in the nighttime (woo, woo, woo, wroof)/ In the kitchen, wrist twistin’ like it’s stir fry (whip it).” And the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit “MotorSpot,” featuring Cardi and Nicki, proves they’re still a force on the charts. 

There’s plenty of debauchery on Culture II, but it’s not how Migos close the album. They showcase their swagger on the sports-friendly tune “Culture National Anthem,” which seamlessly merges national pastimes with the trap of now. And true to the title, Migos’ priorities are still on target: “We do it for the culture/ Got to do it for the culture.”

By Bianca Alysse Mercado for Billboard.com 

Image: Billboard