9781422271896

HIP - HOP & R&B Culture, Music & Storytelling

HIP - HOP & R&B Culture, Music & Storytelling

Alicia Keys Gucci Mane Meek Mill Migos

Jay-Z John Legend Lil Wayne Nicki Minaj Pharrell Pitbull Post Malone Rihanna The Weeknd Travis Scott

Beyoncé Bruno Mars Cardi B Chance the Rapper DJ Khaled Drake

mason crest Carlie Lawson

HIP-HOP & R&B

Culture, Music & Storytelling

MASON CREST PO Box 221876, Hollywood, FL 33022 (866) MCP-BOOK (toll-free) • www.masoncrest.com

Copyright © 2022 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

First printing 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

ISBN (hardback) 978-1-4222-4629-0 ISBN (series) 978-1-4222-4625-2 ISBN (ebook) 978-1-4222-7189-6

Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file with the Library of Congress

Developed and produced by National Highlights Inc. Editor: Regency House Publishing Ltd. Cover Design: Annalisa Gumbrecht, Studio Gumbrecht

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CONTENTS Chapter 1 : Career Highlights—Setting Recording Industry Records .......................... 7 Chapter 2: The Road to the Top—Fulfilling a Lifelong Dream ....................................... 21 Chapter 3: Migos—Hip Hop ....................................................................................................... 37 Chapter 4: Migos—Words and Lyrics—Messaging and Brand-Building.................... 49 Chapter 5: Migos—Giving Back to the Community .......................................................... 63 Series Glossary of Key Terms ........................................................................................................ 70 Further Reading and Internet Resources ................................................................................. 72 Citations ............................................................................................................................................... 73 Educational Video Links ................................................................................................................. 75 Index ..................................................................................................................................................... 76 Picture and Video Credits .............................................................................................................. 79 Author’s Biography .......................................................................................................................... 80

KEY ICONS TO LOOK FOR:

Words to Understand: These words with their easy-to-understand definitions will increase the reader’s understanding of the text while building vocabulary skills.

Sidebars: This boxed material within the main text allows readers to build knowledge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Educational Videos: Readers can view videos by scanning our QR codes, providing them with additional educational content to supplement the text. Examples include news coverage, moments in history, speeches, iconic sports moments, and much more!

Text-Dependent Questions: These questions send the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented there.

Research Projects: Readers are pointed toward areas of further inquiry connected to each chapter. Suggestions are provided for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis.

Series Glossary of Key Terms: This back-of-the-book glossary contains terminology used throughout this series. Words found here increase the reader’s ability to read and comprehend higher-level books and articles in this field.

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Chapter 1:

W hen you think of the term“boy band,” you probably envision squeaky-clean California boys or a K-pop band. In Atlanta, Georgia, in 2009, three family members, two cousins, and an uncle decided to form a rap/hip-hop trio. Focused on the “trap” music genre, the three then-teenaged boys, Career Highlights— Setting Recording Industry Records

Migos performing at the Veld Festival in 2017. The hip-hop event is held annually in Downsview Park in Toronto.

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created some of the earliest trap music. What began as the group Polo Club in 2009 became Migos—Kiari “Offset” Cephus, Quavious “Quavo” Marshall, and Kirsnick “Takeoff” Ball. Their Deep South southern accents and lackadaisical flow earned them the nickname “mumble rappers.”The trio spent nearly four years building a following in Atlanta before recording and releasing their first mixtape. Although they frequently work with some of the most prolific producers, including Zaytoven, Migos prefer to

Migos Offset, Quavo, and Takeoff attending the 2017 BET Awards..

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crank out the mixtapes rather than studio albums. In fact, their third mixtape, YRN , spawned their first hit, “Versace,” in 2013. It reached No. 23 on the U.S. Billboard Rap charts and No. 31 on the R&B/Hip- Hop chart. Migos successfully landed a record contract with 300 Entertainment in 2014. That led to the first of their four studio albums. In 2017, a deal between 300 Entertainment and Quality Control cut with Motown and Capitol Records led to future releases of the band being released under the Motown and Capitol Records labels. In summer of 2020, Migos plan to release their fourth album, titled, as of press time, Culture III . They released their first album, Yung Rich Nation , in 2015, following it two years later with Culture , then Culture II in 2018. All Released Solo Albums to Date: Discography

Scan here to listen to “IBang,” from Migos’ first days in rap.

