Completing their game-changing trap trilogy, Atlanta trio
Migos issued the series' final installment,
Culture III, four years after its predecessor. A lifetime in the rap game, part three arrived just a little late to the party, as the genre had already crowned newer stars and delved into fresher subgenres. Nonetheless,
Quavo,
Offset, and
Takeoff do what they do best, dropping their signature triplets and vocalizations atop serviceable production. Charming and engaging as ever, they deliver the usual sex, fame, and wealth content of old, shaking things up with some rare moments of vulnerability on the emotional "Antisocial" with the late
Juice Wrld (where
Takeoff confesses, "When I'm in my feelings, I bought me some codeine just so I can feel it") and the longing "What You See" with
Justin Bieber crooning on the chorus. The latter track is as serious as the trio gets -- positively tender in comparison to the usually callous point of view towards sex -- pining for love and atoning for their sins (an apologetic
Offset pleads, "Do not judge a thug/do not judge the way I love," a reference to his relationship drama with
Cardi B, who drops a verse on "Type Shit"). Otherwise,
Culture III spends most of its time busting speakers with booming bass and expertly crafted cinematic atmospherics from a team of producers such as
Murda Beatz,
Tay Keith, Pooh Beatz, and more. Standouts include the
Temptations-sampling "Avalanche"; the hypnotizing "Having Our Way" with
Drake; and the timely "Vaccine," which interpolates a familiar melody from
Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker. In a bid for contemporary relevance, the trio are sure to recruit a handful of younger chart-toppers like
Polo G ("Malibu") and
YoungBoy Never Broke Again ("Need It"), but it's the shrewd inclusion of the late
Pop Smoke and producer 808Melo on "Light It Up" that brings Brooklyn drill down to the trap house. While the set is a bit of a chore at 19 tracks (24 on the deluxe version), it's still not as bloated as
Culture II. Yet, it could use some trimming if only to clear the clutter that distracts from the solid highlights. With the trilogy complete,
Migos might finally be ready to spread their wings and evolve from the scene they helped establish. ~ Neil Z. Yeung