POPULAR CULTURE : MIGOS' OFFSET ON THE RECORD

Interview by Michelle Santosuosso

QC/Motown/Capitol's Migos were nominated for two Grammys this year: Best Rap Album (Culture) and Best Rap Performance (“Bad and Boujee”). Right after the big show, their highly anticipated follow-up, Culture II, hit #1 on the Top 50 chart with 200k, making them one of only five rap groups with multiple #1 albums. The trio also celebrated having the biggest streaming week for an album since April 2017. It topped the iTunes albums charts in 60 countries, and debuted at #1 in 62 countries on Apple Music, seeing one of the largest debut weeks in the service’s history. Its predecessor is now platinum, while songs “MotorSport” and “Bad and Boujee” are gold and four-times platinum, respectively. At press time, they had four songs in the Apple Music Top 5 and nearly 950m combined global streams for Culture II, with 670m coming from the U.S. Leading up to their SNL appearance on 3/3, the group’s Offset agreed to answer a few of our questions. When someone asked him if he’d like to speak to HITS, we assume he thought we were a weed magazine.

There hasn’t been a group that’s changed the game like Migos has in decades. How did you build on the realness of being new icons and creating the new blueprint, and how is that reflected in Culture II?
First, it’s a blessing to have influenced the game as a group. The key is to be consistent and original. We changed the game naturally with our sound.

Who or what were your biggest influences when making this album, and what did they do?
Life and my group members are my biggest influ-ences. They push me to go harder, grind, to make better and bigger songs. When making this album, we put in extra-hard work while touring overseas.

Culture was nominated for a 2018 Best Rap Album Grammy. What do the Grammy Awards represent for you guys personally?
The awards represent the greatest of the music industry. To be a part of it is incredible. Michael Jackson had so many special Grammy moments. Also, the Clive Davis pre-Grammy gala was amazing, with our being able to perform and showcase the hard work we put in this past year.

“The key is to be consistent and original. We changed
the game naturally with our sound.”

Takeoff got the lyrics, Offset got the flows and Quavo got the hooks. Did all the collaborations y’all did outside the trio over the last year help shape/change/elevate the records you did when you circled back together?
I feel, over the last four years, we’ve shaped music with flows and delivery that’s got aggression and emotion, and faced the haters with an original style that had never been heard before. Thank God for the influence we’ve been able to create in music.

What was the most unlikely and biggest surprise in all the success that’s happened over the past year?
The biggest surprise was not winning the Grammy after such a great year in hip-hop; we changed and influenced all music.

When people rock with Culture II, what’s the main feeling you want them to come away with?
With Culture II, we want people to inherit and love the sound of music now, and by us, of course. We’re presenting you with a good energetic vibe that’s nothing but positivity.

Who is your ultimate unattainable collaborator?
Michael Jackson would be the biggest feature for me, ’cause I look up to him so much.