Y UNG R ICH N ATION (Released July 31, 2015)

Released in 2015, the album Yung Rich Nation features fifty minutes of witty trap rap in dactylic meter. It was produced by Zaytoven, the Honorable C.N.O.T.E., and Murda Beatz. Although critics claimed that Migos’ first studio album did not pack

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the lyrical punch that its mixtapes had, the band’s official debut on Quality Control/300 Entertainment did signify success. The band had been signed and released a legit studio album. Both singles released from the album, “One Time” and “Pipe It Up,” charted in the U.S. Top 100 singles, at No. 34 and No. 38, respectively. While neither went gold, the album itself charted on three different charts: On the U.S. Top 200, it reached No. 17; on the U.S. Top R&B/Hip- Hop Albums, it reached No. 5; and on the U.S. Rap chart, it reached a peak position of No. 3. “Just for Tonight” (featuring Chris Brown) “Cocaina” (featuring Young Thug) C ULTURE (Released 2017) The sophomore effort from the Atlanta trio, Culture provides a cultural snapshot of the time. Critics lauded its more mature flow. The diverse collection of tracks carried production by Metro Boomin, Nard & B, 808 Mafia, and Buddah Bless. The album features the first chart-topper the Atlanta trio scored, “Bad and Boujee,”which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. With tracks like “T-Shirt” and “Get Right Witcha” described as “hypnotic,” critics lauded the follow-up as iconic. Collaborations

Scan here to watch the music video for Migos’“FEMA.”

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Kiari Kendrell Cephus AKA Offset.

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Collaborations

“Culture” (featuring DJ Khaled) “Bad and Boujee” (featuring Lil Uzi Vert) “Slippery” (featuring Gucci Mane) “Deadz” (featuring 2 Chainz) “Kelly Price” (featuring Travis Scott)

C ULTURE II (Released January 26, 2018)

The sequel to Culture provides

a double album of twenty-four tracks produced by some of the top names in hip- hop. It produced both hip-hop and pop hits. The list of collaborators reads like a who’s who of hip- hop, including Kanye West, 21 Savage, Pharrell Williams, Snoop Dogg, Gucci Mane, 2 Chainz, Drake, Post Malone, Travis Scott, Ty Dolla $ign, Big Sean, Nicki Minaj, and Cardi B. While Quavo stepped in as executive producer, the man dubbed as the unofficial fourth member of Migos, DJ Durel, also pulled executive producer credit. The album produced four hits: “Walk It Talk It,”“MotorSport,” “Stir Fry,” and “Narcos.”The last peaked at No. 36 on the U.S. Billboard singles chart, but the other three singles all charted in the top ten. “Walk It Talk It”

Migos collaborated with Gucci Mane on “Slippery” from their Culture I album.

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charted in the tenth spot. “MotorSport” peaked at No. 6. “Stir Fry” landed at No. 8. Ironically, critics deemed some of the tracks that were not released as singles as even stronger than those that became hits. “BBO (Bad Bitches Only)” (featuring 21 Savage) “Walk It Talk It” (featuring Drake) “CC” (featuring Gucci Mane) “White Sand” (featuring Travis Scott, Ty Dolla $ign and Big Sean) “MotorSport” (featuring Nicki Minaj and Cardi B) “Notice Me” (featuring Post Malone) “Too Playa” (featuring 2 Chainz) Collaborations

Scan here to listen to Migos’ “Can’t Believe It.”

Migos collaborated with Post Malone on “Notice Me” on their Culture II album.

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C ULTURE III (Scheduled for summer 2020)

The group pre-released the lead single of the album, “Give No Fxk,” on February 14, 2020. In interviews, the members talked about a few aspects of the tracks. They created the lead single with long-time collaborators Young Thug and Travis Scott. The album also includes a collaboration with the late rapper Juice WRLD, who passed from this life on December 8, 2019. The trio worked with him on the track “What’s Brackin’” and pushed to include it on the release.

Scan the code to listen to Young Thug with Migos’ rap “Problem.”

Migos worked with rapper Young Thug on their Culture III album.

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